Tag: Mobile Ads

Facebook is Helping Brands Skyrocket Ad Conversions by Turning Still Images Into Videos
Social media use is steadily growing each year. Research in 2017, shows that U.S. digital consumers spent an average of 2 hours and 15 minutes on social platforms every day, up 45 minutes since 2015. On average, users spent 35 minutes of that time on Facebook alone.

In the past view years, the consumption of video on social media has exploded. Live streaming accounted for 73 percent of global IP traffic in 2016 and is expected to reach 82 percent by 2021. Views of sponsored videos on Facebook also saw a massive increase in 2017, up 258 percent from the previous year. The data shows that video gets more attention on social media platforms, presenting an opportunity for marketers to reach more people. Unfortunately, video ads can get expensive and not all companies have the means to produce them.

Facebook, however, has come up with a solution for companies who want to run mobile video ads without breaking the bank— Create to Convert. The social media platform’s new tool can turn still images into engaging videos.

Creating Videos From Stills Converts Leads

Facebook’s Creative Shop is the power behind Create to Convert. This production framework allows companies to transform still images into far more interesting video ads for their mobile audience.

According to Facebook, brands have four options to animate still images—by adding basic movements, animating the brand, using animation to focus on the benefit, and providing an animated demo on how an application or feature is used.
- Basic Motion: Animate still images by integrating one to two motion elements. This can create a video that’s a few seconds long and which contains a call-to-action (CTA).
- Benefit in Motion: This style can produce a short clip that focuses on a key message (ex. special offer or testimonial) or benefit (ex. variety of products). Targeting those vital points will emphasize its value to the customer. Meanwhile, the presence of a CTA will help the audience to take the next step towards lead conversion.
- Brand in Motion: This style brings a logo or brand to life with a few animated elements. It can be used to boot brand recognition. The addition of a CTA card at the conclusion of the short video can drive action.
- Demo in Motion: As the name implies, this ad gives a short demonstration of how an application, feature, product, service, or website work. The CTA at the end will help push prospective clients to take the right course of action.
How Effective is Create to Convert

Turning still images into a direct-response video appears to be very effective at improving conversions. Facebook conducted a study involving 40 brands that used the basic animated effects. Results from the study showed that 69 percent of the brands saw their conversions improve.

One participant, Shopback, utilized a Create to Convert video ad and saw a 5.5 times boost in its conversions. Meanwhile, their registration costs went down 7.7 times when compared to their previous still ads. Interestingly, running both video and still, ads saw a 17 percent increase in conversions as opposed to only using still ads.

Company owners and marketers alike understand the challenges that accompany a mobile-first marketing strategy, especially if it involves video. Kim Weiner, VP of Shuttlerock North America, acknowledged that finding the perfect balance between the quality, speed, and the scale of producing a video can be difficult.

“We’ve found that by partnering with Facebook on creative considerations for lightweight video we can eliminate some of those barriers to deliver value for both people and businesses,” Weiner said.

[Featrured image via Facebook]
August 23, 2018
Benefits of Adding In-App Advertising to Your Marketing Strategy

In-application marketing has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks to the prevalence of mobile devices. With more people utilizing gadgets connected to the internet, companies are now spending more of their marketing budget on mobile web advertising.

One strategy on the forefront of mobile advertising is in-app marketing. As the name implies, in-app marketing is any campaign or message that’s specifically designed to appear within a mobile application while the consumer is using the app. Unlike emails or push notifications, which engage the consumer outside of the company’s app, in-app ads take advantage of the moment and hook customers in real-time.

Digital marketing strategies, like geo-targeting, are still important but brands and marketers believe that in-app advertising is the way forward. As a matter of fact, it has been estimated that global in-app revenue will reach $189 billion by 2020.

Worldwide in-app advertising and app store revenues of mobile apps and games in 2015 and 2020

[Graphic via Statista]

Aside from the fact that in-app marketing is a money-maker, there are also other benefits to utilizing this strategy.

Benefits of Using In-App Marketing

Consumers Spend A Lot of Time on Apps

Brands should take advantage of the fact that the majority of smartphone users are spending a lot of time on apps. According to a 2017 US Mobile App Report, people are spending about 87 percent of their time online on mobile apps compared to just 13 percent on the Web. This gives companies that use in-app ads an opportunity to focus on a large market, boost their brand visibility, and improve lead generation and conversion.

Higher Click-Through Rates

Another advantage in-app ads have over mobile ads is their higher click-through rates (CTRs). As it stands, CTRs for mobile web ads is at 0.23 percent while in-app ads are at 0.58 percent. In-app ads also perform 11.4 times better than conventional banner ads. This means that in-app advertisements not only raises lead generation numbers, they also help capture and convert these leads.

More Focused Targeting

Advertisements displayed in the brand’s application are designed within the app’s context, making them look natural and more organic. Many apps also opt for interactive formats, which gives advertisers the option to choose when it will be shown. This ensures a seamless transition for users. In contrast, other types of mobile advertisements, particularly pop-ups, can be quite disruptive. They interrupt the prospective consumer and could cause them to be annoyed, thereby dissuading them from making a positive decision.

Marketing inside company apps also gives advertisers a specific view of their target market due to geo-location data and the apps’ capacity to pull in the exact demographics. This increases the chances that the audience reached is aligned closely with the company’s advertising and marketing efforts. Highly targeted marketing also means that less money is wasted on consumers who are unlikely to make a purchase via the ad.

