Mobile Advertising and Big Opportunities

Mobile is booming.

I was on a webinar a couple weeks ago with eMarketer and learned a lot about just how big it is. Over half of our digital media time spent is on our phones, totaling 2 hours and 51 minutes or 23% of total media time spread across all forms of media. This is a staggering number that is only expected to grow. As we dig into our own numbers at Pinnion, we see this trend confirmed with anywhere from 50-80% of polls, quizzes, and surveys being taken on mobile. The more staggering number is that completion rates nearly double when people view them on their mobile devices.

Ok, enough numbers, so what? There are two questions that advertising teams are dealing with.

How do we build better digital relationships?

Engagement tells the story. With increased engagement you have increased value. This is true of both large and small publications. For example, if I have 1,000 people on LinkedIn that I am out of touch with, there isn’t much value. However, if I have 100 that I can pick up the phone and call, there is real value in my network. This is the constant struggle of publications as they balance growing both their audience both in quantity and quality.

How do we make more of less?

A lot of real-estate is lost on mobile. Most digital advertising is currently removed on mobile and banner advertisements don’t translate well onto smaller screens so they are stripped out. This has created two big opportunities: video and native advertising sponsorships. Videos are very helpful but also very invasive as they take up the whole screen. This limits the number of times they can be presented to the user before they disengage. Videos must be coupled with sponsorships and other integrated content in order for them to remain effective. Quizzes present opportunities for this integrated content and keep users engaged for nearly 2 minutes while providing opportunities to reach new users with social sharing.

New opportunities for mobile advertising will continue to arise but strategic content mixes will remain vital for success.

Darin Ault is the Director of Business Development for Pinnion a digital audience engagement company in Seattle, Washington.