• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
TechThe Mobile Executive

3 reasons this is a breakthrough year for mobile marketing

By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 27, 2015, 3:00 PM ET
A mobile phone shows a Facebook page promoting Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, in this photo illustration
A mobile phone shows a Facebook page promoting Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, in this photo illustration taken April 13, 2015. By one estimate U.S. online political advertising could quadruple to nearly $1 billion in the 2016 election, creating huge opportunities for digital strategy firms eager to capitalize on a shift from traditional mediums like television. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RTR4X894Photograph by Mike Segar — Reuters

Google’s bullish commentary about its Q2 mobile business—respectable ad growth and accelerating video viewership on the go—wasn’t exactly a big surprise.

After all, one commonly cited forecast suggests that mobile gadgets could be the focus for 72% of all digital ad spending by 2019.

But did you know 2015 looks to be the turning point?

Research firm eMarketer projects 50% growth this year. That will bring mobile ad spending to almost $29 billion, slightly less than half.

Next year, the balance will become mobile-dominant for one very profound reason: most consumers now spend more time peering at mobile screens than ones on their desktops. But that oversimplifies the influence of smartphones on marketing campaigns. Here are three other trends that marketers should keep in mind.

#1. The cross-channel link is more demonstrable

I have received close to a dozen pitches over the past month from ad-tech companies that track the path of purchase intent across multiple touch points from email to mobile search to cash register. Why so much activity?

Here’s the number that’ll make you sit up: marketers working with San Francisco-based audience intelligence firm NinthDecimal recorded an 80% increase in store visits on the first day of many mobile campaigns. Its clients include American Express, Comcast, Kraft, Microsoft, Starbucks, Target and Toyota.

How effective are mobile ads at driving in-store sales? One software company that can answer that question is 4Info of San Mateo, California, which collects benchmarks in collaboration with digital media company Catalina.

Early findings suggest marketers should expect roughly $30 in retail sales per 1,000 impressions, according to the metrics these two companies are correlating. The data covers eight of the 10 biggest consumer products companies around—covering beverages, baby products, food, and health and beauty items.

“Nobody thought it was possible to tie a mobile impression to an offline sale,” said 4Info CEO Tim Jenkins. His overall takeaway: marketers can expect higher returns from fewer mobile eyeballs.

By the way, the notion that consumers are reluctant to complete transactions on a tablet or handheld may be more myth than reality.

Criteo, a software company that specializes in “performance advertising” across mobile devices and desktop browsers, is seeing a spike in transactions on smartphones as screens get bigger. “In the next six months, our clients will see a much larger number of ecommerce sales coming from phones,” said Criteo’s chief revenue officer Mollie Spilman. “Another myth is that these purchases are low-ticket items. Now, the basket sizes are on par with tablets and [personal computers].”

#2: Attention spans are shorter

Another thing that is becoming clearer: while consumers are more likely to be influenced by mobile messaging, marketers have a much smaller window of opportunity to pull this off.

People tend to use their mobile gadgets in sessions of times to check email, grab their digital wallet, search for a local business, or consult a mobile app for information. Google calls these “micro-moments,” and the behavior is very differ from what marketers have come to expect for desktop-dominant campaigns.

“You need to be found wherever consumer traffic is. … If you’re just out there in browsers, you’re missing out,” said Sharon Rowlands, CEO of digital marketing software company ReachLocal. “You have to be found in apps.”

#3: Most people won’t spend for an ad-free experience

Internet surfers became far more fond last year of ad blockers, software that filters out advertisements: as of September 2014, approximately 144 million people used them actively.

But those are most metrics for browsers on the desktop. What about tablets and mobile phones?

This fall, Apple’s iOS 9 update will bring them to the iPhone Safari browser, a development that understandably has some marketers concerned. (Here’s a list of the companies working on extensions.) But unless they’re free, it’s unlikely they’ll be considered, finds research from mobile analytics company AppLovin. For most of the tiny number that would pay, $2 per month was the limit.

Here’s the conclusion:

Today, advertising subsidizes content for those who are unwilling or unable to pay anything for it. Our data indicate that despite the many discussions about how exactly consumers could go ad-free, they aren’t eager to do so if it means paying out of their own pockets.

Sign up for Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily morning newsletter about the business of technology.

UPDATE, July 27, 2015: The description for Criteo was modified.

About the Author
By Heather Clancy
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

murdochs
CommentaryMedia
OpenAI paid $100 million for a talk show. James Murdoch is eyeing an even bigger deal. The hot new asset class is humanity
By Lin CherryMay 17, 2026
59 minutes ago
dennis
CommentaryAI agents
Freshworks CEO: why agile enterprises are winning the AI race — and what they did differently
By Dennis WoodsideMay 17, 2026
1 hour ago
A man with a headset sits at a desk in a call center.
EconomyAutomation
The AI boom hasn’t stopped U.S. companies from hiring cheap offshore labor, and overseas call center employment is still skyrocketing
By Sasha RogelbergMay 17, 2026
2 hours ago
Zillow CEO doubles down on remote-work model: ‘There is talent everywhere in this country’
Workplace Cultureremote work
Zillow CEO doubles down on remote-work model: ‘There is talent everywhere in this country’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 17, 2026
2 hours ago
Stressed job seeker
SuccessGen Z
Gen Z is right about the job hunt—it really is worse than it was for millennials, with nearly 60% of fresh-faced grads frozen out of the workforce
By Emma BurleighMay 17, 2026
2 hours ago
A 45,000-person labor strike at Samsung’s memory chip plants could throw a wrench into the AI boom
EconomySamsung
A 45,000-person labor strike at Samsung’s memory chip plants could throw a wrench into the AI boom
By Catherina GioinoMay 17, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
16 hours ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
Future of Work
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
‘You’re not a hero, you’re a liability’: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary warns Gen Z founders to stop glorifying hustle culture
Future of Work
‘You’re not a hero, you’re a liability’: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary warns Gen Z founders to stop glorifying hustle culture
By Jacqueline MunisMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
21 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.