Ads are More Memorable

Research has shown that in-app ads are more effective because they’re more memorable when seen on the application. This is due to users being more engaged in the app right from the start, particularly in the social network and gaming niches. The personal nature of mobile gadgets, which people use during their leisure time, also gives people a more positive attitude towards brands they see advertising in-app.

With in-app marketing, marketers can move away from generalized ads and instead focus on ads that are designed specifically for the brand’s demographic. This marketing strategy also reaches a lot of people in a very short time, thereby giving brands more reach and higher ROI.

[Featured image via Pixabay]

August 22, 2018
New Facebook Features: Increase In-Store Business & Measure Results
Facebook has announced new features that will help drive more business to brick & mortar store locations while accurately measuring a businesses Facebook mobile ad campaigns contribution in doing this. New Local Awareness Ads are designed for the small business with a single store all the way to enterprise corporations with thousands of locations.

This is the holy grail for convincing brick and mortar advertisers that Facebook is an effective platform to drive in-store business, assuming the data shows their advertising working. It could also be Facebook’s achilles hill if advertisers discover that their ads aren’t driving business.

The new features announced by Facebook today turn the giant social media site into a direct lead to conversion platform with the metrics informing businesses if they can capitalize on where 90% of retails purchases still happen… in physical stores.

Facebook is launching a native store locator that helps users find and get directions to the nearest store right within a Facebook ad. The ads will offer call-to-action such as “Get Directions” designed to help drive new business. Facebook notes that last year they launched a tool that now integrates with this new feature enabling businesses with many locations to create ads dynamically within one ad campaign.

From Facebook:

Store locators on a business’s website can be frustrating for people on mobile, requiring several taps or typing a postal code into a small form. The new store locator removes that friction to help people on mobile find business locations quickly and easily.

The store locator shows a map of all the locations a business has nearby. People can click on the map in the ad to see information about nearby locations. Without leaving the ad or app, they can view the address, hours, phone number, website and estimated travel time for each store.

The store locator can be added to any local awareness ad and is available now to all advertisers.

Facebook Launches “Store Visits” Ad Reporting Metric

Along with the Local Awareness Ads Facebook is adding a new tracking metric called Store Visits to give businesses data on whether their ads designed to bring people into physical stores are working.

Advertisers can use store visits reporting to:
- See how many people come to your store after seeing a Facebook campaign
- Optimize ad creative, delivery and targeting based on store visits
- Analyze results across stores and regions to plan and optimize future campaigns
According to Facebook, store visits is an estimated metric based on information from people with location services enabled on their phone. The metric will be rolling out to advertisers globally over the coming months.

Offline Conversions API

Advertisers can connect their in-store and over the phone transactions to their Local Awareness Ads as well as other ad types via Facebook’s new Offline Conversions API. The API lets businesses match their transactions within their point-of-sale cash registers to their ad reports on Facebook. Currently, point-of-sale tools businesses can connect their data to include IBM, Index, Invoca, Lightspeed, LiveRamp, Marketo and Square or with Facebook directly.

This data will allow advertisers to see the real-time effectiveness of their Facebook ads to see if they are driving business as projected, what the demographics of in-store purchasers are that come to their stores via a Facebook ad are and enable them to adjust and test their ads to make them more effective.
June 14, 2016
Facebook And Google Propelled Mobile Ad Spend To 105% In 2013 [Report]

There has been a lot of question about the effectiveness of Facebook advertising lately, but the numbers show advertisers are spending tons of money on it, and in mobile, it’s one of the driving forces behind a rapidly growing market.

According to a new report from eMarketer, global mobile ad spend increased by 105% in 2013, reaching $17.96 billion, and is on pace to hit $31.45 billion this year. That, the firm says, would account for about a quarter of total digital ad spend.

So which companies are leading the charge? Take a guess. Facebook and Google of course. The two companies combined for 75.2% of the additional $9.2 billion that went toward mobile, and for over two thirds of mobile ad spend in 2013, according to the report, which also says that will continue to increase this year.

“Facebook in particular is gaining significant market share,” the firm says. “In 2012, the social network accounted for just 5.4% of the global advertising market. In 2013, that share increased to 17.5%, and eMarketer predicts it will rise again this year to 21.7%. Google still owns a plurality of the mobile advertising market worldwide, taking a portion of nearly 50% in 2013, but the rapid growth of Facebook will cause the search giant’s share to drop to 46.8% in 2014, eMarketer estimates.”

While Facebook’s continues significant growth, marketers are also growing increasingly frustrated with it, not only for a decrease in organic reach, but also for the results they’re getting from ads.

This week, Forrester’s Vice President and Principal Analyst Nate Elliott blogged about how brands are becoming “disillusioned” with Facebook as an advertising platform.

“Brands and agencies are now openly talking about their discontent,” he wrote. “Every day I talk to brands that are disillusioned with Facebook and are now placing their bets on other social sites — but few of them want to go on the record. Lately, though, more brands and agencies have started speaking openly to the media about how Facebook is failing them. One former Facebook advertiser referred to Facebook as ‘one of the most lucrative grifts of all time.’”

As Jim Edwards at Business Insider, suggested in response, “The opinions of various advertisers should be taken with a pinch of salt — the numbers tell the real story,” but he added, “It is unusual for advertisers to talk this way about a major media partner. These comments will hurt.”

The numbers have been just fine for Facebook, and this eMarketer research only backs them up. In January, Facebook reported that its ad revenue was up 75% year-over-year at $2.34 billion (with 53% of that from mobile, which itself was up 23%).

