How To Get Advertising Right On Mobile
Laura Chaibi, media research manager at Orange, examines recent research the company has carried out on mobile advertising and looks at whether the platform can live up to expectations…
More and more agencies are dabbling with mobile; but how close is the mobile industry to the £10 billion advertising bill forecasted for 2012? (Strategy Analytics, April 08)
Orange commissioned two pieces of research called ‘Exposure’ and ‘Orange World Ad Trials’ to uncover the behaviours of mobile media users and provide the advertising community with insight on how best to reach audiences on this platform; some audiences of which are becoming increasingly harder to reach on other media platforms. In particular, Orange wanted to find out how people are using their phones for media as well as how they feel about receiving advertising on such a personal device.
The key findings of Exposure, which are based on a five part qualitative study based on voxpops, media diaries, walkabouts, in-depth interviews and focus groups, are detailed below.
Who 50% of media interaction takes place when people are not alone
What Accessing mobile web is the most popular media activity
Where 58% of media activity happens at work or at home
When Mobile is the most accessed media channel from 12pm to 6pm
How long On average, users spend 3 hours 36 minutes per week using mobile for media
The results
We asked for people’s opinions on 10 different advertising formats including branding and direct response advertorials, banners, direct promotions, adverts on idle-screens, personalised marketing, sponsored content, location-based advertising and ad-funded games and videos.
Following the web trend, display advertising on banners is often the first natural step for companies using mobile advertising. However, this may not be the best way to engage audiences on mobile. Findings showed that the most popular type of mobile advertising is branding-led sponsorship formats such as idle-screen advertising, location-based and ad-funded games, video and content.
The findings also show that there is a real appetite for mobile advertising. Over 50% of respondents said they would like more advertising on their mobiles and 75% said they would interrupt browsing for an interesting advert.
Furthermore, the impact of mobile advertising on viewers is significant. Over 50% of respondents were able to recall specific brands that they’d seen on their mobiles and 23% stated that they had purchased or were more likely to purchase the product advertised. However, respondents stressed that these adverts need to be both relevant and personal to them.
Overall, the opportunity for mobile advertising seems huge – and as such, the £10 billion advertising bill forecasted for 2012 may not be unrealistic. However, it is critical that companies ensure that advertising is engaging, personal and relevant for the target audience and the mobile medium to maximise this opportunity.
Orange: www.orange.co.uk