MMA survey finds consumers receptive to mobile marketing

New survey data from the Mobile Marketing Association has found that anywhere from a quarter to a third of mobile users are interested in receiving mobile marketing promotions.

Conducted by research firm Synovate, the survey of 1400 wireless users found that 36% of those between ages 13 and 34 and 27% of those between ages 35 and 44 were at least somewhat interested in receiving promotional materials ranging from coupons, free content, product information, contest entry forms and sales alerts on their mobile phones.

Interest was highest in the coupons category, in which a customer would receive an SMS or MMS message containing a coupon and product code redeemable at an online or brick-and-mortar store. Thirty-two percent of all respondents said they would be interested in receiving such coupons, while 30% said they would be interested in receiving promotional free ringtones, games or wallpapers. Another 29% expressed interest in receiving status updates or product information about a particular account or to track products purchased, and 27% said they would be interested in participating in mobile sweepstakes content. The one category that generated the least interest was alert information on special sales or events. Only 24% of respondents said they would like to receive promotional mobile alerts.

Synovate officials said the results only scratched the surface and were meant mainly to gauge general consumer attitudes toward mobile marketing. MMA and Synovate, however, plan to launch a more detailed survey this year that will more closely track consumer perceptions of mobile marketing.