Mobile search ad revenue to hit $715 million in 2011
By 2011 mobile search will account for around $715 million, almost 15% of a U.S. mobile advertising market worth nearly $4.7 billion, according to new research from eMarketer Inc.
Many of the behavioral factors are in place to push mobile search forward, notably a strong correlation between mobile Internet use and accessing mobile search services, the research says.
“Mobile search in the U.S. has all the right parts on the table: a huge online advertising ecosystem, the world’s leading content industry, massive portal players, major league mobile operators and a host of venture capital-backed start-ups,” says eMarketer senior analyst John du Pre Gauntt.
The newly released research says there were 20.3 million mobile search users in 2006 and predicts 23.3 million this year, 28.8 million in 2008, 35.1 million in 2009, 43.9 million in 2010 and 55.8 million in 2011. It reports $2.1 million in 2006 in mobile search ad revenue earned from the sale of display or text listings alongside mobile search results. The report predicts $13.5 million in mobile search ad revenue this year, $48.1 million in 2008, $155.7 million in 2009, $307.4 million in 2010 and $713.7 million in 2011.
Still, mobile search can be expected to suffer some growing pains over the next two to three years as the tug of war between major mobile telecom operators, portal players and media, and a plethora of mobile search start-ups compete for the title of mobile search leader, the research concludes.
“In other words, it’ll be a mess over the next few years sorting out the center of gravity for mobile search as each player tries to convince the others to follow its lead,” du Pre Gauntt says. “The good news for marketers is there’s enough of a prize for the winner or winners that resolution will come.”
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