3 Takeaways on Mobile Marketing in EMEA from New MMA Study

Mobile is a disruptive force, and according to new research from WARC and the MMA, 94% of people in the EMEA region are feeling the pressure. But some industries are taking mobile disruption in stride and making the most of what mobile has to offer.

“The State of the Industry: Mobile Marketing in EMEA in 2019” takes a deep dive into how marketers view and are handling mobile disruption. Here are three takeaways from the report that shed light on not only the state of mobile marketing in EMEA, but tell us a lot about the industry as a whole.

1. Financial Services Winning the Mobile Race — Which industry is making the most of what mobile has to offer when it comes to marketing opportunities? According to respondents (39%) in EMEA, its Financial Services — which isn’t much of a surprise when you consider how popular mobile banking is across the globe. As customers become more comfortable making mobile financial transactions, Financial Services are having to step up their game. As Forrester wrote, “Customers have come to expect easy, effective, and contextually relevant mobile banking experiences. Bolting a shiny new user interface on top of a patchwork of legacy systems won’t cut it anymore.” Interestingly, though, when asked to name individual brands that stand out in the region, respondents chose Amazon, Nike, and Coca-Cola. In Amazon’s case, that may come back to the rising popularity of mobile transactions.
2. Mobile Marketing Budgets on the Rise — If you want to keep up with Joneses in the world of mobile marketing, then you have to be willing to spend some money. According to eMarketer, “In 2019, worldwide digital ad spending will rise by 17.6% to $333.25 billion. That means that, for the first time, digital will account for roughly half of the global ad market.” WARC and MMA research found that in EMEA almost a third of people predict that they will spend more than 30% of their budget on mobile over the next year Of those expecting their mobile budgets to increase over the next year, 78% of respondents expected an increase of 25%, with 2% of respondents predicting a budget increase of more than 100%.
3. Social Media a Favorite Among Mobile Marketers — Research suggests 96% of Facebook users access it on mobile, so it should be no shock that Social Media remains the most frequently used media channel among mobile marketers. Facebook is at that the top of their lists, but Instagram (also owned by Facebook) has increased in usage (87%) compared to 83% in 2018. This is a gradual trend that extends back to 2016 when 70% of respondents used the social media platform. This shows that recent developments like Instagram Shopping, allowing marketers to directly monetize their presence on the platform, are working.

Mobile Barriers

While mobile marketing shows no signs of slowing down, some challenges still remain. Namely, the same challenges that face digital marketers in general:

Over 70% of marketers fully consider viewability, fraud, and transparency of mobile placement to ensure brand safety. Meanwhile, internal challenges and metrics have become problems for the growth of mobile marketing. Solving these problems will be key to continued growth in the years to come.

To learn more about “The State of the Industry: Mobile Marketing in EMEA in 2019” download the report today.