Mobile advertising worth $5.3 bn in 2011

Some $5.3 billion was spent on mobile digital advertising in 2011, a survey showed Wednesday in the first industry-sponsored measure of what is expected to be a booming market. The survey by the Interactive Advertising Bureau with its IAB Europe affiliate and the research firm IHS found the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 35.9 percent of global revenues, followed by North America with 31.4 percent and Europe 25.9 percent. Latin America tallied 3.5 percent and the Middle East and Africa 3.2 percent, the survey found. More than half of the revenues ($3.3 billion) were search-related, while $1.5 billion was from display ads and $536 million from messaging. "As mobile accelerates its global footprint, it is vital that we measure the worldwide and regional opportunities for advertisers," said Anna Bager, vice president of the IAB Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. Alain Heureux, president and chief executive of IAB Europe, said, "Hyper-personal and always-on, mobile has a tremendous potential as an advertising medium. We are recognizing the need for accurate and comprehensive data to support and provide evidence for its future growth."