Mobile Marketing Spend Could Grow By Over 25% Across EMEA

Mobile marketing budgets across the EMEA region are expected to grow by as much as a quarter over the coming year, according to a survey by Warc and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).

With mobile now playing vital role in digital marketing, a rise in funds might come as little surprise; the research revealed that 91% of marketers and advertisers will boost their mobile investment within the next 12 months, and nearly half of them (45%) expect “at least” 25% growth.

The survey, which involved some 378 professionals across 42 markets, also pinpointed what might hinder the trend, with consumer privacy concerns (36%) being the main issue, and inconsistent metrics (34%) as well as a lack of skills (28%) the next biggest potential barriers in the region.

Trend predicting

Designed to provide a snapshot on the current status of mobile marketing, the research also looked into what trends are likely to see increased uptake within the region, with the majority of those surveyed (65%) planning to adopt mobile video over the next year, and just over half of them (56%) intending to focus on location data.

When mixing things up across their multi-channel campaigns, marketers and advertisers using mobile marketing strategies plan to focus on social platforms, mainly Facebook (97%), YouTube (75%), Instagram (70%) and Twitter (68%).   

“It’s clear from these findings that marketers are making the necessary investments to realise mobile’s potential,” said Warc’s head of content, David Tiltman, noting that the definition of ‘mobile marketing’ “continues to expand” as a result of ongoing innovation within the sector.

The participants also revealed which mobile trends are the ones to watch over the next five years, with mobile wallets topping the list (44%), followed by virtual reality (42%) and augmented reality (41%).

Focusing solely on mobile spend, the “Mobile Marketing in EMEA” report claims to be a first of its kind within the region. The MMA states that it has plans to launch the report on an annual basis in order to “spot trends and deliver benchmarks for all within the mobile ecosystem within the region.”