Four Reasons to Advertise on Mobile In-App Placements

Today, consumer attention is split across screens and platforms, making it a challenge for brands to break through the noise and drive authentic consumers connections. However, mobile in-app advertising presents a number of opportunities that—when properly used—can be a valuable supplement to your marketing mix.

According to comScore, mobile apps account for 57 percent of all digital media usage, and smartphone apps alone capture more than 50 percent of time spent on digital media,. With consumer attention flooding mobile apps, brands have predictably responded by injecting increased ad dollars into mobile in-app placements. In fact, mobile ad spend will make up 75 percent of all digital ad spend this year.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can grab consumer attention, while capitalizing on unique mobile in-app opportunities that can maximize your digital video impact.

1 – Improved Targeting = Less Wasted Ad Spend

The most obvious benefit to mobile advertising—whether in-app or otherwise—is the ability to reach a consumer anytime, anywhere on their most personal device. A more specific benefit, however, is that mobile devices use device IDs, that—unlike cookies—allow you to identify and target specific users within apps, while also collecting consumer intelligence, like location data and in-app activity. These device IDs are useful for cross-device targeting. By reconciling a consumer’s desktop data and device ID, you can set frequency caps across screens and apps. Leveraging this information will not only help you optimize ad spend through improved targeting, it can help you create a more relevant, seamless, and fresh ad experience for consumers.

2 – Less Interruptive & More Engaging Ad Experiences

Creating respectful advertising experiences is paramount to driving consumer engagement, and that of course extends to the mobile app and gaming ecosystem. Although serving  video ads within mobile games can be perceived as interruptive, there are strategies that advertisers can employ that can change that perception. . Brands can give consumers the option to view an ad in exchange for a gaming reward or benefit. Doing so creates a mutually beneficial relationship between brand and consumer, allowing the ad to enhance the gaming experience.. Furthermore, video ads can be served during a stop or break within the game—like when a player runs out of gaming lives, or at the end of a level—offering additional, less intrusive advertising opportunities.

With ViralGains Engagement Experiences—interactive end cards that are served at the conclusion of a video ad—brands can take their ads to the next level and not only make their ads non-interruptive, but make them more engaging by inviting consumers to have a two-way conversation.

CNN engagement card asking for a users opinion

With Engagement Experiences, brands can create a more impactful journey by tapping into consumer preferences and behaviors, and they can use this intelligence to choreograph more personal messaging and experiences.

3 – Brand Safety Perks

Savvy brands recognize that many mobile apps provide safer environments than YouTube and Facebook. For instance, brands have come to appreciate the lack of interactivity within mobile in-app gaming environments, such as comment sections and live chat functions, which oftentimes create opportunities for viewers to insert negative, or unsavoury content into an ad experience.

4 –  Viewability

Banner blindness is an issue on desktop and mobile open-web, but in-app environments generally display video ads in full-screen, and are non-skippable. These factors can increase the likelihood that your ad will be seen and engaged with by a consumer. In order to truly ensure viewability however, we encourage the use of third-party verification technology. The IAB recently launched the OM SDK to help brands measure and verify viewable in-app impressions, and provide increased transparency to the industry.

Moreover, mobile devices have increased in size in the last few years. This provides advertisers with an opportunity to create high-definition, TV-like ads that take advantage of video’s ability to create immersive experiences through sight, sound, and motion. When combined with non-skippable, full-screen environments, advertisers can leave a lasting impression on their audiences.

So, as consumer attention on mobile apps continues surge, it only makes sense to capitalize on this shift and focus on driving deeper consumer engagement through mobile.

Want to learn more about what mobile can do for your digital video ad campaigns? Download our Mobile Ebook today.

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