Half Of Mobile Campaigns Drive Consumers To Sites

Smartphone

Mobile experts have long advised brands and publishers to set up mobile-optimized sites that they can drive consumers to via mobile advertising. It looks like they may be catching on, with nearly half (49%) of mobile campaigns sending people to their mobile sites in April, representing a 28% increase from a year ago, according to the latest data from mobile ad network Millennial Media.

"This shift demonstrates how advertisers have invested in creating a persistent mobile presence," according to the company's monthly report on ad trends on its network. It showed the other half of campaigns were split about evenly between driving users to application downloads and custom landing pages.

Among other findings, the top campaign goal was to drive lead generation or registrations, followed by maintaining a general in-market presence, and promoting a new product launch. That suggests mobile is still primarily viewed as a direct response vehicle, at least where ad networks are concerned.

Social media continues to play a growing role in mobile advertising. Campaigns that let consumers take some sort of social action, from liking a Facebook page to leaving feedback on a new product, grew 39% from the prior month. But ads that involved some social component still only made up 17% of the total. By comparison, 40% of ads included a click-to-call feature.

Locally targeted ads grew 22% month-over-month and accounted for more than half (56%) of all campaigns that used targeted reach. Targeting by demographic and behavioral audience made up 34% and 10% respectively.

The Millennial report also spotlighted advertising patterns among retailers. Campaigns represented a wide range of categories within retail, including department stores, computers and electronics, clothing, sporting goods and home and garden. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of all retail campaigns had the goal of driving sustained in-market presence or brand awareness. Only 17% sought to boost foot traffic to stores.

As of the first quarter, Millennial says its ad network reaches over 92 million mobile users in the U.S. and more than 142 million globally.

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