• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, October 27, 2016

Three out of every four minutes (75%) of Internet use will be accessed via a mobile device in 2017 -- up from 68% this year, according to a mobile advertising forecast released this morning by Publicis’ Zenith unit.

The report estimates that mobile’s share of global Internet usage will reach 79% by 2018, nearly doubling since 40% in 2012.

The report, the first from Zenith to focus exclusively on mobile advertising and technology trends, covers 60 countries worldwide.

Zenith previously reported as part of a general advertising forecast in September that mobile advertising will overtake desktop ad spending in 2017. In 2017, it forecasts that mobile will account for 60% of all Internet advertising, reaching $134 billion in total ad budgets and making it bigger than newspapers, magazines, cinema and outdoor advertising combined.

The report recommends “all brands need to become mobile-first in their digital communication. All assets -- from brand websites to video ads -- should be built to deliver the best and most effective experiences on mobile devices.

“Advertisers also need to think about consumer mobility, not just mobile devices,” the report continues. “During the day consumers shift their attention from tablet to desktop to smartphone, sometimes while watching TV, so advertisers need to build brand experiences that are coherent across screens and devices.”