Image via eMarketer

March 19, 2014
Mobile Ad Revenue to Hit $18 Billion This Year

As established consumer markets shift from traditional PC to mobile devices, advertisers have been scrambling to catch up and evolve along with mobile technology. Now that marketers are beginning to get a handle on mobile advertising, mobile ad revenues are now set to climb significantly in the coming years.

Market research firm Gartner this week released a report predicting that mobile ad revenue in 2014 will climb to $18 billion. That represents a 37% increase from the $13.1 billion in mobile ad revenue taken in globally in 2013. Gartner also predicts that the industry will more than double by 2017, hitting an estimated $41.9 billion during that year.

“Over the next few years, growth in mobile advertising spending will slow due to ad space inventory supply growing faster than demand, as the number of mobile websites and applications increases faster than brands request ad space on mobile device screens,” said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner. “However, from 2015 to 2017, growth will be fueled by improved market conditions, such as provider consolidation, measurement standardization and new targeting technologies, along with a sustained interest in the mobile medium from advertisers.”

Gartner believes that display ads will remain the largest portion of mobile ad revenue for the next few years. Mobile video ads, however, will see huge growth as advertisers seek to leverage the growing tablet install base. Also, location is predicted to play a larger role in future mobile advertising, making mobile ads a better proposition for local businesses.

January 21, 2014
How Might Google Change Online Advertising in 2014?

2013 has been quite the year for online advertisers, especially those who rely heavily on Google.

During the first half of this year, Google transitioned its AdWords customers to its Enhanced Campaigns. The new campaign management interface met with a mixed reaction from advertisers, though Google provided a nearly endless stream of educational material ahead of the upgrade deadline.

How have Google’s 2013 ad changes affected you? Tell us in the comments.

While Google’s traditional search advertising offerings underwent significant changes, the company’s focus further shifted toward mobile this year. Mobile ads are nothing new for Google, which has been trying out various mobile ad offerings for years. 2013, though, marked a shift in ad priority not just from Google, but from other mobile platforms as well.

Google itself is steadily growing Android into the Windows of the mobile world, with the mobile OS appearing now on a vast majority of the smartphones shipped throughout the world. Though the freedom of Android has enabled the software to proliferate, it could also mean that companies use the OS to support their own marketing. Amazon’s Kindle Fire devices are a perfect example of this, with Amazon going so far as to sell ad space on users’ lock screens. For the most part, though, Google Play and Google Search are front-and-center in the Android experience.

Apple, of course, is still a leading mobile advertiser that takes a major chunk of global ad revenues each quarter. Confident in its mobile success, Apple is rumored to be moving into Google’s search territory as more and more of the world’s searches are performed on Apple’s mobile devices. Signs point to the company soon diving into search, possibly with its own mobile search platform.

Samsung also forged ahead with its mobile ad strategy, though its time may have to wait until it can challenge Android’s mobile supremacy with its Tizen OS, which reportedly won’t happen any time soon.

With the mobile ad landscape growing and taking shape, another of Google’s ad priorities is the world of social networking.

YouTube is still a prominent ad platform for Google, and the site featured more and a larger variety of ads than ever in 2013. Traditional advertisers have certainly come around on YouTube as a legitimate platform for video advertising as Google has taken great strides to accommodate traditional content holders with its shoot-first policy on copyright offenses. YouTube viewers and advertisers can look forward to even more ads in 2014, along with expanded video content offerings.

Though Google has a habit of giving up on even well-loved projects that just aren’t popular (see Reader, which died an untimely death this summer), the company still seems to be leaning hard on Google+ for its social network strategy. In fact, Google seems determined to push Google+ despite outright hatred for the platform from some segments of the internet.

Google+ was a large part of the backlash against the YouTube comments change that rolled out in early November. YouTube users spoke out loudly against the changes, which include integration of Google+ comments, accounts, and circles, as well as a comment surfacing system that seems to bury comments with plenty of thumb-ups.

It is still unclear how Google hopes to use Google+ in its overall advertising plans, though the company might see the platform as necessary to compete with top social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Whether Google+ is up to the task or not, it’s clear now that social media is an El Dorado for advertisers and Google will continue to grab for its chunk of the market. Twitter ads have become more targeted than ever this year, and Facebook has begun competing directly with YouTube for advertisers through its new autoplay video ads.

Will Google ever be able to break into social media in a big way? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

So that’s where online advertising stands for Google at the close of 2013. The trifecta of search, mobile, and social is a lucrative one for advertisers, and Google in particular. With search practically locked-up and the mobile and social realms quickly becoming saturated, however, strong future ad growth will need to rely on something new.

Sure, Google Glass might usher in a new era of Google ads projected directly into eyeballs, Google’s vehicle technology could mean driverless taxi cabs covered in Google ads (inside and out), and Boston Dynamics-created robots could deliver ad messaging up the sides of buildings – but all of these things are still years (if not decades) away. In the short term, there is still one screen beyond the PC, smartphone, and tablet that Google has yet to conquer in the home.

A new report out this week suggests that Google may soon shift its TV strategy more toward its Android platform. Though Google TV can arguably be called a flop, the company’s recently-released Chromecast appears to be a genuine hit. The inexpensive USB/HDMI dongle seems to have finally connected the TV and second-screen devices in a way that resonates with customers.

Google’s quick shutdown of a local video streaming app for the Chromecast shows that Google has big plans for the device, and those plans include keeping Chromecast content securely gated. This could suggest that Chromecast is being groomed as a platform for both banner and video ads – a merger of web and mobile advertising that would seem to flow straight from Google’s current initiatives.

