The era of mobile has decidedly arrived, but what does it mean for marketers and how will the future of mobile advertising take shape? We asked Tej Rekhi, AVP, Global Mobile sales at Sizmek to share his insights on advertising across screens:

DMM: What effect is the rise in mobile device usage having on marketing?

TR: As consumers have shifted their activity to mobile, so too has the advertising industry. Mobile ad spend increased by 63% last year and more than half of digital ads will be served on mobile by 2016. Yet some brands are still finding their way when it comes to executing mobile advertising effectively. While many have harnessed the power of geo-targeting, the lack of support for third-party cookies in applications is limiting the ability to measure user behaviour accurately and more advanced tracking technology is still required to understand and optimise campaign performance.

DMM: Why is everyone talking about cross-screen targeting?

TR: The conversation is driven by consumer behaviour. Users typically own multiple devices and move seamlessly between them, so advertiser must respond and resist differentiating between channels. The ability to track users across a multi-screen path to purchase, provides advertisers with expert data to target consumers with contextually relevant content, at the most influential touch points – thus increasing campaign impact and conversions, while reducing wastage. Technology providers are working to make this idea a reality, and Sizmek’s recent partnerships with Tapad and Screen6 will enable us to offer more advanced attribution functionality than ever before.

DMM: What is most important when implementing a cross-screen campaign?

TR: Delivering the right message to the right audience is the most important element of any cross-screen campaign. It is also vital to understand the context and match content and messaging to each device, for example consumers using a tablet may be at home and watching TV in ‘lean back’ mode, whereas mobile viewers are likely to be on the move. Advertisers must ensure their campaigns adapt to each environment and deliver the desired outcome across all screens. Defining goals, and how cross-screen can be used to achieve them, creates the foundation for a great advertising campaign.

DMM: Can you give us an example of a connected brand story?

TR: A stand out example for me is the Under Armour ‘I Will What I Want’ campaign, starring Gisele Bundchen. The ad saw global advertising agency Droga5 awarded a Grand Prix in the Cyber category at Cannes this year, and it is clear to see why. Bringing together the online and offline world to tell a connected and powerful story, real-time social-media insults were displayed as a backdrop in a gym where Gisele demonstrated her physical determination to fight them off. The campaign transformed Under Armour into more than a brand, creating a movement that consumers could connect with emotionally, in the real world and online.” This is offline and online not cross-screen as we know it right now.

DMM: How are marketers making adverts more relevant and enjoyable for consumers?

TR: By using the technology available to them, marketers are working to make advertising seamless and enjoyable. Ultimately, the industry needs to create a better user experience and this means ads must be highly targeted without being intrusive. Marketers are starting to do a better job of achieving this goal; using superior data sources to ensure advertising is relevant, and deploying advanced creative tools to make it more engaging for the consumer. The industry still has a way to go, but changes in technology used, such as adaptive streaming or vertical video, is allowing marketers to creative and serve responsive ad units instantaneously across all screens.

DMM: How can marketers assure consumers that their privacy is protected?

TR: Privacy will always be a key concern for consumers and consequently, a priority for marketers. Innovations in automation have brought programmatic to mobile, meaning marketers can now track user activity whether an individual accesses content in-app or via mobile web, and serve the appropriate ad to their mobile screen. Advertising is essentially a value exchange where marketers use consumer data to deliver relevant, engaging ads and unique offers. However, it is imperative that this well-balanced exchange isn’t one-sided - as soon as the exchange benefits marketers more than consumers, brands will struggle to keep consumers onside and may see an increase in ad blocker downloads as a result. To this end, there is a need for stronger consumer education to ensure audiences understand technological developments, how they benefit from these advancements, and exactly how their data is being used.

DMM: What are the next steps for cross-screen advertising? What can we expect in the next five years?

TR: The ultimate goal is to provide relevancy to individual consumers. Greater interaction levels and engagement will be achieved through better targeting, as campaigns will reflect the interests and needs of the audience. To achieve this, the industry needs to move in stages. Firstly, marketers must ensure they have an in-depth understanding of how to deliver cookie-less advertising on mobile — in-app and within the browser. Secondly, the industry needs to accurately track the entire user journey to improve targeting, which I predict will take the industry as a whole a further two years to perfect. There have been predictions that this could happen next year, but it is more likely that what we will witness is an increase in adoption, and consequently — a period of trial and error. By 2017, cross-screen will be truly effective, and by 2020 it will be an integral element of standard advertising.

 

By Hannah Durham, Editor of the Digital Marketing Magazine and Tej Rekhi, AVP, Global Mobile Sales, at Sizmek. 

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