The UK’s mobile advertising spend rose higher than expected in 2008 to £28.6 million ($44 million), according to a study from the digital marketing trade body Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Spending doubled in size on a like for like basis in 2008, jumping 99.2 percent year on year, as more British brands invested in the medium, driven by better targeting, immediacy and return on investment, the report said. Mobile ad spend was divided evenly between mobile display advertising (49.8 percent) and paid-for-search advertising on the mobile web 50.2 percent. Mobile display, which includes banners, text links, tenancies pre/post roll and in game ads, accounted for £14.2 million ($22 million) in 2008, while paid-for search reached an estimated £14.4 million ($22 million).

The report said the increased spend was being driven by several factors: a bigger audience, a better mobile user experience, increased mobile internet usage, and especial in social networking, better handsets, and growing mobile departments in media agencies in the UK. Yesterday, ComScore’s M:Metrics mobile unit reported that 45 percent more UK advertisers ran banner campaigns in the six-month period ending March 2009, compared to the six months prior. (Release).

• Report: UK Mobile Banner Advertising Up 45 Percent