The State of Mobile Advertising, a 2012 retrospective

There’s no doubt about it — 2012 was a breakthrough year for mobile advertising

To understand just how big, we looked at data from the 40 billion+ monthly impressions served on over 10,000 mobile sites and apps that use the Opera mobile ad platform. We combined this with insights from our subsidiaries Mobile Theory and 4th Screen Advertising to bring you the top moments & trends in mobile advertising in 2012.

1. 1

   Most successful new device: the iPhone 5

   Samsung made a splash when it launched its flagship smartphone of 2012 in May, selling 20 million units with 10 million more projected by the end of the year. But the iPhone 5, which launched about four months later, now accounts for 16.1% of all iPhone device traffic. The Samsung Galaxy S III accounts for just 8% of all Android traffic.

2. 2

   Market share (impressions): iOS

   Despite Samsung nipping at its heels, the iPhone still managed to pull out the year on top due to demand for iOS impressions. Nearly half (44.4%) of all impressions are served on iOS-based devices, compared to 29% on Android devices. Adoption of iOS6 has continued to grow, now accounting for 65% of all iOS ad requests.

3. 3

   The mad moneymaker: iPad

   The iPad is the clear winner, with higher eCPMs than those of its competitors.

4. 4

   Notable publishers of the year

   IMDb: The entertainment database is widespread on iOS and Android and saw breakthrough consumer uptake on Amazon Kindle.

   Pandora: One of the most popular mobile apps to date, Pandora continues to achieve high levels of consumer engagement and monetization through thoughtful and well-crafted rich-media advertising placements.

   Univision: Catering to the Latino community, Univision offers diverse content offerings for smartphones, tablets, feature phones and via mobile websites.

   Demand Media: With lifestyle apps like eHow, Cracked.com and Livestrong, brand advertisers jumped to connect with Demand’s audience.

   Big Oven: One to watch, the company’s recipes & cooking apps hit 7 million downloads, and it is poised to expand its mobile reach even further.

5. 5

   Fastest growing emerging markets: Russia & Ukraine

   While the United States still accounts for the clear majority (65%) of impressions served, it has declined from a high of 73% at the beginning of the year. The year saw Russia and Ukraine emerging as hot new markets for mobile advertising, with 95% growth in monthly impression volumes since January 2012.

6. 6

   Best targeted mobile campaign: Hispanic (large telecom)

   This year, we saw an enormous increase in demand for mobile ads targeted to the Hispanic segment. A large telecom company, working with Mobile Theory, was able to use a combination of behavioral targeting with registration data to hone in on Hispanic consumers.

7. 7

   Most innovative ad unit: Build a Car (Kia)

   With automotive brands taking the lead in mobile, it’s no surprise that the most innovative ad unit of the year is from Kia. In Q4, the popular car manufacturer debuted a tap-to-expand “Build a Car” ad unit that allows users to see various colors and 360-degree views, leading to a more sophisticated mobile site with customization options, video content and car-shopping tools.

8. 8

   Top publisher category: Music, Video & Media

   As consumers shifted consumption of music and video from desktop to mobile devices, publishers like Pandora, Shazam and Slacker Radio triumphed. This category generated the greatest number of mobile impressions (23.8% of total), and, together with Entertainment, led in monetization, with each accounting for 15% of revenue.

9. 9

   Fastest growing category: Sports

   Sports started out the year accounting for less than 4% of revenue, but, as traffic to sports-related mobile sites and apps grew and publishers introduced high-performing rich media ad units, revenue grew accordingly, now accounting for nearly 14% of monthly revenue on the platform.

10. 10

    Killer CTR: Mobile Gaming

    The top-performing campaign was in the mobile gaming category, taking advantage of new targeting technologies available on the platform. With a click-through rate of 2.1%, the campaign set a new standard for the kind of effectiveness that advertisers can achieve with the mobile medium.

Insights brought to you by Opera
Enabler of the world’s leading mobile ad platform