With more content available to stream through services such as Netflix and Hulu, the way that consumers watch television is changing rapidly. Though manufacturers have tried to get ahead of the market in the past few years with set-top boxes, video game consoles, and smart TVs, it could be Google’s small Chromecast dongle that brings streaming video (and ads) to consumer living rooms. That would certainly represent a huge opportunity for both Google and advertisers – and it could begin happening as early as next year.

How do you think Google will change online advertising next year? Let us know in the comments below.

December 27, 2013
Twitter Ads Get Better, Expand To More Businesses

Now that it’s a public company, Twitter will eternally have a lot of questions to answer regarding revenue. The company’s monetization efforts have been criticized heavily for years, and are obviously now in a greater spotlight than ever.

Twitter just made a couple of major announcements in the advertising department. It is launching enhanced mobile targeting, and making its ads available to small and medium-sized businesses in the UK, Ireland and Canada.

76% of Twitter’s 230 million users access the service with a mobile device, according to the company. In the past, advertisers have been able to target users by operating system, but now, they can segment audiences on iOS and Android by OS version, specific device, and WiFi connectivity.

To go along with the new targeting enhancements, Twitter has also launched new reporting analytics for them.

“This increased granularity in mobile targeting helps advertisers reach users who are most important to them,” says Twitter Ads product manager Kelton Lynn. “For example: Mobile app marketers can now reach users who have compatible OS versions, ideal device types for app usage with high connectivity to prompt a new download or re-engagement through an app card. Telco marketers can now promote loyalty and rewards to users on their specific devices, or reach new prospects on older devices. All marketers can focus their campaigns on users with device models that are indicative of demographics which align with their campaign goals.”

As of Thursday, Twitter’s self-serve ad platform is open to SMBs in the UK, Ireland and Canada. Availability launched to U.S. SMBs in April, and Twitter says thousands of businesses have taken advantage.

“Twitter advertising lets you amplify your presence on the platform, while giving you total control of your message,” Twitter Revenue product manager Ravi Narasimhan tells businesses. “Use Promoted Accounts to build an active community of followers who are advocates and influencers for your business. If you’re looking to broaden the reach of message, try Promoted Tweets, which let you engage with users who are not yet following you based on a variety of powerful targeting options.”

“It takes a just few minutes to get started with Twitter Ads,” Narasimhan adds. “If you can Tweet, you can advertise on Twitter — all you need is a Twitter account and a credit card. You’re in control of your ads, the audience you want to reach, and of course your budget. Best of all, you will only be charged when people follow your Promoted Account or retweet, reply, favorite or click on your Promoted Tweets. You are never charged for your organic Twitter activity.”

A lot of small businesses remain skeptical about Twitter’s ability to have a significant impact. NorthJersey.com reports that small businesses in the area are mixed on Twitter ads.

One business owner is quoted as saying, “We track how many people have been looking us up on social media and our website, and I know it’s been increasing – but I still don’t know if I would pay for advertising. Interest can be gained through Twitter, but at this stage I don’t think we would look into advertising on there. Maybe we would wait until it is successful with other local small businesses.”

Additional targeting abilities like those just launched should help, but it’s really just a start. Look at how long Google has been in the game, and it still manages to launch highly significant new efforts in ad targeting and reporting (no doubt one of the reasons Google is now bigger than all of magazines or all of newspapers in the U.S. in terms of ad revenue).”

Simon Mansell, CEO of Twitter Ads API partner TBG Digital thinks “haters are wrong about Twitter,” and that the ad products are promising.

“We have talked to our clients and everyone agrees that it’s a relatively new channel and there is still work to do,” he says. “However, it does allow brands to communicate around things that are happening in real time, to feel and act more like humans and hopefully as a result create real emotional relationships with their target audience.”

Mansell adds, “Is everyone clear on how to measure Twitter activity yet? No. Does that mean brands shouldn’t try it? No. One of the main objectives of advertising is to cut through the clutter, so if brands always waited for new platforms to have completely developed ad products with targeting and measurement all nailed down perfectly, the opportunity to cut-through and stand-out may have passed.”

The new targeting capabilities can be accessed via the mobile targeting filters in Twitter’s ad campaign setup, and they’ll be available through its Ads API partners in the near future.

November 14, 2013
Facebook Launches Video, CPA Bidding For Mobile App Ads

A year ago, Facebook launched mobile app install ads, and today, they get video support and the ability for developers to set cost per action bids.

Video ads will appear in the mobile news feed when the user clicks the play button. They can then view video featuring the app, which gives developers the chance to try and sell them on it.

“Video creative has proven to be an effective way to drive engagement in News Feed, and we look forward to helping developers use their video creative to find new app installs,” says Facebook’s Radu Margarint in a blog post.

He shares the following quote from John Clelland, VP, Interactive Marketing at DoubleDown Casino, an early test partner for video mobile app ads:

“In our early tests, we found that using video in our mobile app ads resulted in increased install rates and decreased costs per install. We’ve seen tremendous success with mobile app ads and are looking forward to using video to make them even more engaging with rich media like video.”

In the past, Facebook has only let advertisers bid on cost per click or optimized cost per impression, but now, they can set a cost per action bid, so they’re only charged when a user downloads and installs their app.

According to the company, this drives a 20% lower cost per install compared to CPC (on average, based on internal testing).

Both video creative and CPA buying will be rolling out over the next few days.

October 21, 2013
Facebook Launches New Call To Action Options For Mobile App Ads

Facebook has announced some new mobile app ad options to developers to help drive up engagement. The ads let developers make use of seven specific call to action choices to include in their apps.

These include: Open Link, Use App, Shop Now, Watch Video, Listen Now, Book Now, and Play Game.

