Revealed: the mobile ads that work

It is one of the many issues which is keeping marketers – and their agency lackeys – tossing at night but a new study claims to finally lift the lid on just how to get consumers to respond to mobile ad campaigns.
In a classic case of “if you throw enough mud at it and some will stick”, moblie ad spend is predicted to rise 45% this year to £3.3bn, yet most consumers would rather go to the dentist than open an ad.
And, according to the research carried out by mobile agency Widespace, nine out of ten consumers won’t click on an ad even though they are interested in the message.
But, based on user input from the 100 million unique smartphone users a month and the data shows 28% more users remember brand advertsing if it is a swipe solution compared to a static takeover ad on a mobile.
At the same time, there is an increase in the relevance of swipe ads with up to 100% compared to static ads, where brands cannot read as much data about the user’s preferences.
The figures reveal that ad formats based on significant interaction are much more engaging, meaning advertisers can achieve up to three times higher relevance to the mobile user.
It is also 4.5 times more likely that consumers will seek more information about the offer through a sweep in the banner than via a click to another site, the report reckons.
“For brands, it is becoming increasingly important to go beyond broad reach and instead reach the right target audience. Ad formats that engage, are relevant to the recipient but do not interfere with their experience work much more effectively for the brands.
“They increase conversion and brands can gain better customer insights when analysing the results”, said Joy Dean, head of partnerships at Widespace.