The Rise in Power of the Mobile Device: How Advertisers Can Reach Consumers Where They Are

Mobile use is growing

From ordering groceries to paying bills, there’s no question that people’s lives can be entirely run from a device that fits in the palm of their hand. Today, the average person touches their phone 2,617 times per day. That means advertisers have over twenty-six hundred opportunities to get their ads in front of their target consumer. While it’s key to choose what channel works best to reach your audience, compelling creative is just as important. It’s essential that creative assets follow key guidelines and encourage engagement to ensure they’re as impactful as possible on mobile devices.

Best practices to make your campaigns mobile-friendly

Understanding mobile creative best practices is imperative when choosing a channel to reach consumers.

Banner: Banner placements achieve reach across sites and are a great opportunity to test different sizes and versions of an advertisement.

Create a clear call to action (CTA). Whether it’s “donate now,” “learn more,” or “order a sample,” CTAs give consumers a compelling reason to engage with your brand.
Make sure your logos are clearly visible. This helps consumers recall the brand from the banner ad even if they continue scrolling.
Banners should meet mobile size standards which are 300x50px, 320x50px, and 320x100px.

Video: Video placements allow advertisers to produce a long-form message that includes details around the product or brand.

Make sure the company logo or the primary message appears within the first 3 seconds of the start of the video. This ensures consumers who exit almost immediately are still exposed to the brand.
6 second videos are a preferred length because they get to the point quickly before consumer’s lose interest and move on. They also serve as a great awareness tactic.

Native: Native placements are integrated within a page and allow ads to incorporate copy and get more information in front of the audience.

Provide background on the brand. Include information around the brand in the ad copy, as well as an engaging title to grab the consumer’s attention (ex. “How can you help people suffering with homelessness?”).
Include an image. Copy and imagery should relate to create a cohesive ad.

Audio: Audio placements capture the ears of audiences while providing further detail on the brand.

Tone of voice matters. Use a conversational but clear tone of voice to engage the listener.
Mention the name of the brand within the first few seconds to ensure the consumer hears the brand name, even if they choose to skip the ad placement.
Give a clear CTA. State what action to take and why the consumer should do it within the first few seconds.
Complement audio with companion banner ads. This reinforces and simplifies the message while also allowing listeners to act immediately.

Rich Media: Rich Media is interactive media that allows for an engaging experience where consumers can interact with the brand.

A value exchange proposition is the mutual benefit of a company gaining brand exposure while the consumer also benefits by getting something like bonus points within an online game in return for watching or engaging with the brand’s content. This will attract the attention of the audience and help deem most qualified users.
Create an interactive placement that uses mobile touchscreens; swiping on the screen to turn on a product or flipping through a catalog of items create an interactive and engaging experience for consumers.
Incorporate a relevant geographic lens by integrating into commonly used map apps like Waze. Consumers can easily integrate the brand into their life whether it’s using the service or buying the product.

Next step: Testing the creative

Testing is key in knowing how and when to adjust your plans as an advertiser. The ability to make data-backed decisions is highly valued in a marketer’s toolkit. A/B testing can help determine top performers and apply those insights to future creative campaigns. Some things to test include imagery (people, products, or simple backgrounds), ad copy messaging, CTA language (upper funnel like ‘learn more’ or lower funnel like ‘sign up’), or combinations of any of the above. Testing is an ongoing effort and requires a variety of tactics and creative ad formats. Because every consumer’s journey is different, there is no one tactic that works best — utilizing a varied ad testing methodology accounts for that.

What marketers need to know

As consumers transition to spending even more of their time on the go, they will become increasingly more dependent on their mobile devices. With mobile devices just an arm’s reach away, it is important to understand how to drive your audience engagement using high quality, attention grabbing creative. This can differ between channel and marketers should cater to what their audience is most likely to engage with. Testing multiple creative CTA’s and images is an imperative step in gaining insight into how consumers engage with the brand on their devices so that markets can cater future media plans towards the ever-growing mobile landscape.