• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, August 4, 2019

With an increasingly connected world, consumers get to see ads pretty much wherever they are.

However, that doesn’t mean people always pay attention to the ads they see or even which ads they notice most, especially those on mobile devices.

It turns out that ads that appeal to a person’s interests have a much better chance of standing out than those that are, say, location-based, according to a new study.

The majority (72%) of consumers notice an ad when it matches their general interests, according to the study, comprising a survey of 1,500 U.S. adults with income of at least $25,000 conducted by Aki Technologies.

A third (33%) notice a mobile ad when it matches their mood, 32% when it matches their current activity, 29% when it matches the theme of the app content they are viewing and 19% when it matches their physical location.

For in-app ads, the study found that consumers do not see a big difference between paid and free apps.

Most (63%) consumers said free and paid apps have equally high-quality ads, with 26% saying that paid apps have higher-quality ads and 12% saying that free apps have higher-quality ads. (This is one of the many issues with regard to the mobile app economy that will be discussed in the upcoming MediaPost Marketing In-App Conference in New York on Sept. 18).

Most (63%) consumers say free and paid apps show equally relevant ads and 61% say free and paid apps equally have ads that make an impact.

What doesn’t seem to matter much is a mobile ad aligning with the theme or content of the app in specific product categories.

Of much greater significance is having ads that align with a consumer’s mental mindset -- for example, a luxury auto ad served while a consumer is relaxed -- and environment, such as an aspirin ad being served while a consumer is in a mindset for personal wellness in an environment such as a gym, according to the study.