The sessions with Eva Berg Winters, industry expert at PwC and Andrew Bradford of Platform-A were quite deceiving for someone who is not in the trenches day to day with mobile advertising. If you projected what was said about online marketing to the mobile world you would be very wrong and risking your business. Below you find the video of Eva’s performance. Thanks to the team at Urban Lifestyle Report.

SIME08 Eva Berg Winters – Markets and Media, where is everything going? Video

Posted using ShareThis

It was not helped by some of the dressed up data that PwC used. Graph stopping with first half of 2008 to be able to show a growing trend. I would like to see Q3 numbers (and Q4 when they are available). The message was to make us believe that some markets in Europe are still going to be growing in 2009. I understand and agree with the safe harbour and cost efficiency drivers. Unfortunately mobile advertising never proved its case in either category. It should have been said as a disclaimer almost. Instead of a “don’t try this at home” something like “don’t try this in mobile!”

My only advice to someone who would like to build a business based on mobile advertising is – don’t do it! Unless you have nerves of steel and you are extremely well funded with very long term view on profitability.

I wish I could advice differently but I can’t. I am firmly convinced that ad-funded models is the only thing that makes sense for many mobile businesses. The simple reason is that consumers are already used to this model when they do stuff on their PC. So why should it be any different accessing sites with the mobile? So the correct advice I should really give is do it, but find something else to pay the bills in the meantime and maybe put it in the roadmap 12-18 months out.

I based this advice on first hand experience from the UK, Nordic and North American markets. Banner and text ads on mobile sites has come to a grinding halt. Unfortunately mobile advertising is behind online advertising on the maturity curve. Until September advertisers had only experimented with campaigns. Several with great returns. But with the financial crisis as the scapegoat test campaigns did not turn into continuous use of the mobile channel.

At Acemob we work closely with 5-6 advertising networks, both auction based and networks with a sales house selling each site in their inventory. They are all struggling now. I just got the disheartening message from one North American partner that 60 pitches had so far generated no new business.

So, don’t bet the house on mobile advertising right now. Remember that you read it here first.