Article after article today points to ever-increasing investment in mobile advertising and the sensational performance it achieves when compared to other media channels. And because of that, mobile remains the hottest topic across ad land - for publishers, agencies, and marketing organisations alike.
However, unlike many I am not here to continue the mobile hype – I would on the other hand, like to discuss that this focus is misdirected. Mobile is important, but what makes it important is the concept of mobility. Here’s why.
1) Mobile was never a media channel.
For too long mobile advertising has been an attempt to reach consumers on smartphones and tablets simply because the share of time spent with these devices is dramatically increasing. As such, mobile has been treated as a separate and often-siloed media channel: agencies even created mobile-specific teams that frequently bought media from mobile-only networks.
But in reality, mobile is a horizontal platform and not a media channel. It’s a connective platform that ties together all media channels and should never have been confined to only “reaching consumers on-the-go.” Marketers realise that the same audience can be reached on both PCs and mobile devices, and are starting to think about mobility across their media efforts rather than just targeting specific devices. Mobility enables brands to develop better messaging based upon the context for the consumer, rather than the device they’re using to access a website or app.
Today most mobile specialists at agencies are not solely focused on mobile advertising, but rather have evolved roles that are aimed at helping their clients win at reaching consumers across screens – no matter how or where that occurs.
2) Cross-screen advertising is here today – and quickly evolving.
Some maintain that mobile advertising is very different from desktop-based advertising, and so delivering the exact same message across PCs and mobile devices is a huge error. I agree with this school of thought. Mobile devices are certainly unique in how they are used by consumers and the relationships that are formed with each device.
But let's be clear – as holistic digital solutions continue to enter the market and provide cross-device ad delivery, many of the current challenges of mobile advertising will be solved. Ad products today can already recognize device type, connection speed, location, and a variety of other device sensors; this enables ads to be delivered across screens while also dynamically adjusting the creative to deliver a rich, interactive, contextually appropriate experience on any connected device.
And this is only the beginning. As technology continues to evolve, new solutions will soon allow marketers to start building cross-screen storytelling narratives. Understanding what message a consumer received, where they received it, and what the next step in the sequence of the brand story should be and how it should be delivered – that will be here before you know it.
3) Mobile-specific vendors are quickly disappearing.
If you've been following the news within mobile advertising, you've witnessed the fastest period of mobile M&A activity ever. That's right. By my count we’ve seen nine deals in three months.
Rest assured that more mobile M&A deals will continue throughout 2014, as every successful digital technology company will need to offer mobile capabilities if they aim to survive in the evolving digital ecosystem. But note that they’ll being offering mobile capabilities as a part of their over digital suite of solutions – not “mobile advertising” as a standalone product.
So What’s Next?
Mobile advertising as we know it is rapidly changing: agencies are evolving and shedding an isolated mobile ad buying approach, technology is advancing and offering brands more cross-screen solutions, and mobile-born ad networks are starting to dwindle.
It’s evident that the future of mobile advertising is cross-screen marketing, driven by mobility.
We’ve entered the era of mobility where savvy agencies and marketers are eager to find efficiencies in cross-screen pricing and reduced manpower efforts, in addition to strong performance by consolidating their digital advertising dollars within true cross-screen players.
So as traditional mobile advertising fades, we’re seeing a whole new sector of wearable devices and smaller digital screens entering consumers’ lives that offer more choices for entertainment and utility. These devices and screens will create new advertising opportunities and a bright future for mobility.
By Sal Candela, VP Mobile Strategic Sales of Undertone.
PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.
comments powered by Disqus