Mobile web traffic is on the rise and will soon eclipse the desktop. This new mobile age has heralded a shift from being browser centric to app centric.
If you have not considered this change and how it will affect ad delivery, you better think twice.
Today, you should consider in-app mobile rich media advertising; that is where the growth is and that is where your audience is flocking to. Making this transition is not merely about taking advantage of the demographics but also about gaining the competitive edge.
Table of Content
1. Grabs and holds the attention of your audience
The first and arguably most difficult step in an advertising campaign is to get the attention of your audience. A static display ad is unlikely to gain any traction and if you have not gotten their attention within 8 seconds, you have probably lost them.
Ads that include media content can be an eye catching experience and gives you the power to gain the attention you seek. However, attention grabbing alone is insufficient; you need to hold it and you can excel by encouraging participation through interaction. By encouraging your audience to interact with the screen, your prospect of holding their attention is higher.
This conclusion has been supported by an Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) commissioned study[1]. Examining the effectiveness of the IAB Mobile Rising Stars creative ad units, it found that the audience was 79% more likely to interact with an IAB Mobile Rising Stars ad as opposed to traditional banners.
2. Makes the best use of that small screen
The interactive elements discussed inside the ads will obviously require space. However, the size of mobile devices are generally still small. This leaves you with a conundrum because when compared to the desktop, there is considerably less real estate to play with.
Giving your ads a dynamic nature leaves you with the freedom to adjust the ad for this very purpose. Get your audience to first take notice with an unobtrusive teaser banner on the screen. If you get your messaging right with this teaser, there is a 26% likelihood of your audience activating and interacting with the full sized ad[2].
(Picture Source: http://econsultancy.com)
3. Translates interactions into conversions
Conversions are defined as the measurement in which your audience performs the actions that you desire. Traditional banners rely solely on clicks and can no longer cut it. A recent report from Comscore stated as much, noting that click-through rates resulted in a Pearson correlation of near zero[3]. The same report stated that the most effective method of conversion was through interaction which yielded a correlation of 0.49.
By giving your audience the ability to interact with your ads in more ways than one, you further increase your chances of conversion. From media such as slideshows or videos to direct interaction with the business via social media, phone calls or forms, the possibilities are limited only by the imagination of your creatives. This trend is demanded today and can build your brand by giving your audience a meaningful and engaging experience[4].
4. Delivers a seamless, unobtrusive experience
When we discuss interaction, you may have the impression of it being intrusive and annoying to the user experience. That would be true for traditional banners which would launch a browser that disrupts the continuity of your audience when tapped.
Your audience might be playing a game when they notice your ad. By taking advantage of these new interactive ad units, all forms of interaction happen directly within the ad itself. If you wanted to play a video, it plays within the ad. If you wanted to allow your audience to connect to your social media networks, it happens within the ad. At no point will they be taken away from the game itself.
5. Embeds you into the consciousness of your audience
People on mobile devices are prone to distractions. They might be killing some idle time with an entertaining app displaying your ad before a phone call comes in. What is the likelihood of them recalling the ad after the call has ended?
The boat would have sailed with traditional banners and you would have lost the opportunity to convert a potential lead. Distractions are something you need to consider when dealing with mobile advertising.
The IAB study quoted above found brand and message recall in IAB Mobile Rising Stars ad units were respectively 18% and 23% more likely compared to traditional banners. With the capability to save the ads for viewing at a later time, you could take this even further to ensure the relationship continues even after the app is closed.
6. Tells you how well you are doing with your audience and why
How can you tell if your advertising campaign is delivering the desired results? Traditional banners have only two measurement metrics: impressions and click-throughs. While metrics are important, rich media ads allow you to understand the response of your audience.
You can track not only impressions and click-throughs but also engagement rates of every level of interaction. For example, you can tell how many have tapped on the teaser banner to expand it or the percentage who completed watching the video. With this information, your advertising campaign can be quickly adapted to give you better success rates. Just ask Samsung[5].
7. It is cost effective, simple and easy
So you are sold but you have one major concern: cost. Unlike the old days where expensive and specialised software tools were needed, content creation today is incredibly cheap. There are literally dozens of tools out there today to help you with the production, workflow and integration with ad networks. And you do not need to be a rocket scientist to use them. Whether you are a brand owner, media agency or an advertising company, creating stunning ads is simple, easy and without the jaw dropping cost.
Summary
The benefits of using mobile rich media ads is not lost on businesses and is increasing at the expense of traditional banners. This is not all hype as Forrester reported a drastic decline in interest for traditional ads, noting a 45% drop in just two years[6]. Inversely, it reported interactive display marketing is expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 17%.
With this in mind, which one will you be choosing for your next advertising campaign?
[1] “Mobile Rising Stars Ad Interaction & Effectiveness”, www.iab.net
[2] “Adaptable mobile ads ‘6 times more popular than standard sizes’”, www.digitalstrategyconsulting.com
[3] “For Display Ads, Being Seen Matters More than Being Clicked”, www.comscore.com
[4] “Digital & Media Predictions 2013: Milward Brown’s Global Futures Group brings you the hottest trends for the New Year”, www.millwardbrown.com
[5] “Samsung Turkey creates cutting-edge campaign in record time with DoubleClick Studio Layouts”, samsung-turkey.pdf
[6] “Digital Media Buying Forecast, 2012 to 2017”, www.forrester.com