There are significantly more number of mobiles in the world than personal computers and televisions combined, according to a study. It goes on without saying that mobile devices are on the verge of becoming the most popular gateway to information. Mobile has thus unlocked a market, with huge potential for those who are looking out for better avenues to advertise their products.

With Google acquiring AdMob in May 2010, the competition in the mobile marketing had marked its earnest beginnings. Adsense for mobiles provides a great way to connect mobile users with proper advertisements at proper time. It helps adsense partners, who have created mobile websites especially for mobile browsers, in monetising their websites through contextual advertising. Adsense has, since then, been considered as a very powerful tool to earn from the website traffic. However, there is confusion with regard to what exactly can be defined as a mobile website since it seems to be different from the ordinary websites available on the net.

Google is not the only company to venture into mobile advertising since there are a lot of well-known companies who are vying for their share of the revenue stream generated through this medium. In April 2010, Apple created iAd which made mobile ads a lot easier to access. This impressive technical innovation proved that Mobile Advertising must be worth its salt. Otherwise, why would a company like Apple spend its time and resource on it unless and until it sees mobile advertising as a potential goldmine?

According to certain studies that were conducted, the small banner advertisements on the tiny mobile screens were found to be as effective as a typical 30 second Television advertisement, in creating the brand recall. The click-through rates of mobile ads were also found to be exponentially higher compared to their online counterparts. But the industry has been a little slow in taking off, which has flummoxed the researchers. Some of them cite the lack of transparent reporting as the reason.

The mobile customers are, however, a little wary of the pushvertising since they regard most of the push advertisements that they receive as highly irritating. The confusion on who, in the end, is paying for the advertisements - is another reason for the mobile users to find the technology abusive. The presence of too many levels in the supply chain makes revenue-sharing a difficult process. But the fact remains that there are more innovative and unobtrusive options available for mobile marketing. The key is to give relevant advertisements for free, maybe!

Everything said, one cannot deny the fact that mobile is a very personal device and one is never ready to compromise with their privacy. Push messages continues to be regarded as intrusion to an individual's privacy. What do we need next - A 'do not disturb' registry for the mobile advertisements?

About the author: Nisha Meledath is a Contributing Editor for TradeBriefs. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it