Third of iPhone Owners Used a Location Based Service in Q4 2008

Published on: 5th February 2009

US based mobile social network site, Limbo and GfK Technology have published a Mobile Advertising Report (MAR), which reveals that iPhone users are more than twice as likely as non-iPhone users to browse the mobile Web and more than three times as likely to use a location-based service (LBS) or a location-based social network.

With more than 80 percent of iPhone users taking advantage of non-voice mobile data services, compared to just over 60 percent of non-iPhone users, the report suggests that advertisers can reach iPhone users with mobile campaigns more easily than with other platforms.

"For the first time, this report compared iPhone users with non-iPhone users in order to better evaluate and more clearly understand the impact of mobile marketing on each platform," explained Limbo CEO Jonathon Linner. "We found that the iPhone users are not only more accessible, but are also more aware of all mobile ads including those outside of the typical SMS and mobile Web formats. In addition, this report shows that other mobile ad formats, including location-based services, are growing and gaining traction, with iPhone users serving as the early adopters."

One in ten mobile phone users in the U.S. used a location-based service such as a map, friend or restaurant finder in Q4. The 25 - 34 age group saw the highest levels of interest in this type of offering, with 22 percent penetration. In contrast, iPhone users are four times as likely to recall LBS ads as non-iPhone users. While 33 percent of mobile consumers recall seeing mobile advertisements this quarter, 41 percent of iPhone users recall seeing mobile ads. The vast majority of these ads were seen in SMS text messages, twice as much as mobile Web ads, which are the second most common mobile ad viewed.

Significantly fewer consumers see other forms of mobile advertising - unless they have an iPhone. iPhone owners are twice as likely to see mobile Web ads and four times as likely to see an ad while playing a game on their phone or while using a location-based service.

Additional comparisons uncovered in the report include:

• One in three consumers that recall seeing a mobile ad responded in some way; this rises to one in two for iPhone users
• Calling a toll free phone number published in the ads is the most common means of response; iPhone users called twice as much as non-iPhone users
• One in seven mobile phone users visit a mobile Web site, the second most popular response; this rises to one in five for iPhone users
• One in seven consumers reported buying a product or visiting a store as a result of seeing a mobile advertisement; for iPhone users, more than one in four bought something as a result of seeing an ad
• While men and women are equally likely to recall mobile advertising, women are 85 percent more likely to respond to ads than men

"The latest Mobile Advertising Report reveals a huge opportunity for advertisers to create iPhone-specific campaigns in order to see higher response rates for their mobile efforts," said Colin Strong, head of Mobile Communications Research at GfK Technology. "With this report serving as a benchmark, we will be able to analyze how the landscape is changing throughout 2009 and monitor the impact of iPhone user behavior on the rest of the U.S. mobile market."

 

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