UK mobile web advertising 'most prevalent'

Mobile web advertising is more prevalent in the UK than the USA or India, new figures indicate.

The Mobile Advertising Report by social community Limbo and market search agency GfK Technology examines consumer awareness of such advertising in the three countries.

It reveals that 16 per cent of UK respondents recall being exposed to mobile web marketing in comparison to eight per cent of US participants and four per cent of those from India.

Younger males typically view the most mobile internet advertising, the study suggests, with brands recalled tending to be media brands, digital entertainment firms, mobile carriers and handset manufacturers.

Colin Strong, head of mobile communications research at GfK Technology, states that the study indicates the degree to which mobile phones are used as marketing channels.

"With enhanced handsets and flat-rate data tariffs increasingly common, it is only a matter of time before mobile internet advertising starts to rival the penetration of SMS or text message marketing," he adds.

Meanwhile, figures from online trends forecaster eMarketer recently suggested that web-based advertising spend will increase despite the continuing effects of the global credit squeeze.