Can iPhone 6 boost ad impressions for Apple?
Will iPhone 6 see Apple regain ground on Android for serving mobile ad impressions? Millennial Media’s Zac Pinkham investigates.
Shortly before the world’s media got their hands on the new iPhones and Apple Watch for the first time, Tim Cook said that it was “the most personal device Apple has ever created.” Now, this may not seem like a surprising claim to you – nearly every handset firm claims this whenever they launch a new flagship – but it’s the rationale behind the claim that should prick marketers’ interests.
Mobile is, without question, the most personal device around. It goes with consumers everywhere, and is replacing many everyday functions from your alarm clock and music collection, to your sat nav and notebook. The list is endless.
In the not too distant future, it’s also going to replace your keys, light switches and even your wallet (hello Apple Pay).
Now, what iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch means for our industry has been covered extensively already. However, as these devices prepare to launch alongside the roll-out of iOS 8, it’s an appropriate time for marketers to take stock of the existing OS and device trends in advertising.
On the same day Apple lifted the lid on its newest products, we released our Mobile Mix: Spotlight on EMEA report.
Based on actual data covering thousands of campaigns that reached over 650 million people globally through some 60,000 apps, and combined with additional market data from eMarketer, the report revealed several vital insights for marketers.
Smartphone ownership
Currently, a quarter of the population in EMEA owns a smartphone. This is expected to climb through 2017, with the number of smartphone users growing at an average of 19% per year to 37% of the population. Within the region, Western Europe sees higher smartphone penetration rates, followed by Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. In the UK this year, smartphone penetration is expected to hit 75%, according to the IAB, whilst tablets will reach 50%.
As more consumers adopt advanced mobile devices, marketers have an opportunity to better target advertising to more specific audience groups by utilising the data available to them through mobile.
Top markets and OS for mobile ad impressions
On our platform, we saw impressions from more than 100 countries in the EMEA region. The top 10 countries from which we saw impressions on our platform are shown in Chart G. Four countries outside of Western Europe made the top 10: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and South Africa. The last of these is the only market where the majority of impressions (59%) still come from BlackBerry devices. Some countries – the UK, Saudi Arabia, and the Netherlands – all have above average impressions from iOS devices.
Impressions from Android devices accounted for 64% of platform impressions in EMEA, which has increased 13 percentage points in the last year, and is 10 percentage points above the global average. iOS devices comprised 31% of impressions from our platform in EMEA, down nine percentage points in the past year – although this could change with the launch of the latest Apple devices.
Most popular devices and app categories for mobile ads
Samsung and Apple are the most popular manufacturers for serving ad impressions on our global platform, and the same holds true in EMEA. Music & Entertainment, Shopping & Retail and Business & Finance form the top three application categories in EMEA on our platform, seeing some of the largest impressions in the region, and some of the highest clicks from consumers.
The mix of devices from which we saw impressions on our platform in EMEA is similar to that of our global platform. Nearly three quarters (73%) of impressions in the region came from smartphone devices, whilst impressions from non-phone connected devices – including tablets – in the EMEA region have stayed relatively steady accounting for an average of 26% of impressions.
With mobile adspend in the region projected to increase an average of 543% each year, according to data from eMarketer, the opportunity is undeniable. But for advertisers looking to capitalise they must take heed from the lessons in this report if they are to succeed. EMEA is a large and diverse region of the world, and localisation of mobile campaigns is important to get consumers to engage with campaigns.
The largest brands looking to engage mobile audiences need scale, but they also need an understanding of those audiences they are trying to reach, and nowhere is that better typified than EMEA.
The mantra of “think globally and act locally” has never been more important than when advertising in these markets. As with all elements of mobile, a personal approach is paramount to connecting with your audience, regardless of device or OS.
Zac Pinkham is managing director, EMEA, for mobile ad platform Millennial Media.
All data taken from Millennial Media’s platform unless otherwise stated.