随着苹果iOS和谷歌Android手机平台用户的迅猛增长，手机应用内容也获得了前所未有的发展。因为这些应用多为免费下载，所以不少业界人士认为广告赞助会是这些应用的主要营收来源。

但手机市场分析公司Flurry最近的调查表明，虚拟商品交易已经超过广告赞助，成为iOS平台应用服务的主要营收来源。因为谷歌Android应用商店暂不支持应用内置付费功能（微交易），所以这一结论还不适用于判断Android应用的营收情况。这组调查数据的样本来自主流iOS社交网站和社交游戏应用，这两者日均活跃用户人数的总计达220万。

Flurry_AdvertisingRevenue_Shift_VGs

从以上图表中可以看出，在2009年圣诞假期，手机应用主要营收来源是广告赞助。但在2010年，已呈现虚拟商品交易取代广告赞助的趋势，今年9月前者在应用总营收所占的比重已超80%。不得不承认，用户购买虚拟刀剑、金币、威望分值所创造的营收居然可以超越广告赞助，这一点确实与人们的直觉相悖。但是，这种现象并不鲜见，也非iOS一家独有的情况。

实际上，虚拟商品交易早已是Facebook社交游戏的主要营收来源。根据摩根证券公司的电子游戏分析师迈克尔·帕切尔（Michael Pachter）的报告，社交游戏的营收已经从2008年的近6亿美元增长到了2009年的10亿美元，预计今年将达16亿美元，到2013年更将超过40亿美元。

造成手机游戏的低广告赞助的一个重要因素可能是，许多广告公司还不能将手机视为媒体平台，对社交游戏、手机社交网站能否有效传播广告仍持怀疑态度。这些广告公司的看法在一定程度上也代表并影响了一些大品牌公司的决策，导致这些公司错过了这一具有大量用户基础、充满多种内容形式的广告平台。

伴随社交游戏玩家规模的扩张，这些游戏还将持续吸引iPod Touch青少年用户以外的其他群体。不过，由于手机社交游戏的用户基础已经堪比电视黄金时段收视率，Flurry预计手机社交网站、手机游戏的广告赞助在2011年将会有所增加；今后18至24个月，社交游戏的虚拟商品交易和广告赞助都会同时增长。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译）

Madison Avenue and the Land of Make Believe

Mass market consumer adoption of Apple iOS and Google Android mobile devices has attracted an unprecedented volume of content, delivered through applications.   Because the majority of these applications downloaded are also free, many ecosystem players have assumed that advertising revenue models will dominate how these apps are monetized.

However, new analysis by Flurry reveals that the sale of virtual goods is overtaking advertising in top categories on the iOS platform.  Note that because Google’s Android Market does not yet support in-app purchases (micro-transactions), this model is not yet viable for Android apps.  This study was conducted using data collected from a sample of leading iOS social networking and social gaming applications, with a combined reach of 2.2 million daily active users.

Reviewing the chart above, the majority of revenue generated from advertising occurs during the 2009 holiday period.  During 2010, however, revenue increasingly shifts from advertising to virtual goods sales until reaching a proportion of more than 80% from virtual goods.  Admittedly, the idea that consumers acquiring virtual swords, gold coins and respect points can outperform advertising seems counter-intuitive; however, this phenomenon is neither new nor unique to the iOS platform.

In fact, virtual goods sales already represent the primary source of revenue for social gaming on Facebook.  Michael Pachter, Wedbush Morgan Securities video game analyst, reports that social gaming has grown from approximately $600 million in 2008 to $1 billion in 2009.   Further, he forecasts that social gaming will generate nearly $1.6 billion this year, and grow to more than $4 billion by 2013.

One factor responsible for low advertising levels may be advertising agencies’ slow acceptance of mobile as a media platform, with skepticism about the viability of social games and social mobile media as a channel for advertisement.  With these agencies representing and guiding the biggest brands, they appear to be missing a meaningful opportunity to reach a mass market of consumers who have adopted new platforms and forms of content.

As social games continue to expand their consumer reach, demonstrating their ability to attract an audience beyond teenagers using iPod touches, their relevance will increase.  In fact, with mobile social game critical mass now rivaling TV prime time viewership, Flurry anticipates a stronger ad revenue generation through mobile social networking and games in 2011.  Over the next 18 to 24 months, Flurry predicts strong revenue growth from both virtual goods and advertising revenue from social gaming.  We say play on!（source:flurry）