According to a recent report from M:Metrics, a mere 7 percent of mobile users in the U.S. respond to SMS-based marketing, while the number is as high as 29.1 percent in Europe. Granted, SMS ads are far more common in Europe than they are here in the States and what's more, subscribers there are more accustomed to receiving them. I found it surprising that contests for games or reality TV were the biggest draw for SMS marketing in Europe, while shortcodes for downloading premium content were the main reason that U.S. subscribers responded to an SMS offer. M:Metrics says the 7 percent rate is still impressive for the U.S. and comparable to email marketing response rates before the advent of spam--was there such a time?

For more on SMS advertising in the U.S. and abroad:
- take a look at this article from MediaPost