In the latest in a series examining trends in mobile advertising, The Drum catches up with a cross-section of the industry to hear their thoughts on the opportunities around rich media.
The Drum's series on mobile advertising trends provides insight into the key issues in mobile advertising as part of our Mobile supplement.
Yesterday we explored the impact of the second screen on mobile advertising, and today we're looking at how advertisers can make the most of rich media to engage consumers.
Jocelyn Bull, marketing director, Somo
Rich media is engaging, deeply immersive and perfectly suited to the interactivity and native functionality of mobiles and tablets. This type of advertising allows for interactivity beyond the click, for example by playing with the ad, or swiping/ tapping to view a video or find more information about a product or service.
Ads can integrate with the other functionality of the mobile device, creating a much more immersive and responsive experience. Social sharing is easy, as is integrating click to call, or geolocation and map functionality.
Mobile rich media is currently significantly cheaper than online as well – and given the higher levels of performance, is something all advertisers should consider as part of their media plan.
Stephen Jenkins, marketing director EMEA, Millennial Media
Rich media allows advertisers to create campaigns that are uniquely suited to their goals. For example, a studio looking to build awareness for a particular film may want to create an ad that includes an official trailer and a countdown clock to opening weekend. On the other hand, a retailer trying to drive footfall or online traffic for a one- day sale may want to use rich media to run a “mobile circular” ad unit that replicates their weekly print insert and shows off the latest sales and special deals. Rich media allows for this type of customisation.
Matt Champion, media services director, Fetch
Advertisers can make the most of rich media to engage consumers via mobile by creating intuitive and immersive experiences. Rich media can bring life to mobile advertising. The opportunities for users to engage with content and capture the users’ attention are unlike anything TV, radio, outdoor or other advertising mediums can provide.
Ben Williams, trading director EMEA, InMobi
Rich media advertising on mobile allows for a far better user experience, and this opportunity must fundamentally underpin mobile advertising strategies in order for them to be effective. Ads can be expanded to full screen and, critically, within the browser or application, so the experience isn’t disrupted. Today, more than 50 per cent of all mobile campaigns include rich media – they’re compelling, interactive and engage consumers at a level that previous options could never achieve.
Amy Vale, VP of global research & strategic communications, Mojiva
Brands must evolve to keep pace with new and emerging technologies and innovations; still too few truly understand the capabilities of mobile. The key is being ready to learn and evolve marketing plans to include new innovations, but to balance that with not jumping on the band wagon every time something new comes out. Ultimately, the best way to do this is to have a sound mobile strategy to follow and to make elements of it flexible enough that it can be tweaked if a new innovation that is relevant to your strategy/brand/goals is released.
Mark Brennan, head of mobile, Carat
Rich media needs to be about a value exchange – entertain, amuse or challenge consumers with something unique to a mobile device, that plays to its strength – location aware, time sensitivity, personal. But also simplicity – mobile consumers dip in and out of mobile so a rich experience should fit in with their expectations.
This feature is published as part of The Drum's Mobile supplement.
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