The following is a guest post by Glen Suh, Director of Marketing for TapIt mobile advertising.

In today’s mobile world, smartphone users expect a lot out of their mobile phones.  Users desire fast processors, high data speeds, and a well laid out operating system. Furthermore, users also expect higher quality pictures and video playback as smartphone technology advances. HTML5 banners provide marketers with a richer canvas on which they can create a more beautiful and engaging advertisement.

With the demand of rich media increasing, HTML5 will play a large roll in changing the way ads are made in addition to the way users view and interact with mobile advertisements.  HTML is being implemented in today’s mobile advertising world due to the fact that it can be downloaded from an ad server and then displayed on the web or in apps. The ability that apps have to render HTML is a huge advantage for developers because Android and iOS both support this technology, which allows for multiple platform and OS compatibility across devices. HTML5 can be leveraged to fix the fragmentation issues even allowing advertisers to take a successful desktop campaign and run it on any mobile operating system that embraces the technology.

The utilization of HTML5 also benefits advertisers in the sense that they can now give mobile users a richer interactive experience without the need to leave a mobile-optimized site or app to view an ad. Also keep in mind that when a developer integrates a rich media ad kit, it generally tends to result in sluggish performance. However, with implementation of HTML5 the ad rendering engine is lighter and simpler, speeding up load times and making it more suitable for resource-constrained mobile devices.

While traditional mobile banner ads typically redirect users to an external mobile site, rich media ads built off of HTML5 technology gives advertisers another way to drive response rates without annoying or interrupting the user.

In a new interview with Tech Crunch, Google’s mobile search ads chief Surojit Chatterjee admits that mobile search has increased five-fold in the past two two years alone.

Chatterjee says that quality of search ads is increasing thanks to some of the new factors being considered in mobile search ad rankings. For example, mobile web-optimized sites are now ranked higher. Since August 2011, Google has seen more than a 50 percent increase in the number of AdWords advertisers with a mobile optimized sites.

As a result of the mobile search surge, Google’s mobile ad revenues are similarly projected to double from approximately $2.5 billion in 2011 to $5.8 billion in 2012.

To read more from Chatterjee’s interview with Tech Crunch, click here.

BlueTrain Mobile

The map covers 130 resources in 23 different categories and covers nearly everything spanning the mobile marketing ecosystem, including industry news, blogs, mobile emulators/tools, mobile advertising, mobile SEO, QR code generators, stats, ad networks and much more.  ”We’re excited to unveil the Mobile Marketing Map and we think it’s going to be a great resource for any marketer interested in mobile,” said Andy Komack, VP and Conductor of Marketing at BlueTrain Mobile.  “We added a note within the Map key asking for feedback so that we can continue to evolve the Map.”

The map is available for download here.

According to the latest insight provided by research firm ForeSee, Apple’s mobile shopping satisfaction score puts the Cupertino, California-based tech giant on the top tier of players in mCommerce.

An impressive 85% of 3,000 consumers surveyed rank Apple at the top of their favorite companies to shop from online. Incredibly, Apple’s mobile shopping score was even higher than consumers’ overall satisfaction with Apple’s web store, which has an 83% approval rating.

“As the adoption of smartphones increases, more consumers are using them to access retailer websites,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee. “More and more, there is expectation that companies will address the mobile environment in ways that are effective and user-friendly. Mobile commerce is still relatively new and there is a lot of room for
innovation and improvement.”

Based on the findings of the research, Apple topped Amazon, Dell, Netflix, and eBay among the top five providers of the most satisfying mCommerce experiences.

The following is a guest post from Shane Neman, CEO of Web-based SMS marketing provider Ez Texting.

One of the most consistently exciting things about working in the SMS Marketing business is watching how quickly things change. When I got into this business, six years ago, text messages were just beginning to catch fire, there was no such thing as an iPhone and my BlackBerry was the ultimate in cutting edge mobile tech. Every year brings change when it comes to the mobile industry, and 2011 was an especially busy year – which is why it’s important to look back at the past 12 months.

