Opera Mediaworks Q2 State of Mobile Advertising report highlights key trends
Opera Mediaworks, the world’s largest mobile advertising platform, today released its Q2 State of Mobile Advertising report, briefing the industry on mobile monetization and advertising trends that unfolded during the second quarter of 2013.
The insights are derived from the company’s large trove of mobile ad data, pulled from the platform that serves 60+ billion ad impressions per month via 13,000 mobile sites and apps, reaching 400 million consumers a month. Key findings from the report are as follows:
• iPhone and Android are neck and neck in the smartphone race for impressions, with iPhone still clear revenue winner. The iPhone generates 36.4% of revenue compared to Android’s 27.8%, and overall iOS is the clear leader, with 43.8% of impressions served on Apple devices. However, Samsung’s dominance of the Android market (58.5%) makes it a strong contender.
• Baseball season kickoff makes Sports the No. 1 revenue generator for the quarter. Though Sports is relatively small with only a 6.5% share of the revenue generated across all categories, this quarter publishers in this category (e.g. MLB, ESPN) received a disproportionate 22.2% of revenue from their mobile apps and sites. Music, Video & Media again received the highest volume of impressions at 22.4%.
• 3 out of every 4 dollars of all mobile transactions occur in the United States. Just fewer than 50% of all ad requests are in the American mobile ad market, but it accounts for nearly 75% of revenue.
• Cyclical variation in impression volume demonstrates seasonal trends in mobile content consumption. Based on data on the Opera Mediaworks platform from the past year, advertiser budgets may taper off in January, as the holiday retail season dissipates, but mobile use continues well into the month as users play with their new devices. Other observations include a mini-surge in August and a notable spring break season (March/April), with traffic comparable to the more commonly known pre-holiday jump in November.
• Rich media, in-app campaigns outperform banner, mobile web. Brand advertisers shifting their mobile ad dollars to rich media creative campaigns running within applications are getting deeper return on their investment, with an average click-through rate of 1.53%. The data also revealed that while banner ads still comprise the majority of ad types, advertisers are starting to work more with new and effective types such as tap-to-expand and VAST interstitial (mobile video) units.
“Looking back a year ago when we launched the first State of Mobile Advertising report, we have seen unprecedented growth in the investment in and value of mobile advertising campaigns across devices and regions,” says Mahi de Silva, CEO, Opera Mediaworks. “While iOS still remains the leader, we are seeing new categories rise, new regions emerge and new technologies take shape. Opera Mediaworks’ total impression volume grew 43% year over year, and the increases will only get bigger as we approach the end of 2013.”
To read the full report, go to http://www.operamediaworks.com/insights
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About Opera Mediaworks
Opera Mediaworks is the world’s leading mobile advertising platform, helping to power the global mobile economy. We improve efficiency, through technology, innovation, transparency and trust, to create an open and vibrant marketplace for publishers and advertisers across the globe. Opera Mediaworks includes AdMarvel, an ad-serving and mediation platform; Mobile Theory, a premium mobile ad network in the United States; 4th Screen Advertising Ltd., a premium ad network in the United Kingdom; and Mediaworks Performance, a results-driven, mobile ad network. Also included are impressions served within Opera mobile properties, including the Opera Mini Smart Page and the Opera Mobile Store. Opera Mediaworks is part of the Opera Group.