With an increase of +34% last year, ½ of us now have a smart phone and as global share of market amongst manufacturers pushes the cost of smartphones below the $300 threshold, the other ½ are just a renewal away.  Did you know that Samsung has 36 different mobile devices released under the Galaxy brand? Smartphone usage increases to 70% for the 18 – 34 year old set. Like tablets, many consumers are now beginning to view TV shows on their phones as broadcasters rush to bring this format and the accompanying advertising to an ever mobile consumer.

Far and away the #1 application usage for a smartphone is visiting a social network site like Facebook followed by searches.  Marketers want smartphone users to convert searches into action, particularly when using location-based technologies. Presently, just over one third of smartphone users make at least one monthly purchase using their phone.

For marketers, location-based consumer interaction with a call to action is indeed the Holy Grail, however that location-based technology app is not cheap, relative to our “small” population.  Further, does the economy of scale have a relevant sustainable ROI for the bean counters?  Until this changes, the foreseeable future for smartphone’s will be search, display, and message-based advertising formats.

Next up, your big screen TV!