Over the past couple of weeks we have been looking at the many things that affected Ez Texting this year, internal and external.  What really stood out was the degree to which we are affected by changes in the broader world of mobile (outside of the mobile marketing ecosystem). Whether you develop platform specific apps, power mobile websites, run mobile ads, or provide text messaging services, as a marketer you cannot ignore the larger, external trends. After compiling our list and sharing it with our team here, we realized that a lot of other mobile-focused marketers would find the content interesting. So, we decided to put together a public review of 2011’s biggest stories in mobile.

Our list covers important hardware and operating system shifts, carrier takeover attempts (and failures), and important events in emerging technologies like mobile payments and location based services. This was, like I said, a very busy year, and some stories needed to be updated just this week (AT&T/T-Mobile), while others await conclusions (the fate of RIM and its BlackBerry). Other stories made our first draft, but ultimately got cut from the final list (more wireless device subscriptions than citizens) – again, showing what a wild year this truly was. So browse our top stories, read our quick bits of analysis on each event, and if you think we missed anything leave a comment here.

About Ez Texting

Ez Texting provides web-based SMS Marketing services to over 50,000 clients.  Since 2006, Ez Texting’s do-it-yourself service has been used by clients ranging from small organizations to Fortune 500 firms.  Text message marketing features like mobile coupons, keyword autoresponders, and efficient group messaging allow Ez Texting clients to reach their customers wherever they are, at anytime.  Follow the company on Twitter at @EzTexting and follow CEO Shane Neman at @ShaneNeman.

According to the latest data and corresponding insights from Nielsen, U.S. teenagers have tripled their mobile data usage in the last year – all while remaining kings and queens of texting.

Messaging remains the centerpiece of mobile teen behavior in the U.S. The number of messages exchanged (SMS and MMS) hit 3,417 messages per month per teen in Q3 2011, averaging seven messages per waking hour. Teen females are leading the charge, sending and receiving 3,952 messages per month versus 2,815 from males.

Aside from messaging, Nielsen announced, data heavy activities such as mobile internet, social networking, email, app downloads, and app usage are the most popular mobile activities.

“Teenagers have officially joined the data tsunami,” the report reads, “more than tripling their mobile data consumption in the past year while maintaining their stronghold as the leading message senders.”

Using recent data from monthly cell phone bills of 65,000+ mobile subscribers who volunteered to participate in the research, Nielsen has analyzed mobile usage trends among teens in the United States. In the third quarter of 2011, teens aged 13-17 used an average of 320 MB of data per month on their phones, up 256 percent over last year and growing at a rate faster than any other age group. Much of this activity is driven by teen males, who took in 382 MB per month while females used 266 MB.

“The explosion in data usage is being driven by an increase in the popularity of media-rich activities – like music, video and the use of apps – which themselves are being fueled by higher smartphone penetration,” says Nielsen managing director Telecom Europe, David Gosen. “As data usage increases, operators need to work out how to maintain the speed and quality of their service and how to charge appropriately. In the US, different operators have tried different options, from tiered data plans to actively targeting consumers who use the most data. Customer segmentation will become increasingly important for operators, as the pressures on profitability challenge the viability of all-you-can-eat data plans.”

Is the information above truly a revelation about American teens, or a no-brainer reality that will probably grow more pronounced over the next twelve months?

Time spent on mobile devices is now an average of 65 minutes a day, compared to 44 minutes a day for print (magazines and newspapers combined).  Time on the internet was 2 hours and 47 minutes (an increase of 12 minutes from 2010), but TV still dominates with an average of 4 hours and 34 minutes. TV was also able to increase its share of people’s time by 10 minutes.

Most interesting from our point of view is the continued expansion of mobile engagement in general.  Mobile saw both the biggest absolute and percentage jumps in time spent. That additional 15 minutes translates into a 30 percent increase, meaning roughly 10 percent of the average U.S. adult’s day is now spent on mobile, yet mobile only accounts for about 1 percent of advertising spending.  Surprisingly, print still commands an outsized share of ad budgets, taking 25 percent of ad spending, despite dwindling to only 7 percent of time spent with all types of print media.

