Here’s something that instantly will become part of every mobile ad company’s sales (and venture capital) deck: Time spent with mobile apps has now surpassed the desktop Web, according to mobile analytics outfit Flurry. The follow-up is the complaint that marketers spent just $743 million on mobile advertising versus $9.9 billion on Internet advertising. The gap must narrow!
Scale: Good luck trying to execute a huge ad buy on mobile. The rise of networks hasn’t meant a rise in high-quality environments at scale. Until this can be figured out, mobile will remain a rounding error of ad budgets. Facebook, most likely the most popular mobile destination, doesn’t even bother to run mobile ads. Flurry found that social networking, a huge chunk of which is from Facebook, accounts for 32 percent of time spent with mobile apps. That’s like the biggest media site on the Internet skipping ads altogether.
Creative: Steve Jobs promised us that iAds would mean mobile ads wouldn’t suck anymore. That hasn’t happened. For the most part, mobile ads still suck. Even iAds themselves have gotten pretty cookie cutter — and have low fill rates for publishers.
Targeting: Mobile ads are barely targeted at all. There’s no cookie for phones, and carriers are loath to dip into their subscriber information for networks. That means the mobile ads I see aren’t that much different from those seen by others. A few months ago, Buick ran a campaign that targeted owners of the new Verizon iPhone. Terrific, but what’s the point? Yes, you can target by that criteria, but it’s not the sort of segmentation advertisers want. Mobile needs to sort that out.
Metrics: Like any new media, mobile is still sorting out its metrics. Most mobile network campaigns have measured clicks. But now with the iPad, the move is afoot toward engagement metrics, an area that’s notoriously fickle. Buyers will need more standardization to feel comfortable that they’re getting what they’re paying for.
More in Media
The case for and against publishers buying paid traffic
For many audience development teams, the question is no longer whether to buy traffic, but how far they can push it.
Uber Advertising, the NFL, WPP Media and Mazda are among the finalists of the 2026 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards
The Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards recognize companies, campaigns and technology that have been most successful in the modern media landscape. This year’s nominees leaned on emotionally driven narratives and audience-driven personalizations to deliver connected, full-funnel experiences at scale. Nominees in the Media Campaign of the Year category include Uber Advertising, which built a […]
Why retailers like Target and Aerie are moving beyond straight affiliate deals with creators
Creator programs are changing as retailers like Target and Aerie realize they require a multifaceted approach that doesn’t just rely on affiliate links.