Commentary

My Mobile: Consumers Accept Data Use For Personalized Ads, Emails On Phones

Consumers accept the use of various data for mobile personalization. But they are less likely to accept it for emails received on mobile, according to Pursuit of Relevance: All About Ad Personalization, a study by MAGNA and IPG Media Lab.

Brand emails get only a 5% lift in data acceptance when personalized on mobile, and personal emails see only 11%, versus those on laptop or desktop. 

That flies in the face of other surveys on consumer data use. Still, it shows that lift and personal emails are near the top.   

Predicted mood produces a 13% acceptance spike, and major life events comes in at 12%. 

In addition, there is a 11% increase in acceptance for social media habits, 11% for apps installed, 10% for “where you go often,” 6% for time zone, 4% for entertainment habits, 3% for search history and 2% for device.  

Oddly, there is no spike for “things I’ve bought.”

The takeaway for email marketers: Personalize your messages, and avoid batch-and-blast.  

Granted, the theme of the study appears to be personalized web ads.  

Of the consumers polled, 52% say personalized ads are a good reminder, versus 48% who say the same about general ads.  

It’s the same with relevance — 48% say personalized ads provide this, and 43% agree that general ads provide relevance. And 43% say personalized ads are “something I’m open to,” compared with 39% who feel that way about general ads.

The study warns that personalized ads are not immune to branding issues. That said, use of branding in personalized ads lifts recall by 8%, the study says.

In another finding, personalized ads based on major life events drives a 16% lift in people wanting to hear from the brand, and they are 12% more likely to purchase. 

In addition, a personalized message leads to a 5% increase in purchase intent. 

Personalization is loosely defined in this report, and deeper levels may be needed to achieve some forms of branding. The key factor is relevance.

“Relevance is a critical part of brand marketing strategy because people today are inundated with content on a daily basis and it can be overwhelming,” concludes Kara Manatt, SVP, group director, intelligence solutions for Magna Global.

Manatt adds: “Personalized messaging can not only help create more relevant ads, but also help amplify brand stories, forging stronger more solid personal connections.”

Magna and IPG Media Lab surveyed 6,600 consumers for results spanning three verticals: auto, retail and finance. Testing was conducted among each brand’s demographic target and high-value audiences. 

 

 

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