Advertisements on mobile Internet and TV services are “irritating” to consumers, while branded content and opt-in Bluetooth downloads are better ways to reach millions of people using mobile devices, new media research has found.

Traditional rules of advertising still apply, according to a survey by media services group Universal McCann.

“People always complain about things that are interruptive – it still works in traditional media, but in this environment consumers have so much choice where they source content from and if it detracts from the experience they will go elsewhere,” Tom Smith, Universal McCann's research manager for Europe, the Middle Ease and Africa, is quoted as saying in a Media Guardian article.

Smith said people prefer advertising that benefits them, such as giving them access to content, sponsorship, branded content and giveaways.

The survey was taken by 9,500 people in 21 countries, all of whom have both mobile phones and an Internet connection, and found that the more connected people are, the more marketing opportunities advertisers have to reach them.

According to the survey, people are most likely to pay for music, movies and games, and least likely to pay for podcasts and user-generated content. Users also frequently access content illegally, which has as much to do with convenience and ease of use as it does with price.

Sponsorship was found to be the most valued form of advertising for podcasts and videocasts, followed by presenters recommending brands.

Additionally, even though media owners such as the Guardian, BBC and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom are investing in podcasting, only 21 percent of UK respondents said they are accessing them.

Those surveyed said for mobile phone advertising, they preferred opt-in Bluetooth formats that provide them with vouchers direct to the mobile, information and sponsored search results. Sixty-one percent disliked advertisements on mobile Internet pages and TV adverts on mobiles.

Respondents accepted adverts at the beginning of an audio or video clip, but not interruptive ads in the middle of a clip.

Two out of three people taking the survey said they owned a portable music or media player, 45 percent had a laptop and 28 percent used a portable gaming machine of some sort.

Survey highlights, by country, are:

• Japan had the highest data services usage, as voice calls only accounted for 24 percent of mobile phone usage.

• Voice calls in the United States account for 65 percent of mobile phone usage, and data 20 percent.

• In the United Kingdom, 50 percent of mobile usage is for data, and 40 percent for voice.

• Globally, an average of 20 percent of people access podcasts. The highest usage is in countries like Russia and China, where traditional media is tightly controlled.

• People most receptive to advertising live in the developing world, especially in countries such as China, Mexico and Thailand.

• Consumers in the United States, France and the United Kingdom are the least receptive to advertising.