CHANTILLY, Va., Jan. 22, 2013-- BIA/Kelsey, advisor to companies in the local media industry, today announced the release of a new foundation report which explores the advantages, performance indicators and challenges in location-based mobile advertising. "From National to Local: Mobile Advertising Zeros In" profiles top players, examines best practices, and determines the best opportunities for growth and value generation in the fast-moving mobile ad sector.

"Following the typical pattern of new media, advertiser adoption of location-based mobile marketing trails consumer adoption," said Michael Boland, report author and senior analyst, BIA/Kelsey. "It's been relatively slow-moving until now, but we see growing signs of an imminent tipping point for location-based mobile ad adoption. A key driver of the mobile-local share shift will be the evolution of national advertisers, who, to date, have run mostly mobile campaigns that mirror the tactics of the desktop, missing opportunities for more precise location targeting."  

Among the report's key takeaways are:

• Advertiser adoption hasn't caught up with mobile usage. Mobile holds a 10 percent share of U.S. consumers' media time, but only a 1 percent share of ad revenue.
• Mobile's heightened user engagement, relative to other ad supported media, will create premium inventory that boosts advertiser demand and ad rates.
• Advertiser demand will follow in a slow but inevitable process of market evolution and education over the next 12-24 months.
• The larger opportunity will be for national advertisers that build effective mobile local campaigns.
• This local shift is in line with the "native advertising" movement, which incorporates the mobile device's unique capabilities and use cases.

In addition to research around mobile local advertising, the report draws from the analysis contained in BIA/Kelsey's mobile ad revenue forecast (U.S. Mobile Local Media Forecast (2011-2016)). A critical component of the forecast is the breakdown of ad dollars associated with location-targeted campaigns, currently projected at 41 percent ($664 million) and projected to grow to 58 percent ($5.8 billion) by 2016.

BIA/Kelsey analysts will present top-level highlights from the report during a free webinar (registration information: www1.gotomeeting.com/register/175190065) on Jan. 30. In addition, key themes from the report will be integrated into the program of BIA/Kelsey's upcoming conference, Leading in Local: The National Impact, which takes place March 18-20, in Boston. The conference will focus on how local has evolved as an important channel, not only for small businesses, but for national players who are targeting locally. Agenda, speakers and online registration are available at www.biakelsey.com/LeadingInLocalBoston.

Availability of 'From National to Local: Mobile Advertising Zeros In'
The 50-plus-page report is a useful resource for anyone focused on the trends and directions of mobile/local communications and advertising, including companies building mobile local products and vetting opportunities based on mobile user behavior. The report, which is published for BIA/Kelsey's mobile advisory clients, is also available for purchase ($1,495 for the report only, or $1,995 for the report plus a one-hour custom analyst briefing). More information about the report and how to purchase it is available at www.biakelsey.com/MobileAdvertisingReport.asp.

About BIA/Kelsey
BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through consulting and valuation services, research, advisory services and conferences. Since 1983 BIA/Kelsey has been a resource to the media, mobile advertising, telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directory markets, as well as to government agencies, law firms and investment companies looking to understand trends and revenue drivers. BIA/Kelsey's annual conferences draw executives from across industries seeking expert guidance on how companies are finding innovative ways to grow. Additional information is available at http://www.biakelsey.com, on the company's Local Media Watch blog, Twitter (http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/biakelsey).

SOURCE BIA/Kelsey