• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, February 14, 2014

Marketers, you do have a mobile video strategy, right? If not, consider this your notice. Cisco said in its latest Internet traffic report that mobile video traffic will grow 14 times by 2018, when it will comprise 69% of global mobile data traffic, up from about half last year. Much of that growth will be centered in the Middle East and Africa, but video will account for 67% of mobile data traffic in this region by 2018.

Cisco also reported that mobile video use peaks in the evening, which is something most advertisers know already. What’s noteworthy is that the busiest mobile video times are growing at a faster rate than other dayparts. Advertisers can use this insight to target their mobile video campaigns by time of day.

These findings dovetail with  Nielsen’s just-released report on digital consumer habits. Nielsen said Americans own four digital devices on average and spend 60 hours a week consuming content on those devices. About 65% of homes own a smartphone, and in the past year consumers have upped the time they spend on apps and browsers by about 10 hours more a month, making phones second only to TVs for media consumption.

Likewise, tablets are taking off as secondary devices to use while watching TV. About 84% of smartphone and tablet owners use mobile devices as second screens while watching TV. They often look up information about the shows they are watching.

In addition to the mobile video growth, new research from market researcher Interpret and video ad company YuMe reported that connected TVs and game consoles are driving strong brand metrics for multiplatform campaigns. A cross-screen campaign for a personal care product that ran on PlayStations 3 and smart TVs helped boost brand awareness for consumers exposed to the ads, compared to those who weren’t, the research said. In addition, those who recalled the ads had higher purchase intent.