The idea is that a retailer, for example, could use the “Shop Now” call to action when advertising a 24-hour sale for purchases made within its app or a game could use “Play Game” to get existing players to come back to play new levels. You get the idea.

“Now mobile app ads can keep existing users active within your app, even after they install,” says Facebook’s John Ketchpaw. “You can now use deep-links for your mobile app ads, letting you direct users to a customized, specific location inside your app, such as a sale, promotion or specific content such as a new album or hotel listing.”

Ketchpaw says, “Our aim is to provide an end-to-end mobile solution that helps app developers reach the right people, acquire new users, keep those users engaged, and measure the performance of their campaigns. As always, we will continue to improve upon the user experience and performance of our mobile app ads.”

Facebook says that mobile app ads have driven over 145 million installs since launched last year.

October 1, 2013
What Will Mobile Bring to Consumers and Marketers in 2013?

The mobile landscape is set to change in a big way in 2013, and though some of the coming changes can be predicted, others will provide big (and perhaps unwelcome) surprises for both consumers and advertisers.

As seen at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Mobile World Congress, tech companies are focusing more than ever on smartphone and tablet devices. Companies such as Sony, LG, Asus, and even HP unveiled new devices that will enter a market already largely controlled by the likes of Apple, Samsung, and Amazon.

What mobile devices do you intend to acquire this year? Let us know in the comments.

What is somewhat surprising is that many of these companies might actually have a chance, considering how quickly the mobile industry is growing. On March 4, ABI research estimated that mobile users will download 14 billion tablet apps during 2013. Almost three-quarters of those apps will be running on a iPad device, but Android devices are now set to lead in the number of smartphone app downloads, which ABI predicts will reach 56 billion in 2013.

For consumers the proliferation of more devices with a wider variety of features could mean confusion and burnout. It also means that consumers have never had more choice, and more power, than they do now. The choices they make this year about the devices they purchase and the technologies they adopt will shape the technology landscape for years to come.

Apple stock has had a rough winter, in no small part to the Apple Maps debacle and the fact that the iPhone 5 failed to iterate significantly on the device’s past models. While Android devices are introducing larger smartphones, NFC technology, wireless charging, and features such as water resistance, Apple’s credibility as a innovator in the market segment it created is shrinking.

As Apple now begins to follow industry trends with the iPad mini and a less expensive version of the iPhone, Samsung is poised to become a market leader. The Korean company will unveil its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S IV at an Apple-like announcement in New York on March 14. Samsung’s hefty manufacturing capabilities and willingness to mimic Apple have propelled it to the forefront of Android smartphones, but the company’s new marketing (another thing it has taken directly from Apple’s playbook) is also beginning to become part of the cultural zeitgeist.

The mobile market right now might be considered tablets and smartphones, but later this year Google will introduce a completely new type of mobile product with Google Glass. Though the device’s success is far from certain, it could introduce an entirely new mobile category, propelling the industry forward with even more constant connectivity. Glass’ ability to record on the fly also brings privacy concerns, meaning laws and social norms will be further tested by advancing technology.

With all of these changes coming to the mobile space, it’s worth considering how advertisers will adapt. While having consumers constantly connected and consuming content may seem preferable for advertisers, the abundance of that content can make it difficult for ad campaigns to target their audience. At the same time, the abundance of content and metrics can put consumers in control of much of the advertising they see.

As Susan Wojcicki, senior VP of advertising at Google, recently put it in a Google Plus post, “We are living in uncharted territory.”

Wojcicki argues that as always-connected devices continue to proliferate, advertising will quickly move into a “choice-based economy” where users will be able to control the content and ads that they see. She writes that “ads views will effectively become voluntary.”

It’s not hard to imagine how advertisers will have to adapt in that type of ad economy. Choice-based ad models will have to cater to consumers at an individual level with adaptability and engage customers in nearly the same way that content itself does. Wojcicki suggests that future technologies will provide more “interactive and beautiful” ads, but that’s only the beginning of how mobile advertising will change in the coming years.

Accepting that consumers are no longer a captive audience for ads may be a terrifying prospect for both advertisers and content creators, but consumer choice is only continuing to increase. This could make solid advertising opportunities more expensive, but also means that brands will have to adapt their ad techniques to grow a fan base or to provide upfront value to consumers.

How do you think advertising should adapt to consumer choice? Tell us your ideas in the comments.

As the nature of mobile advertising changes, how advertisers measure the impact of their campaigns will have to change as well. Wojcicki puts it bluntly by stating advertisers will have to develop “standards beyond the click.” However, it’s hard to predict just how those measurements will be made in the future, particularly in light of the growing backlash from privacy advocates.

Wojcicki stated that Google is beginning to to roll out surveys to provide advertisers with a way to measure the performance of their display and video campaigns. Google’s skippable “TrueView” ads are also now integrated into mobile AdMob apps, allowing consumers to decide for themselves what ads they will view.

As the future of the mobile industry finally begins to take shape this year, consumers have never had more choices with regards to hardware, software, and services. However, the plethora of choices thrown at consumers can also create confusion, and will inevitably lead to a few trusted brands leading the way. While advertisers attempt to pare down consumers’ choices for them, future technologies, such as Google Glass, will continue to continue to change the way people interact with technology and their environment.

March 10, 2013
Super Bowl Should Highlight Growing Significance Of Mobile Ads

The Super Bowl, for many, is as much about advertising as it is football. As smartphone and tablet use continue to climb, television-watching in general is becoming a much more interactive experience for consumers, and obviously advertisers want to take advantage of the phenomenon.

