Advertising has struggled during the last decade with the traditional delivery formats all in decline: newspaper, magazine, network TV, and radio. Yet, all is not lost since the giant advertising industry looks like it has found a new savior in the tiny cell phone.

More specifically, the Smartphone is a perfect delivery mechanism for brief advertising messages and images. According to MobileTrax industry analyst Gerry Purdy, “There are 270 million cell phone subscribers in the U.S.  This will grow to over 310 million by 2015.  SmartPhones make up 55 million today but will grow to over half of the subscribers within five years and you can expect to see sales in excess of 160 million SmartPhones sold annually by 2015.”

SmartPhones get viewed a lot by their owners. Research suggests that the average mobile device owner spends more time looking at this his or her cell phone than they do watching TV. When we watch TV, we tend to watch passively for 30 to 60 minute stretches, while Smartphone usage tends to be in the 5-20 second range. Additionally, those quick cell phone looks total more screen time than the average TV viewing time. Yet, the big difference with the Smartphone is the absolute focus that the phone screen gets. We look at our cell phone with active intent.

The Smartphone’s “stickiness” is what makes the mobile device a perfect fit for a short advertising message. Couple that with an IP (internet protocol) trail and you will open the floodgates for the advertisers. Your IP trail leaves tracks of all the websites that you visit which translates into a resume of your wants, needs, and desires. This gives the advertisers the ability to send more personalized messages that will have meaning to you on your Smartphone.

Thus, the advertising industry is saved by the tiny but ubiquitous cell phone.

John Bradley Jackson

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