By: Marla Natoli, Manager, Mobile & Video Monetization, AOL Canada
Developing a mobile media strategy is often perceived as a daunting task. In a landscape where technology seemingly advances by the second, navigating perceived complexities can result in uncertainties around which solutions best address a brand’s objectives.
The best way to untangle this seemingly complex space is to get back to the basics – what are you trying to achieve? When we leverage an advertiser’s objective(s) as a starting point, we can quickly uncover the most effective solutions that put user experience at the centre of the strategy. Below we explore 3 of the most common brand objectives, and how mobile is adding effectiveness and efficiency to the mix.
1. Brand Awareness
Smartphone and Tablet Rich Media
It is important to execute creative in a way that speaks to how a user behaves across platforms. In a recent study by AOL, we identified that nearly 46% of smartphone, app and mobile site moments are “Me Time” moments when people are using their phone for relaxation or entertainment. (Source: AOL 7 Shades of Mobile Study, 2012.) While a strong call-to-action is essential on all platforms, it’s best to keep messaging on smartphones short and to the point. Once you’ve enticed the user into the ad experience, using gestures native to the device is a great way to entice engagement such as swiping for a 360 view of a car or adding a calendar reminder to your phone for a product launch or movie release date.
In the world of tablets, users tend to be more willing to spend more time engaging with brands. This is often attributed to the way people use their tablets – at home while leisurely browsing content. Full page interstitials are more common across premium sites. Getting more in-depth with your experience is recommended such as configuring a vehicle, giving a 360 interior view using the gyroscope, or browsing videos and images.
Reaching the Right Audience at the Right time
In addition to aligning your brand with contextually relevant content and premium publisher brands, advances in cross-platform technology allow for even more sophisticated targeting to reach your desired audience. With the ability to map users across all devices, it is now possible to leverage a wealth of desktop data, layer on mobile data, and target the right audience across all screens and tailor your creative messaging accordingly. This type of device linking allows for behavioural targeting and re-targeting on mobile in a way that has never been possible before.
Mobile Video
Extending video cross-platform is a great way to maximize reach. However, when choosing a video partner make sure quality is confirmed, as it is common for mobile video networks to run a bulk of inventory across gaming apps as video interstitials, vs. true in-stream pre-roll. All video assets should be extended cross-platform, from short pre-roll spots to syndicated long-form content.
2. Conversions
Sales, Sign-ups, and More
When delivering conversion-based campaigns, mobile is a great addition to the mix. A recent study showed that between 22-37% of overall conversions happen on mobile devices across Telecom, Retail, Autos and Travel categories (Source: Advertising.com & University of Virginia Cross Platform Study 2013). Conversions can be defined in any number of ways whether it be an e-commerce sale, a newsletter sign-up, contest entry, or even finding a dealer. Placing conversion pixels across mobile placements is integral to understanding user behaviour and optimizing to maximize ROI. Regardless of your defined conversion, leveraging cross-platform technology that allows for optimization across all platforms will take the guess work out of budget allocations for mobile vs. desktop.
App Downloads
With over 1 million apps in Apple and Google’s app stores, standing out can prove to be a nightmare. For premium brand advertisers, standing out to the right audience is even more challenging. Incentivized app download networks across gaming content can appear cost-effective, but downloads from users that don’t intend to keep and use your app can prove to be a waste. Aligning your app download campaign with premium content, and leveraging higher impact placements such as native ads or big boxes can help you stand out to the right audience. Finally, partnering with an app tracking partner from the get-go will allow you accurately measure campaign results across providers, and gain deeper insights such as the lifetime value of a given user.
3. Traffic
Online Traffic
A cross-platform campaign with a strong CTA that optimizes toward the best performing platforms will improve performance and extend reach, adding efficiencies. In a recent AOL cross-platform research study, 49% of multi-screen owners use 2 or 3 devices to access their favourite content, with Smartphone and tablet peaking in morning and tablet peaking in the evening. (Source: AOL Canada 3D Multi-Dimensional Multi-Platform Study, 2013).
In-Store Traffic
One of the most obvious and unique features of mobile is that it is the first medium to follow the user everywhere they go. Geo-fencing allows brands to target users in or around locations of interest, and deliver a message that is relevant to where they are when they receive it. This is a great way to drive traffic to an event, to encourage users to take advantage of a special offer or deal nearby, or to reach a specific audience of interest. For e.g. a retailer may geo-fence shopping malls, or a brand may target a conference or music festival where they know their audience is present.
Looking ahead, location data has the potential to present even more opportunities. Using this data to target users that have physically visited locations of interest adds a whole new spin to “re-targeting”. Layering location data into existing cross-platform data is sure to make our advertising opportunities endless as we move into the future of mobile advertising.
For more information on a range of mobile solutions from AOL Canada, please contact your Marla Natoli at AOL Canada at marla.natoli@teamaol.com.
