Four passes left to attend the Digiday Publishing Summit
Mobile ads targeted to specific tastes and interests are four times more effective than mobile ads that use time, location or lifestyle as benchmarks, according to new research released by Upstream.
According to the research, users of both feature phones and smart phones respond to personalized offers more favorably than any other kind, including location-based offers. The research also revealed consumer preferences about the kinds of advertising that they receive on their mobile devices. In content preferences, feature phone users and smart phone users diverge. Smartphone users most often cited a preference for ads for content for their mobile devices, whereas feature phone users most often cited a preference for ads from their mobile-service provider. But the research demonstrates that users of both categories of handsets are somewhat underwhelmed by location-based marketing.
“Location clearly is an important aspect in mobile marketing, but we were surprised at the dramatic lack of consumer interest in it at this time,” said Assaf Baciu, Upstream’s vice president of product management. “Right now, people want mobile offers that are personalized to their interests ahead of other more hyped criteria such as time or location.”
The data demonstrated that even consumers using feature-rich smartphones are susceptible to low-tech methods of persuasion like text messaging. Ad channel preferences differed slightly from smartphone to feature phone users. Smartphone users most preferred to receive coupons followed closely by an opt-in text alert or message. For feature phone users, the preferences were reversed.
More in Media
How Mars decides where to spend its retail media dollars
Ron Amram, the senior director of global media for Mars, gave a glimpse at the company’s playbook for selecting which retail media network partners.
DEI work continues – if covertly – people managers emphasize
Companies are grappling with how to preserve the essence of DEI work under changed circumstances.
In Graphic Detail: Virtual influencers click with young audiences, yet brands’ interest wanes
In spite of the increased prominence of top virtual influencers, brands’ demand for this type of creator has declined in 2025. This is part of the natural boom-and-bust cycle that occurs around disruptive cultural or technological forces.