by Amy Vale
There has been much talk recently about the concept of ‘geo-fencing’ and if, or when, it could come into wide-scale adoption and potentially change the mobile space for both businesses and publishers. A few weeks ago, we wrote about geo-location services and its already huge impact on location based advertising. In a similar way, geo-fencing enables retailers to recognize customers when they are in a particular location, on the go on their mobile devices. Essentially, the difference between geo-fencing and geo-location services generally is that the new technology geo-fencing actually refers to a virtually fenced-off geographic location. For example, a radius around a store or shopping mall, and people who have “opted in”, receive messages and special offers designed to encourage them to walk into the store and make an immediate purchase.
As expected, geo-fencing technology has huge potential for retailers because it can reach consumers while they are out and on the go, and while they are in the mindset to make a purchase already. Retailers and advertisers are able to send relevant and, specific messages, while taking into account where that person is, at that moment in time. The new technology has already been trialed by various retailers.
Geo-fencing got a major showcase with a roll-out in the UK through mobile operator O2, which launched a program to target a million subscribers with Starbucks and L’Oreal coupons. When customers came within about a half mile of a Starbucks store, they received a text message with a discount offer. Likewise, customers who travelled near a drug store chain received an SMS offering deals on L’Oréal products. This trial was successful because instead of relying on GPS, it established a subscriber’s location through a carrier’s network, This meant that it reached a wider market by targeting users who don’t have a smartphone or a GPS-enabled phone.
The possibilities for geo-fencing applications are endless. To get an idea of how geo-fencing technology could improve on existing location-based applications, just look at the current popular apps. Apps like Foursquare could implement this infrastructure to allow users to automatically “check-in” when entering a particular location. Another potential example of geo-fencing is connecting mobile devices to house lights or air conditioning units to automatically activate them when users approach their homes. Friends could even be notified when they are within a certain distance of one another.
Like other geo-location services, there is still the concern that the general public feels toward the technology because of the perceived “tracking” of their mobile device. Many users don’t like the idea of a retailer being able to know where they are, regardless of whether this is true or not. Nevertheless, we are expecting increasing numbers of retailers to test out geo-fencing strategies over the coming year, alongside the continued domination and expansion of the smartphone. It is going to come down to whether they can find the right balance between making users feel like they’re taking advantage of a deal, without being spammed or stalked.
by Amy Vale
Some publishers with mobile properties have made the choice to not make any inventory available to mobile ad networks for varying reasons. At the same time, it is not always clear to publishers what the right choice is when it comes to going down the mobile ad network route. There are, however, very strong and compelling reasons to choose the network path, so it is important for you to consider when, and if, it might be the right time for you.
There are a number of major benefits of going down the network route. Firstly, you get the advantages of campaign tracking, that is, real-time reporting and analytics. On the Mocean Mobile ad network, users can track all facets of their mobile campaign. In addition to a convenient dashboard view, the platform features customized reporting capabilities to monitor performance from a high level as well as a drilled-down, campaign specific level. Mocean Mobile’s Conversion Tracking also provides an analysis of the number of actual ad conversions as well as the exact location of the conversion (i.e. sites, landing pages, URLs, etc). ROI calculation is simplified as the lead-to-cost numbers are visible. You will also be given the ability to set up, control and optimize all in one central place, and have access to a centralized reporting portal for all fully integrated ad partners – basically, a reporting one-stop-shop.
Secondly, a mobile ad network provides the benefit of inventory control. One of the big benefits of working with a network is that whether you are selling directly or not, this is a great way to increase your fill rate and monetize any currently unfilled impressions. It also increases your ability to utilize third party ad partners and can significantly help increase supply for publishers that are lacking sales resources. In order to provide the highest fill rate, the Mocean Mobile platform allows for the streaming of over 50 third party ad feeds. This system lets a publisher set percentage desired fill rates or rely on a combination of auto-detected CTR, true fill rate and latency coupled with manually entered eCPMs for each ad network feed. The higher an ad network eCPM, the more frequent that particular ad feed is shown.
One can also opt for full service mediation, which includes all the benefits of inventory control as mentioned, without the work. At Mocean, the team of mediation specialists can review your business model and assess how you sell. They will set up, optimize and monetize all of your mediation information. You will be able to pull reports direct from their “dashboard” showing the third party data as well.