So it continues — even though consumers spend an increasingly dominant amount of time on mobile devices, brands still aren’t adjusting their marketing budgets to account for it.  Why do you think this is still the case?  Is it a lack of understanding?  Is it fear over annoying users or violating privacy regulations?  We’d love to hear your opinions in the comment section.

AT&T conducted a survey in September that included 501 marketers at US-based companies with more than 1,000 employees.  Interestingly, while 88% of those surveyed said they’d be increasing mobile spending next year, a full 66% agreed that mobile barcodes will drive the most innovation in 2012.  According to the survey data, the top mobile programs next year will be mobile apps (cited by 43% of respondents); followed by mobile barcodes (41%); banner ads on mobile devices (40%); mobile websites (35%); and SMS messaging (34%).

As with all relatively small survey samples, and the fact that AT&T sponsored the survey, we’re taking this one with a grain of salt.  Still, quick hit surveys like this always give us a glimpse into what marketers deem the most important or the most interesting concepts as we enter a new year.  What do you think?  Do you agree with the results?  Do you feel mobile barcodes will drive the most innovation in 2012?

While we focus mainly on reporting the news and covering the latest technology and startups that power the mobile marketing and advertising industries here on MMW, we also rely on industry insiders and thought leaders to provide in-depth, thoughtful analysis and insight into the mobile ecosystem.  As such, the Mobile Mentor series will focus directly on how to build and maintain a true mobile strategy, as well as giving you the tools and thought streams necessary to execute a personalized strategy that’s right for your specific organization.

For the first installment of the series, we’ll be starting from the beginning in terms of planning your mobile strategy. . .

A practical approach to a mobile strategy

So you’ve been tasked with developing a mobile strategy. Maybe it’s for your organization or maybe it’s for your company’s biggest client. Whatever the case may be, the bottom line is that they want to increase revenue, drive frequency and extend their brand into the mobile space.

You think to yourself… “this isn’t so tough… Mobile is fun! I must be very lucky!”

It’s only once you’ve started to investigate some next steps the headache begins. First you talk to a couple of great technology companies who all have different opinions on the “best and most effective” entry into the mobile ecosystem. You are pitched a mobile app from one, a mobile website from another, and then an SMS campaign from a third. Prices are quoted everywhere from $5,000 to $500,000. Never in your life have you felt that you are being pulled in so many different directions. All of these mobile experts seem to think that their way is the only clear path to success, but very few can offer past metrics, ROI and hard facts other than what they borrowed from Mary Meeker.

…So… Now what?

Regardless of whether it’s for a client or for your own organization it can be a bit of a challenge to get things started or even define terms internally when it comes to scratching the surface of a mobile strategy.

The fact of the matter is that the proper approach to mobile marketing isn’t that much different from traditional marketing. You certainly don’t want to shoot first developing a piece of technology and then ask questions later. A good strategy will come together by first understanding your customer demographic and how it relates to the marketing objectives. From there you will be able to make educated recommendations on the best technology to start with. It is only after you define your audience’s channel of choice (SMS, Mobile Apps, Mobile Web) you can then confidently put your best foot forward and begin developing a plan to be proud of.

In terms of mobile OEM data, Samsung remains the top handset manufacturer overall with 25.5% total market share, followed by LG with 20.6% marketshare and Motorola with 13.6%.  In terms of mobile operating systems, Android holds on to the number one spot — now sitting at 46.3% total market share.  Apple comes in at second place with 28.1% of the market — up only one percentage point over the proceeding three-month period.  RIM rounded out the top three with 17.2% share, followed by Microsoft in fourth place with 5.4% and Symbian in fifth place with just 1.6%.

Looking at mobile content, 71.8% of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device in October — up 1.8 percentage points over the last reporting period.  Mobile Web browsers were used by 44% of subscribers — up 2.9%  – while downloaded applications were used by 43.8% — up 3.2%.  Use of social networking sites and blogs increased 2.2% to 32.3% total, while mobile gaming came in at 29.2% — up 1.4% from the previous period.