• by Jennifer Shambroom , Op-Ed Contributor, September 4, 2018

It’s now after Labor Day, and retailers are hearing the telltale sounds of sleigh bells as they prepare marketing campaigns that capitalize on the year’s most profitable season. Holiday shopping madness may still feel a long way away for consumers, but the holiday season is now for marketers who need to plan festive campaigns that will entice consumers to spend more than last year, which saw the biggest increase since 2011, according to The Solactive-ProShares Bricks and Mortar Retail Store Index.

With this in mind, marketers face the seasonal challenge of delivering messages and utilizing channels that appeal to their audience in meaningful ways.

The Un(app)ealing Side of Mobile Ads
We expect to see ads every day; it’s part of our buying, selling and prospering ecosystem. Believe it or not, consumers want to see ads. Take the Super Bowl, for example: Advertisers budget millions of dollars for their 30 seconds in the spotlight and consumers love, share and quote them for the rest of the year. But if consumers want to see ads, why do they often look for ways to avoid or block them?

As retargeted ads become more efficient and accurate, 77% of consumers are bothered and say they see too many ads from the same retailers. When consumers feel interrupted, forced to view the same content over and over, or find a message overly intrusive, they will go to great lengths -- even pay for premium memberships on apps -- to avoid it.

This doesn’t mean consumers don’t want to hear from marketers. When they have the choice to opt in, they often appreciate the message. The trick is to listen to consumers and deliver what they prefer, when they prefer to see it.

What’s on Your Consumer’s Wishlist?
Over the past decade, consumers’ attention has shifted from traditional TV to their pocket-sized replacements. As consumers spend almost 30 minutes every day with their eyes fixed on mobile video,  according to a Zenith study, there is clearly an open opportunity to meet your customer with engaging content they want and choose, rather than a blast of pushed messages that can feel obtrusive and unwelcome. In fact, 72% of consumers prefer videos to text marketing on their mobile devices, according to a Wyzowl study.

Mobile Video: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
We can expect video content to see a surge in popularity for this year’s holiday season. Not only will technology like virtual reality continue to create new and exciting platforms for video, but rewarded video -- also known as “opt-in ads” -- will take consumer engagement to the next level as it offers a value exchange between the end user and the brand.

In 2017, 54% of consumers in a YouAppi study said they would happily engage with rewarded video when asked, some or all of the time. When consumers are given the choice to engage with a marketer’s message, they take control of their in-app or mobile experience and are more willing to do so. This successful opt-in approach is still underutilized, so consider incorporating it into your marketing strategy this holiday season to better cater to your audience.