In the lead up to the Mobile World Congress, we are releasing a series of blogs around the topic of Mobile. We know there are misconceptions about mobile and advertising, so we’re here to set a few things straight.
No one wants to watch video on their phones
Wrong. Our own research into Gen Y showed that 1 in 3 in this group already consume video content on their phone every day. There’s a real appetite for video content on the move.
While there’s a preference to watch video with Wi-Fi, with the increasing availability of these connections this is becoming less of an issue.
Mobile can’t be premium
Most major publishers have apps that allow content to be streamed anywhere at any anytime. These are most definitely premium. Mobile offers the same opportunities and solutions as desktop.
The ads served can be user-friendly, non-intrusive and 100% viewable which means they make the perfect premium environments.
Charging for apps is the only way to monetise
Research from eMarketer has shown that the moment apps are charged for the number of installations drops dramatically.
On smartphones they recorded downloads decrease from 91.3% to 36% in 2014. With the slow uptake of paid for apps, there are other ways to monetise content.
Including videos in app or on web pages monetises content without the need to create expensive video footage.
Video can’t be integrated on all handsets
While there are some limitations, at Teads we can provide advertising solutions across handsets including Apple and Android.
It doesn’t reach wide audiences
While our insights into Gen Y showed that mobile video was a popular, it’s a mistake to think that this is the only audience that will be reached through mobile.
The IAB and BabyCenter looked at the electronic habits of mothers aged 18-34 from five different countries, and in all the countries examined at least ¾’s owned and used mobile smartphones.
As the SVP of Mobile and Video at the IAB, Anna Bager, said ‘Moms have traditionally been a primary target for a multitude of marketers, and now it’s clear that the primary way to reach them is through mobile.’
So don’t think mobile is just for teens.
Mobile advertising is niche
In the US, mobile is growing faster than all other digital mediums. In the UK, eMarketer predicted that digital would account for nearly half of all UK spend in 2014, with mobile investment underpinning this. In 2014 it accounted for 24.9% of digital ad spend, and in 2018 it’s predicted to reach 67%.
Growth in mobile ad spending (up 75.5% in 2014) is driving UK digital investment.
Worldwide, mobile phone users reached 59.6% of the total global population in 2014 and by 2018 it’s expected to hit 66.4%.
This seems like enough evidence that mobile growth isn’t slow.
Hasn’t the year of mobile already happened?
2011 was the year of mobile. So was 2012. And 2013. Or was it 2014? 3 months into 2015 and we’re already hearing similar predictions for 2015.
We can conclude from this that no one really knows when the year of mobile is.
But as early reports show more than healthy predictions for mobile, we can expect 2015 to be another good year for these devices and advertisers.
