If you are a digital marketer, and walking the advertising pathway, you must dwell in the mobile land,” demands the future of digital advertising.
Long gone are the days when the big Web used to be the sole advocate of ads. That heap of virtual pages leading people to virtual places as per the advertisers’ wishes, now bother us no more.
As the concepts of ‘mobile-first’ and ‘mobile-only’ are exploding and gripping more people, the devices are becoming filthy popular as an advertising podium. As for the digital marketers, the road to riches is now clearer, and better. Take a look at this:
So, according to this report by eMarketer, the mobile advertising market is all set to account for more than 50% of digital ad expenditure by 2016. Of course, this enthusiasm is highly customer driven. People have fallen in love with their smart devices and hence this fervour.
Why this increasing interest in advertising thorough mobile apps?
Do we not spend more time playing with apps? Yes, today, we would rather use a mobile application than open up a link for a website.
This behavior, of course, is not hidden from the marketers. They have understood how it’s wiser to make some positive changes in the conventional ‘hyperlink’ and incorporate it in mobile apps.
The glitches?
When ads pop up on the web, the dependence for tracking a user’s behavior is completely on cookies. Thus, it’s feasible and easy. However, this is never a worthwhile effort when you do it on a mobile. Why?
Because the cookies don’t work in these devices. A lot of features like tracking methods, storage of search history, and application of information to direct users, go completely forsaken. Ad about, efficacious conversion, well, you can give it to oblivion.
Of course, the glitches have been addressed to! Advertisers now make use of a device’s ID to target ads to an audience.
For instance, if it’s an ad for iOS, it has to be submitted across the network only via Apple’s IDFA (Identifier for Advertising), which identifies devices temporarily. While this puts developers into an obligation, sort of, it still is ‘something better than nothing.’
And this is how the scenario’s going to be in the near future.
How are the social media responsible for the changing tides?
Yet again, eMarketer says that a lion’s share of expenditure on digital ads will be spent on social advertising by 2018. The rulers, of course, will be Facebook, Twitter and Google.
In other words, desktop and TV ads will be overruled and mobile devices in association with social networking sites will be in a commanding position. Why?
Well, the answer lies in entertaining something called a ‘first-party relationship with users.’ The social networks have a big audience, and detailed data about users. Can this happen on a traditional network? No, never.
And, because the different social media share a direct relationship with consumers, and nurture it with a thorough understanding of their behavior via social activities, the path of targeting ads is already half journeyed! Yes, this accounts hugely for successful conversion.
So, what’s trending?
- Display and video: These two are the most sought formats for mobile ads. In fact, a whopping CAGR of 73% is expected of the latter by 2018. This format is skyrocketing!
- Search and social media: yes, both are robust formats for local targeting of ads.
- Games: They will dominate user engagement time. And, because games are a unique way of advertising, they will be utilised more by advertisers.
- In-app ads: They will be overpowering mobile web. Customer preference, again, is to be taken in consideration.
- Android & iOS: Both will account for 90% of global ad revenue and impression. The remaining 10% will be coveted by Symbian, BlackBerry, and Windows.
- Interactivity: The ads MUST be interactive for a great ad experience. Yes, you can count on games for this purpose, yet again!
India is now the safest haven for the bloom!
Yes, you’ve heard it right! The country is rapidly moving toward a huge explosion for mobile engagement. Somehow, the scarcity of high speed broadband Internet in India is a boosting factor.
But, whatever be the cause, the country is surely one of the hottest beds encouraging a substantial growth in Smartphone usage, and hence, mobile ads. Indeed, the mobile ad industry is seeing its bright dawn, all thanks to the ability to link content inside applications.
Yes, if you are not a digital advertiser living under a rock, your marketing efforts should largely happen on the mobile platform now, don’t you think?
