Consumers Willing to Trade Data for Incentives

In 2013, spending on mobile advertising totaled $7.1 billion*.

With mobile being such a large industry it is important that marketers understand what's working and what's not so they can improve their results.

Hipcricket, a mobile engagement and analytics company, has released the results of new study examining consumer attitudes and perceptions about mobile marketing. The study was conducted in April 2014 and targeted 1,202 adults in the U.S.

Among the most important findings was that 66 percent of consumers reported having received a text message or mobile alert from a brand within the last six months. However, only 45 percent of those consumers reported that the message or alert was useful.

The three main negative responses to ads were: the messages felt "intrusive or spammy" (52 percent), the message wasn't relevant to their interests (46 percent) and the message didn't offer any value (33 percent).  

On a positive note for marketers, 41 percent of respondents said that they would be willing to share more information with brands if it meant more relevant ads with better incentives. The two most common forms of data that respondents were willing to submit to brands were location (20 percent) and demographic data (19 percent).

"There is tremendous room for growth for brands to establish a meaningful and lasting connection with their customers," said Doug Stovall, chief operating office at Hipcricket. "This research indicates that consumers are actively engaging brands via mobile marketing, which is encouraging. But, brands must deliver relevant and personalized campaigns or they will miss out on a growing share of the market."

*Note: Figure was taken from the 2013 IAB internet advertising revenue report.