“CBS is once again set to live-stream the game, and was almost completely sold-out of mobile inventory space in December, with prices ranging from high six to low seven figures,” Sephi Shapira, CEO of mobile marketing firm MassiveImpact tells WebProNews. “But, marketers aren’t just thinking about people live-streaming the game, they’re thinking about how to engage with traditional TV viewers via mobile.”

“Prior to the start of the game, many brands are looking for viewers to interact with traditional television ads on their mobile devices,” Shapira adds. “That interaction is about more than increasing traffic to an app or mobile site; it’s about specific end-user targeting. Based on how the viewer reacts to the television ad on their mobile device, the content they receive for the rest of the game via mobile will be tailored to the individual’s initial mobile interaction.”

“This individualized content should mean large returns for advertisers, and will continue as a trend for interaction through the upcoming year,” Shapira notes.

“Mobile ad personalization is a focus for the industry moving into 2013,” Shapira says. “Some firms have already instituted the use of real-time performance analytics to increase end-user ad relevancy. These firms leverage past mobile purchases, past mobile browsing history, and geo-location to ensure that end-users only receive timely and relevant ads.”

A lot of Super Bowl viewers just got new tablets and smartphones for Christmas, and will no doubt be holding them through the game. Meanwhile, mobile apps are becoming as popular as TV itself.

According to recent data from Gartner, mobile ads are expected to rake in $11.4 billion in 2013.

Hulu’s AdZone is here if you want to check out the Super Bowl ads.

February 1, 2013
Mobile Ads Could Rake in $11.4 Billion in 2013

A new Gartner report estimates that worldwide mobile advertising revenue could reach $11.4 billion in 2013. That would be greater than an 18% increase from 2012, which saw $9.6 billion in mobile ad revenue. The analyst also predicts that worldwide mobile ad revenue will reach $24.5 billion in 2016.

“The mobile advertising market took off even faster than we expected due to an increased uptake in smartphones and tablets, as well as the merger of consumer behaviors on computers and mobile devices,” said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner. “Growth in mobile advertising comes in part at the expense of print formats, especially local newspapers, which currently face much lower ad yields as a result of mobile publishing initiatives.”

Japan and South Korea, with their large mobile adoption rate, currently have a lead in mobile advertising. Gartner predicts, however, that China and India will increasingly drive mobile ad growth. Also, as mobile ads become more integrated into large ad campaigns, it is predicted that the U.S. and Europe will catch up to Asia by shifting ad spending away from print and radio.

“Smartphones and media tablets extend the addressable market for mobile advertising in more and more geographies as an increasing population of users spends an increasing share of its time with these devices,” said Andrew Frank, research vice president at Gartner. “This market will therefore become easier to segment and target, driving the growth of mobile advertising spend for brands and advertisers. Mobile advertising should be integrated into advertisers’ overall marketing campaigns in order to connect with their audience in very specific, actionable ways through their smartphones and/or tablets.”

Gartner warns, though, that ad inventory is growing significantly faster than advertisers can shift their spending. The analyst firm compares “paid discovery” advertising by app makers to early web advertising, and states that it creates “an inflated picture of revenue that may ultimately prove to be a bubble.”

“Some correction in the growth rate must occur before demand from brand and local advertisers catches up with supply, and more sustainable economics support a faster growth rate commensurate with consumer adoption,” said Baghdassarian.

January 17, 2013
Google Adds Click Confirmation To In-App Mobile Ads

Google has launched a “confirmed clicks” feature for all in-app image and banner ads on smartphones, in an effort to reduce the number of accidental clicks the ads attract. Users will be prompted to confirm that they intended to click on ads.

“Ads on smartphones are effective, but many of us have at some point clicked on an ad by accident, which ultimately is a bad experience for the user, the publisher, and the advertiser who pays for clicks that may not be valuable,” says Allen Huang, Product Manager, Mobile Display Ads. “Our team has been analyzing the types of ad formats where accidental clicks are more likely to occur due to ad layout and placement, and are constantly looking at ways that we can combat them.”

“We find that most accidental clicks on in-app image ads happen at the outer edge of the ad unit, likely when you’re trying to click or scroll to nearby content,” adds Huang. “Now if you click on the outer border of the ad, we’ll prompt you to verify that you actually meant to click on the ad to learn more.”

Google already offered confirmed clicks for text ads and banners on smartphones. In fact, it has done so for a few years now.

The company says it this is only the beginning in its fight against “the fat finger” problem, and that it will face new challenges as devices continue to converge.

December 14, 2012
Facebook’s Mobile App Install Ads Are Now Available To Everyone

Earlier this morning, we reported on some test images that show Facebook’s new mobile app install ads. These are the same mobile ads for apps that were made available through a beta back in August. It’s pretty clear that they have gone through some changes since then.

Facebook announced today that mobile app install ads are now available to all developers. These new ads are being billed as an “effective way for mobile app developers to drive installs and increase app discovery.” The real kicker here is that the ads feature an install button that takes users directly to an app’s page on Google Play or the App Store. App Center is already doing an admirable job of pushing mobile installs, but these ads could be much better.

So how effective are these new ads? During the beta period, a number of major players in Facebook gaming found the ads to significantly raise their CTRs and conversion rates. In fact, TinyCo saw 50 percent higher CTRs and a significantly higher conversion rate.

Preferred marketing developers also saw a similar increase in effectiveness when using the new ads. One such firm, Nanigan, saw its clients achieved eight to 10 times more reach compared to traditional advertising methods.

