In-app advertising spend will hit US$7.1 billion by 2015, up from US$2.4 billion in 2012, according to a report from Juniper Research.

The growth will be driven by the greater use of rich media in ads combined with increased app usage, according to the analyst house, which expects the segment to be a major contributor to a tripling of mobile advertising spending by 2017.

The report forecasts that North America and Western Europe will account for 60 percent of total advertising spend in 2017, while advertising spend on mobile messaging will increase 8-fold.
 
With people spending more time using mobile apps, Juniper Research said many brands need to do more with mobile advertising if they are to avoid missing out on significant opportunities to reach customers.

“Creating immersive and entertaining experiences to attract the attention of the consumer is essential for marketers wanting to take advantage of the massive increase in app usage,” said report author Charlotte Miller.