It’s a mobile world, and with so many people plugged into mobile devices, brands have unprecedented access to consumers and endless opportunities to engage. But does your brand understand how to reach and captivate this new audience?
By Si Crowhurst, VP Vungle Creative Labs
The number of smartphone users today is well over three billion worldwide, and together, the Google Play Store and Apple App Store had 33.6 billion app downloads in Q1 2020. Mobile app usage is booming, and whether it’s apps (gaming, dating, health, business, entertainment and more), or brands ranging from big to small, advertisers are well aware of this trend and are seeking to reach consumers through their devices.
As in-app advertising continues to gain popularity with brands, what are the key considerations for brands that will help them reach this growing audience?
Measuring performance when KPIs like app install or retention rates don’t apply
Brands have traditionally measured advertising performance based on customer acquisition costs across various channels, but when it comes to performance on mobile, brands are also assessing the level of consumer engagement, retention of consumers over time, and incrementality, which is a measure of the lift that advertising spend provides to the conversion rate.
Every brand is unique as far as which sector-specific metrics are the most useful in gauging mobile advertising performance. For instance, finance brands track the costs to link a bank account; music and streaming brands measure the costs to acquire listeners for additional device-types, like mobile; and dating brands consider how much it costs them to find a consumer that will sign up for advanced features within their service.
To measure performance, brands can turn to app monetisation experts to guide app growth and engagement, and transform how people discover and experience brands through in-app advertising. Through analysis of aggregated data, brands can meticulously track the value – and various post-install events – of each consumer acquired through a campaign. Even with the approaching iOS 14 update and the resulting changes to the way performance is measured, it’s clear that in the age of the smartphone, mobile and in app drive performance in ways brands can’t afford to ignore.
Importance of content and creativity
Given the anticipated changes to the way ad spend and user engagement are tracked and measured on devices, content and creativity will be more vital than ever to maximising campaign performance. Brands will need to apply contextual levers to improve campaign performance, and should consult with the right mobile advertising experts that can, based on experience and creative-specific data, advise them.
By answering questions like what can we infer about a user’s preferences based on the context of an ad request and what content is most likely to engage that user within their current state, brands can achieve better performance through better creativity. At the same time, innovations like creative and placement meta-tagging allow for data-informed creative, and engagement-driving SDKs (software development kits) that help app publishers maximise their revenue.
Overall, the mobile advertising industry is seeing considerable investment in creative studios and technology that support the ability to produce adaptive creative, with multiple creative variants that can be directly tested in campaigns. Brands already understand the power of visually stunning creatives, and when that creative is tailored to user preferences and combined with ground-breaking creative technology and data science, advertisers can achieve remarkable results.
Optimising ad performance
When it comes to optimising ad performance, the ability to create and rapidly adapt ads that maintain user experience and transform how people experience them is vital. The boundaries of mobile advertising are being pushed further every day, and data-optimised content is the key to driving engagement and increasing returns for app publishers and advertisers alike.
Brands can partner with mobile advertising firms on the leading edge, and make use of a mixture of data and machine learning to power memorable in-app ad experiences that drive engagement and increase returns.
Conclusion
During this period of market flux, both app publishers and newcomers to mobile advertising – whether non-gaming apps or brands – need to be able to successfully reach the ever-growing mobile app audience. In an increasingly diverse field of publishers and advertisers, brands can leverage the experience and expertise of app monetisation networks to guide them. By navigating new advertising territory, and tailoring mobile ads to suit evolving audiences and user preferences, brands can ensure they stay in step with today’s – and tomorrow’s – mobile app users.
Wanda Rich has been the Editor-in-Chief of Global Banking & Finance Review since 2011, playing a pivotal role in shaping the publication’s content and direction. Under her leadership, the magazine has expanded its global reach and established itself as a trusted source of information and analysis across various financial sectors. She is known for conducting exclusive interviews with industry leaders and oversees the Global Banking & Finance Awards, which recognize innovation and leadership in finance. In addition to Global Banking & Finance Review, Wanda also serves as editor for numerous other platforms, including Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune.