Mobile Advertising Grows 79% in 2010

Some people might say an upside surprise for mobile advertising spending in 2010 means that mobile marketing has broken through to reach the mainstream of digital advertising in 2010. Others would be happy to note the unexpected growth, even if it is still a bit premature to call mobile advertising "mainstream."

This year, U.S. mobile ad spending will be up 79 percent to reach $743 million, eMarketer now forecasts. That growth will slow somewhat to still-dramatic double-digit rates as spending hits over $1.1 billion in 2011 and more than $2.5 billion by 2014. 

Earlier estimates had called for 2010 growth to perhaps $570 million. 

For now, however, text messaging still is the largest channel, with spending of $327 million estimated for 2010. But growth is fastest for video advertising, mobile display and mobile search.

Still, $743 million is a fraction of all U.S. advertising. That is a market worth about $170 billion, so it is a bit premature to talk about how "mainstream" mobile advertising or mobile marketing has become. 

Online advertising is still about 12 percent of total advertising. If you are looking for where the growth is, online and mobile are good bets. But if you are looking at where organizations and businesses spend their money today, mobile would not be one of the largest buckets.

Mobile Ad Spending Up Nearly 80% in 2010