Mobile ads would do a better job at reaching their target audience if advertisers put more effort into delivering personalized ads that take into account a person's current location, according to Mobile Marketer.

Rimma Kats, the article's author, argued that ads that appeal directly to mobile users are more likely to pique their interest. In particular, when it comes to location, a mobile ad can tell someone how close they are to the nearest relevant store.

“As marketers, we understand that location is the most logical step of increasing usefulness of the ad for the consumer and effectiveness for the advertiser,” Iryna Newman, head of mobile marketing at Groupon, San Francisco, said to Mobile Marketer.

Besides location, Kats said mobile ads need to speak directly to the mobile user's needs and interests, as that will encourage the person to engage with the ad.

“There is no doubt that the ad industry in its drive for performance will follow the same way and provide micro-targeted messages to local audience," Yuri Khidekel, president and founder of Adxcel, San Francisco, said to Mobile Marketing. “The same performance drive will also drive the ads to become more interactive and deliver rich relevant content to the user."

Successfully implementing mobile ads will become increasingly important as tablets and smartphones become more popular. The number of mobile devices worldwide is expected to double between 2011 and 2020, according to the global mobile industry trade group GSMA.