So, the new ads work. Now you’re going to want to implement them yourself. Facebook has it incredibly easy by integrating the ads into the App Dashboard. From there, developers can use existing ad tools and the new mobile app install ads API to build their own custom ads. These are the same ad tools that developers use on the main Facebook Web site so all of those options are available to you.

To see the effectiveness of your ads, developers will need to integrate with the latest Android or iOS Facebook SDKs. The insights will measure the overall clicks and installs for your current ad campaign. Using this data, you can optimize your ad delivery for installs.

The first release only offers basic ad functionality, but Facebook will begin pushing some pretty ambitious updates to the ad platform in the coming months. For instance, developers will soon be able to customize ad units based on audience and ensure that ads are only shown to those who don’t already have your app installed. Most importantly, a future update will make it so that users can start installing your app without ever leaving Facebook.

You can start creating mobile app install ads right now. To do so, just head over to the documentation that provides all the details you’ll need to create your own mobile ads.

October 17, 2012
Facebook Tests Star Ratings, “Install Now” Button in Mobile Ads for Apps

In early August, Facebook made their new App Center available for all users worldwide. And just a few days later, they announced new mobile ads for apps that allows developers to pay to give their apps just a little bit more play on users’ news feeds.

The new ads for apps work kind of like Facebook’s Promoted Posts. App-makers can chose which of their apps they wish to promote to more users, designate a target audience, and set a budget. After that, Facebook takes control and promotes the app to the selected group of users. You may have seen these “ads” pop up in your news feed under a “try these apps” heading.

Now, Facebook is testing a new look for these mobile ads for apps that makes it a little more apparent to users that they should install the app. The new ads also look better and provide more information on the apps in question.

Inside Facebook obtained a screenshot of the new test ads, which feature better images (coming from the app’s page in the App Center) and also include the app’s star rating and an indicator of how many of a user’s friends are using the app.

There’s also a giant “Install Now” button, which doesn’t exist on the current design.

The current “try these apps” mobile ad uses the app’s icon and features no star ratings or friend info. It also has an icon that takes users to the install page instead of the words “install now.”

To be honest, this is a test that Facebook should eventually promote to the big leagues. It’s a much better design, both for users and app-makers. Have you seen this new ad design while browsing Facebook on mobile? What do you think?

October 17, 2012
Facebook Shows More Love To Developers

This week has been huge for developers on Facebook. The company has not only released the full version of the much anticipated SDK 3.0 for iOS, but they have also pushed subscriptions and mobile ads to developers. While not as big as the aforementioned updates, this week’s Operation Developer Love has a few goodies for developers.

The first update this week is the addition of four more metrics to Insights. The four metrics are post_impressions_fan, post_impressions_fan_unique, post_impressions_fan_paid, and post_impressions_fan_paid_unique. For more information on these metrics and Insights as a whole, check out Facebook’s documentation on the matter.

Facebook also announced the breaking changes that will take place on November 7. The first is that Facebook will stop sending payments reporting emails to users on that day. If you want to continue receiving payments reporting, you’re going to have to implement the just announced payments reporting API.

Other November breaking changes include the actor names always matching the access token, notification tables will no longer return pid or aid for photos or albums, and there will be a new permission required to read page mailboxes. For more on these breaking changes, check out Facebook’s post on the matter.

The final change this week isn’t so much a development issue, but rather a policy issue. Facebook has updated their policy to say that nobody can export user data to a competing social network without their permission. They say that they provided the Download Your Information for regular users only. They don’t want developers using the tool for their own ends.

August 9, 2012
Facebook Announces New Mobile Ads For Apps

After a disappointing second quarter report, and the first since their IPO, Facebook is pushing mobile harder than ever. It’s the new frontier of profitability and they need to take advantage of it before it leaves them in the dust.

Part of their new mobile strategy is the introduction of a new mobile ad for apps. Facebook claims that they have sent people to the Apple App Store and Google Play over 146 million times over the past 30 days with features like news feed, timeline, bookmarks and App Center. It’s never good enough for them though and they’re now sweetening the deal with these mobile ads.

The new mobile ad for apps campaign is actually really easy to set up. It’s similar to the promoted post feature that allows brands to pay for more exposure. To get started, you have to head over to the App Dashboard and pick the app you want promoted. From there, pick your audience (men, women or all) and set a budget.

From there, Facebook takes care of the rest. They will direct you to a page where you can track your ad’s performance. They’ll even provide a sample ad to let you know what it looks like.

The new mobile ads for apps is available in beta form at the moment. You can sign up for it here. While you’re there, Facebook encourages you to integrate the mobile ads with the new Facebook SDK for iOS 6. This will help them test both features.

August 7, 2012
Can Mobile Turn Twitter Into an Ad Platform?

Twitter is very influential in the news world. Stories often break and and new details constantly emerge from the millions of tweets going out every day. In the financial world, however, Twitter doesn’t hold a candle to larger social platforms such as Facebook, or even LinkedIn.

