Brief:

• Mobile marketing in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region is growing faster than other media channels despite the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on advertising budgets. Almost all (94%) of marketing professionals said that mobile advertising is effective, per a yearly report the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and researcher WARC shared with Mobile Marketer.
• The percentage of EMEA marketers who are allocating more than a quarter of their ad budgets to mobile rose to 49% this year from 40% in 2019. Mobile video is becoming more important, with marketers in the region dedicating 50% of their mobile budgets to the format, the survey found.
• Budgetary pressures have become more pronounced because of the pandemic. The portion of survey respondents who said they expect their mobile budgets to rise in the next year slumped to 39% from 66% in the past year, per the yearly report titled "State of the Industry: Mobile Marketing in EMEA 2020." WARC surveyed almost 600 marketing executives in 26 markets in the EMEA region in April and May.

Insight:

Mobile marketing in the EMEA region is seen by marketers as effective, which likely will help to support its growth even as the coronavirus pandemic has a negative effect on advertising budgets, the MMA and WARC's annual report suggests. In addition to its top-line findings, the report highlights several trends that will become more pronounced in the next few years as mobile consumption increases in the region.

For example, marketers are becoming more focused on creating content that drives engagement on mobile devices. The survey found that three-quarters of marketers evaluate ad length and design when creating content for mobile platforms, indicating that they aren't necessarily running ads for other media channels like TV in their mobile-based campaigns. With e-commerce becoming more important during the pandemic, mobile-based branded content and shoppable ads have become a bigger priority for marketers.

Despite the differences in regions, the growth of mobile video is likely driven by Generation Z and millennials, with 73% of young consumers saying they're watching more video on their smartphones this year than in 2019, according to a National Research Group study commissioned by Snap. In the study, 86% of the cohorts said mobile video has helped them cope with the pandemic.

Technical advancements also will support the growth in mobile usage that is meaningful to advertisers. With the expansion of high-speed 5G networks, mobile gaming will become a more prominent part of the marketing mix for advertisers. Growing smartphone usage will lead advertisers to dedicate more of their efforts to mobile marketing, with 48% of marketing professionals saying they expect mobile-based branded content to be their main focus by 2025. Currently, marketers use mobile display advertising in a quarter of campaigns and is the biggest focus for 47% of marketing professionals, the survey found.