OPA: Mobile Web Ripe for Advertising

Research published today by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) finds the mobile Web a “compelling platform for content and marketing.” The report, “Going Mobile: An International Study of Content Use and Advertising on the Mobile Web” also finds a high percentage of brand equity transfer from PC to mobile Web.

In the U.S. market, the study reports, 18 percent of consumers say they will watch ads in exchange for free mobile content. Consumers had expressed mixed opinions about ad-supported content in previous reports.

Twenty-two percent meanwhile said they like advertising when it offers something for free. It’s a sentiment OPA President Pam Horan called “an indication they’re willing to engage with a marketer.” The results should give heart to publishers looking to monetize their mobile content, or those offering a tiered model.

The OPA also found mobile Internet usage does not rob time spent on the Internet using a PC, but is rather an extension of traditional Web use. Fifty percent of mobile Web users prefer brands the were previously familiar with online, saying there is a brand equity transfer.

The study, which was conducted in conjunction with TNS Media and Entertainment, included findings from 6,000 interviews with respondents from the U.S., U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Horan said OPA conducted the study to better understand what was going on in the sector. “I think it’s fair to say this is a platform that is in an early stage,” she said. “But I think our research findings demonstrate there is excellent momentum for the platform.”