With the popularity of Twitter still growing, it would seem the company is overdue for a Facebook-style IPO, but the company has struggled in the past to monetize its service. Sure, Twitter now has promoted tweets and ads, but most of its members access the service from mobile devices. Mobile advertising it still a relatively new and unreliable marketing scene, meaning mobile ads are often much less expensive than those for websites. Twitter, though, charges the same rates for mobile or web ads, and it was revealed earlier this month that Twitter is already making more from mobile than the web, and it has begun to aggressively expand its advertising reach.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Twitter may be turning a corner on its revenue woes. It cites the case of P.F. Chang’s, the Chinese-American Fusion restaurant chain, which it says recently converted its entire Twitter ad budget to focus on mobile. The key, and what surprised P.F. Chang’s the most, was how often Twitter users interact with mobile ads. The Wall Street Journal quotes Jason Miller, digital content and community manager for P.F. Chang’s, as saying the results were “staggering.” Miller admitted that Twitter on mobile might not be best for highlighting brands, but speculated that “time-sensitive” ads work well on the platform

Other social platforms, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, have only just begun to experiment with mobile ads. Advertisers have, thus far, been less than impressed with Facebook’s new long-term plan of mobile monetization, though Android Facebook users seem to enjoy it. LinkedIn, which is known for its careful planning with regards to its revenue sources, is only trying out mobile ads on its newer iPad app, and only with Cisco and Shell.

June 29, 2012
Android Users Really Like Facebook Mobile Ads

It seems that Facebook mobile ads are working. That may have been a bit of an understatement as our original report found that the CTR for mobile ads (sponsored stories) was four times higher than all ad placements. That’s not only working, it’s a bustling city of tiny advertising commerce. The question now is who’s driving this massive spike in mobile revenue?

A report from ad management firm Optimal has revealed that Android users are seemingly in love with Facebook mobile ads. Android users click on ads 10 to 55 percent more than iOS users. Those are some startling figures, but Android users can’t get enough it seems. According to the same report, the conversion rate is through the roof as 28 to 109 percent more Android users engage with these ads than their iOS counterparts.

Forbes spoke with a few advertisers who confirmed the findings. They found that iOS users still clicked on their fair share number of ads, even more than what’s clicked on the Web. Android was still much higher though with even a rate of sometimes more than 100 percent. It was found that Android users specifically like to click the Like button on mobile ads.

The report from Optimal only further solidifies the findings from an NPD report back in May that found Facebook was far more popular on Android devices. The study found that the Android Facebook app as well as the mobile Web version had a reach of about 70 to 75 percent. Compile this with the fact that Android users spend 15 minutes a day on Facebook and you have the perfect recipe for mobile ad success.

The other reason for success is the fact that Facebook for Android is just better than the iOS app according to Optimal CEO Rob Leathern. Speaking to Forbes, he said that brand pages suffer on iOS because users can only Like a page and not really interact with it in any meaningful way. He hopes that the new Facebook-iOS6 integration will improve mobile ads for Apple’s platform.

In the end, this isn’t about a pissing contest between Android and iOS. There are much better ways for the platforms to compete beyond CTR for mobile ads. This is more about Android setting the example of how best to engage audiences on mobile platforms with advertising. People like to interact with brands and Facebook for Android does this very well. Once iOS gets people on board with the same features, I’m sure the numbers will mostly even out. Unfortunately, it still won’t fix the ungodly amount of time Android users waste their time on the constantly buggy Facebook app.

June 26, 2012
Google Says These New Local Ads Will Increase Click-Through Rates By 100%

Google has redesigned its local ad formats for Google Maps for Mobile. The company says the new formats have performed well in tests, increasing click-through rates by 100%.

The calls to action, like “click to call” or “get directions” have been made more prominent in the new formats, making them more clickable, according to Google. There’s a new hyperlocal marker, which shows how close the user is to the advertiser’s business location.

Additionally, when a user clicks the ad, it will take them to the advertiser’s website within the app itself.

You can see the difference in how the new formats look, compared to the old here:

“Ads in Google Maps for Mobile are one of many ways advertisers are delivering relevant local answers to people’s questions on mobile,” said Mobile Ads product manager Jay Akkad. “Likewise, a recent campaign from T-Mobile shows how search ads, combined with location extensions, enabled them to reach users close to their store locations across mobile search and maps.”

“Mobile technology is enabling people to connect with businesses in new ways via smartphones and tablets,” said Akkad. “People use search and click to businesses’ websites, but they are also clicking to make phone calls, find directions to walk into local stores, and more.”

The new design is rolling out today to newer versions of Android.

June 22, 2012
Facebook Stock Plummets Below $27.25

Yes, it is finally here, Facebook stock has fallen below the $28 per share price many investors have been waiting for. Still, more pessimists are saying they’ll wait for it to fall to $10, but I suspect those days won’t arrive. Currently shares of Facebook are trading at $27.20, but they are rapidly falling as I write this.

You might recall that Facebook shares started out at $38 and reached a high of $45 the opening day of the IPO back on May 18th. Since then however, they have been on a steady decline, with a short stabilization around $32 last week. Today marks a new low for Facebook and its underwriters as they work to clean up the fallout from what can only be called, a disastrous initial public offering.

While some investors might be turned off by the less than stellar performance of the shares, others are certain Facebook is still a good investment and there is evidence to show they will overcome the challenges that lie ahead of them. Speaking directly to their shortcomings with mobile advertising, Facebook has added new features that will allow advertisers to create and distribute mobile ads in standard and rich media formats. They have also given advertisers access to tools that will allow them to easily track and analyze ad performance.

Also, Facebook has continued with plans to expand services and advertising efforts into new countries with hopes of inspiring connectivity in a broader spectrum of nations. The company opened a new office in Dubai yesterday and have already experienced advertising interest in the Middle East and North Africa.

Regardless of what your views on the longevity of the social networking site are, you cannot deny their persistence and fortitude with meeting business challenges head on. So while we may see the prices of Facebook stock continue to fall, I doubt we’ll see a time when they are considered worthless. Remember, Facebook isn’t a company that pays dividends, so many of the factors which play into the pricing are driven by perception and depend on psychological factors stemming from investors and the investment environment.

May 31, 2012