How can you create that killer mobile ad in terms of engagement, dwell time and conversion? Mark Slade, CEO at 4th Screen Advertising, offers a guide on which mobile platforms prove most effective and how create ads which engage the phones native functions, such as the camera or calendar, to get much higher dwell times.
Introduction
It’s an extremely exciting time in mobile advertising right now, with big brands ready to invest and experiment with the creative potential of mobile and how it can now be integrated as part of a connected cross-platform campaign.
The ubiquity of the mobile internet and the high levels of smartphone penetration have combined to create the catalyst which according to the IAB, has seen mobile ad spend more than double in the UK to £203m over the last twelve months.
More recently, new standards, in particular HTML5, have enabled the creation of much more dynamic, fluid and interactive rich media ad formats which offer much deeper engagement with consumers. Tap-to-expand ads, screen overlays, video and flash based executions are fast becoming the industry standard.
As a result, we are now seeing rich media mobile ad units deliver CTRs that are often up to 300 percent higher than those of static banner ads. However, clicks are just the start of the journey and developing a successful mobile ad campaign is about more than simply creating a rich media ad unit and expecting the conversions to soar.
Developing a mobile campaign that sparks the imagination of mobile users starts with an experienced mobile creative team, but success also relies on a number of external factors which include the type of device or OS that the ad is served on, through to the creative execution of the ad itself.
Not all OS are equal
4th Screen Advertising’s parent company Opera Software, has just released its first State of Mobile Advertising report which benchmarks different mobile operating systems to highlight key data and monetisation trends mined from a global network of 35 billion+ ad impressions.
The report highlights the fact that Apple’s iOS is still the top performer with average eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions) on iPhone at £1.82 ($2.85), followed by Android at £1.34 ($2.10); Windows Phone is last at £13p ($0.20) eCPM.
From this analysis it is quite evident that devices with better usability (i.e., larger screen size and touchscreen) and those with features that allow more interaction between the ad and the device’s functionality are much more successful at grabbing the user’s attention and monetising that interaction.
For example, HTML5 Canvas, which enables the creation of dynamic ad formats such as animations and full-screen rich-media overlays, relies on iOS Safari 3.2 and Android 2.1 or above to run.
The results also indicate the importance of handset market share in encouraging advertisers to target particular devices. The one anomaly is that Windows phones have most if not all of the advanced features of Android and iPhones, but low levels of user adoption stifle its performance and this is reflected in its low eCPM rates.
Beyond the click – dwell times, engagement and going native
While every customer journey starts with a click, judging the effectiveness of a mobile campaign solely by the CTRs is no longer enough, with advertisers looking beyond the click to how users engage with an ad and ultimately whether they convert.
A key metric for advertisers today to understand brand engagement is dwell time – i.e. the length of time in which a user remains engaged and immersed in an ad experience, as the longer the dwell time, the richer the brand experience and the higher the likelihood of conversion.
We’ve already discussed how the choice of mobile OS can affect the eCPM rate of a campaign, but developing a rich media ad unit that delivers high dwell-times requires a strong creative focus.
4th Screen’s own Rich Media Index analyses the performance of hundreds of rich media ad units, provide a unique insight into which formats work best. The Rich Media Index recently found that 66% of end-users that click through to a video will complete that interaction, with an average dwell time of 52 seconds. Photo-taking capabilities warrant an even higher dwell time (1 min 25 seconds), and about half of consumers will continue to interact with the ad post-click.
When you mix in the native functions of the device that the ad is being viewed on – such as synching with calendar, location and maps, camera and click-to-call – the overall engagement opportunity becomes very compelling. Savvy mobile ad providers are now able to deliver mobile campaigns that immerse the viewer in on-device ad experiences that are married to in-the-moment user interaction.
The perfect mobile ad
Mobile advertising isn’t a science; therefore there is no silver bullet or hard and fast formulas which guarantee lengthily dwell times and conversions. However, having studied the performance of hundreds of mobile ads across numerous publishers, we can draw the following conclusions:
• iOS best for monetisation –delivering an average eCPM of £1.82 ($2.85), followed by Android at £1.34 ($2.10)
• Creativity is key – rich-media ad units such as tap-to-expand ads, screen overlays, video and flash based executions out perform static banner ads by up to 300 percent
• Ads that engage the phones native functions increase dwell-times considerable – leading to better brand engagement and conversion
As smartphone and tablet penetration continues to grow, coupled with the deployment of faster mobile broadband (4G in 2013) there is a major and growing opportunity for brands to build rich media ad strategies that are based on impressive eCPM rates and ultimately user engagement.
By Mark Slade
CEO
4th Screen Advertising
http://www.4th-screen.com/
