Smartphones and tablets are taking a greater and greater share of overall advertising spending.
In the US, mobile is now taking 16.3 percent of search advertising spending, according to Q3 2012 report by IgnitionOne — up from 14 percent the previous quarter. However:
“Year-on-year increase in spend of 167.5 percent, while huge, is only half of the previous quarter’s year-on-year growth.
“This represents a deceleration from the massive growth rates experienced in the first half of the year.”
Even search advertising to tablet users, which had comprised 60 percent of mobile search ad spending in Q2, fell to 52.2 percent.
Does this point to a wider problem with mobile advertising? IgnitionOne points instead to economic factors:
“Growth was tempered by a weaker than expected back-to-school season in retail and the continued general weakness in the macro economy.”