iPad, WeTab, Galaxy, Playbook, Folio, Xoom or Slate.

No matter the name, it’s hard to argue that tablet technology is here to stay. And with over 165 million tablets slated to land in American hands over the next two years, you can imagine that tablets will begin drastically changing the way consumers interact with content. A few brands are staking an early claim in this new mobile-optimized and app-based digital realm, but as the adoption rates rise and culture changes, more will feel the competitive pressure to offer consumers a robust mobile experience.

To put this trend in perspective, Google’s Mobile Ads Blog ran a survey of 1,400 tablet users.

• 68% of tablet users spend at least 1 hour a day on their tablet.
• 77% of respondents report that their desktop/laptop usage decreased after they started using a tablet.
• 82% of respondents said they primarily use their tablet at home.
• More than 1 in 3 respondents uses their tablet more than they watch TV

When you mesh this information together with the fact that targeted app-based advertising (an ad on facebook, a digital magazine or twitter) generally outperforms the more general browser-based advertising (an ad on a website) you begin to see the growing opportunity on this medium for a brand. And if that wasn’t enough of a reason to give the tablet a piece of your media budget, consider Gartner’s preliminary 2011 sales figures for PCs. For the first time since the global recession began, global sales saw a 1.1% drop in unit shipments solely due to the popularity of new tablets in the market.


Tablets are changing the way consumers engage with content via Google Mobile Ads Blog

Gartner: Tablet hype fueling worldwide dip in PC sales via Ars Technica

Why ads in mobile apps have a promising future via Advertising Age