The automotive industry grew more than 372 percent year-over-year and has been a consistent top mobile advertising vertical, according to new research from Millennial Media. 

The company?s latest Smart report found that five different verticals experienced triple digit growth year-over-year, led by the automotive industry. Additionally, the company found that the most frequently targeted audience on its platform was IT decision makers, followed by gadget geeks and in-market auto intenders.

?The ability to reach real-world consumer audiences is one of the greatest benefits to advertising in mobile, and we?re seeing advertisers double down their efforts to target these unique audiences,? said Marcus Startzel, general manager of North America at Millennial Media, Baltimore.

?In Q2 of this year, the most popular individual audiences were IT Decision Makers, Gadget Geeks and In-Market Auto Intenders, but we had a huge variety of different audiences targeted on our platform, as advertisers created campaigns that met their unique goals,? he said.

Mobile research
According to Millennial, telecommunications was the top individual vertical on our platform, ranked by spend.

Additionally, 44 percent of all campaigns on Millennial?s platform offered consumers the ability to download an app as a post-click action.

The top three advertiser campaign goals were sustained in-market presence, driving registrations and driving site traffic.

Combined, these three goals made up 80 percent of all campaigns.

Personal and home services has not been a top vertical for growth to date, yet experienced year-over-year growth of 353 percent.

Personal and home service advertisers used mobile to engage with consumers around seasonal home needs, such as pest control.

Moreover, technology moved into the number ten spot on the Top 10 Global Advertising Verticals this quarter, with year-over-year spending increasing 79 percent.

Technology manufacturers ran rich media campaigns that drove consumers to view videos demonstrating their products.

?Five different verticals experienced more than 100 percent growth in spend year-over-year, which speaks to the overall growth in the space, and the unique ability of mobile to work effectively for advertisers in different industries,? Mr. Startzel said.