Mobile is becoming more prevalent each and every day, so it should come as no surprise that global mobile advertising revenue surged almost two thirds last year.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) recently released its global figures for mobile ad revenue, which show an increase of 64.8% to $31.9 billion in 2014. The organization concludes that the spike was driven by continued shifts in consumer usage patterns and industry innovations.
The $31.9 billion comprises the following regional shares:
- North America, 44.9%, $14.318 billion
- Asia-Pacific, 36.5%, $11.627 billion
- Europe, 16.6%, $5.306 billion
- Middle East and Africa, 1.2%, $379 million
- Latin America, 0.8%, $239 million
Mobile display showed the highest growth at 88.1% and overtook search as the dominant segment in mobile. Display represented 47.4% of the total global mobile advertising revenue in 2014 at $15.1 billion. Mobile search was up next at 55.2%, taking a 46.1% share at $14.7 billion. Messaging grew 13%—users continue to migrate from operator-owned messaging services to app-based messaging platforms—with a 6.6% share at $2.1 billion.
Year-over-year growth was led by North America, which saw a 76.8% leap over 2013 numbers. However, all regions grew by more than 50%:
- North America, 76.8%
- Middle East and Africa, 68.5%
- Latin America, 66.1%
- Europe, 58.6%
- Asia-Pacific, 54.5%
“Mobile devices are at the center of consumers’ lives across the globe and these numbers reflect brands’ increasing recognition that this medium holds great power,” Anna Bager, SVP, IAB, and GM, IAB Mobile Marketing Center and Digital Video Centers of Excellence, said in a statement about the report. “Now is the time for the industry to coalesce on standards and guidelines to build even more momentum for mobile marketing around the world.”
