In its latest report on mobile media, research firm M:Metrics says that young males are a rich target for mobile advertisers; among mobile phone users in Western Europe 36% of 18- to 34-year-old men accessed mobile media in February, with 9% responding to SMS advertisements. In the same age demographic, only 19% of female mobile users accessed mobile media.

“Reaching the 18- to 34-year-old age demographic is a real challenge to advertisers, as this group is spending less time consuming print and broadcast media,” said Paul Goode, senior analyst with M:Metrics, in a statement. “According to TGI M:Metrics data, in Great Britain, young consumers are redirecting that attention to mobile, as 18- to 34-year-olds comprise 56% of mobile media users, compared to only 29% of TV viewers.”

The report also showed that mobile users in the United States are more active consumers of mobile media; unlike Europeans, U.S. subscribers use SMS less frequently for news and information and are more likely to have data plans, which directly affect mobile content consumption.  Among Europeans, the U.K. has the highest percentage of mobile media users, at 26.8%, while Germany and France come in a close second and third at 18.4% and 18.5%, respectively.

“Since the early days of mobile advertising, SMS advertising has been an effective way to reach the masses, but advertisers are now actively looking at the mobile Web to access new audiences,” Goode continued in a statement. “According to TGI M:Metrics, adding mobile to a media plan increases the efficiency of reaching key target groups, a metric that will continue to improve with the growth of 3G and smartphone ownership.”