Spending on mobile advertising in the Irish market reached €9.9 million in 2012, according to a study by IAB Ireland, the trade association for the online advertising industry, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mobile display and advertising via text or multimedia messages accounted for more than four-fifths of mobile advertising, with mobile search accounting for the balance. This is the first time IAB Ireland has measured the sums spent on mobile advertising in the Irish market.

Total digital advertising, including mobile, reached €158 million last year.

Online advertising excluding mobile rose 12.3 per cent year-on-year, in stark contrast to the declining ad revenues recorded by other forms of media.

Search advertising was the fastest growing category, increasing 24 per cent to €67 million and accounting for 45 per cent of online ad spending, while display advertising increased 6 per cent to €50.6 million, or a 34 per cent share of the market.