• by Julie Bernard , Columnist, February 16, 2017

Creativity, aesthetic design, functionality, and innovation are all essential elements of the mobile-ad unit that will hold Mobile Prodigies’ attention, earn their loyalty, and drive business for brands and marketers in years to come. These may seem like age-old universal truths, yet consumers tell us that the industry is missing the mark when it comes to mobile and we still have an obligation to deliver on these traditional marketing promises — more than ever if we seek to connect with the modern Mobile Prodigy. 

These young consumers, aged 14 - 29, tell us that when marketers and brands get mobile-creative right, they engage and they interact, they share, and they buy. In our recent research, 42% of Mobile Prodigies polled said dynamic, innovative, cutting-edge creative causes them to tap, swipe, and click their way deeper into mobile experiences. And, when we compare that response to the click-through-rate in the US for all industries, all verticals, and all formats — it was 0.07% in November 2016 (recent Google benchmark stats) — then the potential to reach Mobile Prodigies at scale and in meaningful ways becomes clear. It becomes, in fact, an imperative. 

Consider the buying power of the segment. Up-and-coming Mobile Prodigies, this grouping of Millennial and Gen Z consumers, command more than $400 billion annually in now and future purchases. As they turn to mobile creative for inspiration — i.e., how to allocate all those dollars — marketers must be ready with ad units that win their approval, their interest, their data permissions, and ultimately, their spend.

Mobile Prodigies Rank Elements of the ‘Perfect Ad’ 

We know that developers and creative directors are already leaning into next-generation approaches to the mobile experience — from animated banners that won’t intrude on underlying content to consumer options around saving personalized, relevant ad units and sharing creative that resonates and anticipates the next great product discovery. Now, our research tells us more about how Mobile Prodigies define what they call the “perfect” mobile ad. The following elements fuel that definition; they should be top of mind for marketing’s and creative’s strategies.

• Mobile ad can be saved and accessed later: 46%

• Ad is delivered by a trusted source with a safety ‘seal of approval’: 45%

• Unit introduces a coupon or offer to the user’s mobile wallet: 40%

• Creative is customized based on products Mobile Prodigies want to buy: 39%

• Provides information about product availability and store location: 34%

• Easily shared: 34%

• Ability to shop product directly from ad: 33%

• Ad features interactive and engaging elements: 24%

The outcomes that “perfect” ads create are increasingly quantifiable. When a mobile ad checks all the above boxes, for example, more than one in four Mobile Prodigies said they would be motivated to make a purchase, and one in three reported that they are driven to stores via relevant mobile ads — business results any advertiser should welcome. 

Interactive, engaging, relevant, and building on the underlying concept of anticipatory inspiration (employing data to fuel what Mobile Prodigies say is a desire for a sense of discovery in their shopping) — Mobile Prodigies’ concept of the perfect ad is at the heart of how the industry must embrace the evolution of mobile ad-design. The consumers of the future are watching; the revenue and business results of tomorrow are the stakes in play.