If you were to base your impression of the mobile marketing landscape on what the search engine companies are doing, you'd probably think it was a booming industry.  On an almost weekly basis we see new announcements from Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft about partnerships, new technologies, and new applications to empower mobile users on the Internet… and mobile advertisers.

But according to an article on eMarketer.com, a recent Forrester Research report suggests that mobile marketing is not only not a booming industry, but is, in fact, well inside the infancy stage of development.

Source:  eMarketer.com

The problem, according to Forrester's report, is that most companies haven't been shown any proof that mobile advertising (as well as other forms of advertising on emerging medias) are really in high demand.  As far as these companies know, large masses of people aren't using text messages, RSS feeds, and podcasts.

But we know that's not true… right?

Still, eMarketer's data suggests that mobile advertising spend is beginning to ramp up and, over the next 5 years, will evolve into a multi-billion dollar industry:

Source:  eMarketer.com

I find it hard to believe that advertisers don't see the usage of a lot of these emerging medias - including mobile.  How many of them probably subscribe to RSS feeds or podcasts?  And are you telling me that company executives don't text message… or at least see all of the text messaging that goes on?

So what do you think?  Is there something else at play here?  Should the Yahoos and Googles and Microsofts of the world be spending more time and resources on showing companies the potential benefit of mobile advertising?  Should they focus on capturing the market now and worry about advertisers later?  Or should we simply wait and let the market evolve on its own?