Digital Growth to Continue

With a new fiscal year approaching, the big questions are always: How much to spend on marketing; and where should those dollars go when it comes to ad buys? While your own budget will dictate the former, research shows the latter is driving directly toward mobile.  

All indicators show 2016 as the year of mobile. EMarketer reports that for the first time, the global advertising market will surge in the mobile department, “surpassing 100 billion dollars in spending and accounting for 50 percent of all digital ad expenditure.” In addition, for the first time ever digital advertising is forecasted to account for more than a quarter of all ad spend in 2016, according to a recent DM News article citing research conducted by Carat in 59 global markets.  

Mobile spending is also expected to nearly double over the next three years as consumer attention shifts from desktops to smartphones and tablets, parlaying a 430% increase from 2013 to 2016. If you think you see a lot of people attached to their phones now, by 2016, smartphone users will rise to more than two billion!

Think about it. How often are you frustrated when the data you search for doesn’t load properly on your smartphone? Today’s generation of consumers want their digital experience to be mobile-friendly and smart advertisers are using this trend to their advantage and healthcare marketers are no exception. Over 90% of physicians use smart phones and tablets and well over half routinely use these devices in a professional capacity (Epocrates)

“The strength of digital continues to dominate discussions and the new distribution of spending,” says Jerry Buhlmann, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, “…mobile dominates the way consumers access information, view content, browse products, and purchase goods….”

The numbers are truly staggering and the implications for marketers are clear — to reach and remain relevant and resonate with your target audience, digital and mobile advertising must be deeply integrated within your marketing strategy.