For publishers new to the mobile space, choosing to make inventory available to a mobile ad network is also the opportunity to test the waters and have support backing you. You have to determine whether these factors, in favor of a mobile ad network, would help your business though, and if there is a right time for you to go down that route. Like anything, there are always going to be choices.
by Amy Vale
We have reported before all about the importance of rich media to the future of mobile advertising. The different types of creative options available in online advertising are constantly evolving, and it seems that every few months there is a new type of creative that can be added to a publisher’s site. This year however we have been witnessing an increasing amount of rich media initiatives becoming a major part of every ad buy. Advertisers want to find ways to directly engage the user because this leads to greater marketing results. We know how important rich media is, but now it is becoming apparent that it is important for publishers to build a relationship with their rich media provider.“Rich media” is a term used to describe dynamic and engaging advertising. It refers to ads which go beyond the standard display of images and text to mobile ads that pull dynamic information in real time and enable user interactivity such as playing a game or watching a video. Rich media ads are essentially mini computer applications that are served within the web page ad space, either via code such as HTML 5, or via browser plug-ins such as Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight.With sophisticated graphics, animation or streaming video these types of ads provide an immersive user experience, enabling advertisers to effectively reach consumers and inspire interaction with the brand. With video, advertisers can give mobile audiences a TV-like experience, on the go, and generate the same emotive connection with the user as television does.Diving into the world of rich media is an exciting step for a publisher and can lead to increased revenue. The process of incorporating rich media into your mobile web sites can be a lot of work, however it has proven to have the potential for tremendous benefit to both you (higher CPMs), and your advertisers. It has become clear to us how important it is to build a relationship with your rich media provider.Third party rich media vendors are the way forward. They act as service providers who build, host and serve rich media advertising for advertisers and publishers. They are also specialists in this area, and their proficiency is building and serving high-end rich media as well as assisting you and your advertisers in the creation of your product. As an example, one of Mojiva’s partners, PointRoll, has the largest digital rich media support organization in the world. They provide a full team of experts to help publishers get up to speed or advance their rich media knowledge. It is useful to establish a relationship with your rich media provider so that you work together to build a product that will work for you and your advertisers. Have you formed a relationship with your rich media provider?
by Amy Vale
We know how useful and effective a “local” campaign can be to mobile advertisers, but it is also critical for publishers to get on board and ensure that they are ensuring mobile devices can be used to their fullest potential. Location was a big mobile ad buzzword last year as mobile advertisers placed more emphasis on location-based advertising. Locating a user’s specific location using the mobile device made everyone realize how critical mobile is to the future of marketing. Geo-location offers the promise of “real-time” mobile advertising that is geographically relevant to a consumer according to where they are at a particular moment in time.
A mobile user’s location can be identified in two main ways, either via a location aware app (where the user has consented to sharing their physical location) or via the area of their IP address over a Wi-Fi connection. GPS-enabled apps have gained significant attention recently and we have started noticing that consumers are increasingly willing to “share” their location, opening themselves up to geo-location targeting. Mobile advertising has latched onto the concept, and capitalized on the fact that mobile users are inherently always on the go. They do this by enabling advertisers to pin point consumers while they are on the move, and tap into their vulnerability to make spontaneous purchase decisions based on deals and offers that are close to them. The growing popularity of social media location “check-in” features, on sites such as Facebook or Foursquare, has made hyper-local advertising even easier and more appealing.
So, what are businesses and advertisers doing? Businesses are using Geo-location services to find ways of targeting users with services or offers that are going to appeal to them because it is within close proximity to them. We are seeing local service-based businesses, such as plumbers or attorneys, testing geo-targeting to get their brand message out to local audiences, for whom the message will be most relevant. We have also noticed increasing interest amongst national and multinational retailers looking to target different regional audiences with relevant, specialized messages. It makes perfect sense to target your audience specifically, with ads and offers that are relevant to them at that moment in time. As an example, McDonalds recently launched a new geo-targeted mobile ad campaign for McCafe. It used an iPhone app from Pandora to provide smartphone users with ads and information about McCafe hot beverages, along with directions to the nearest McDonald’s restaurant.
Mobile advertising is also using location services to create dynamic ad campaigns. A great example of a recent mobile ad we have talked about before, because it is so clever, is The Westin Hotels & Resorts ad. It appeared within the Weather Channel and let consumers literally wipe the screen to wipe away their current (wintry) weather condition, which was dynamically generated based on location, and then browse and book a vacation in the climate of their choice.
This is important for publishers because the much-talked about HTML5 programming language is critical to the success of Geo-targeting campaigns. Ads powered by HTML5 can use GPS technology; enable common app gestures such as swiping and double-tap zooming; and play, rotate, move and resize video to give viewers greater control.
We are definitely seeing some exciting, and highly successful, mobile advertising campaigns as a result of Geo-location targeting, but it is essential for publishers to get on top of the functionality and services so it is not just advertisers that are capitalizing on the latest advancements in mobile.
By Amy Vale
If you’re a publisher looking to monetize your mobile properties – a) you’re doing the right thing and b) you’re onto a great thing. We have all seen the statistics recently: Forrester Research estimated that U.S. tablet sales are expected to double from 26 million in 2011 to more than 50 million in 2012. We have also seen predictions that mobile internet use is going to surpass desktop internet use by 2015. Really, if you aren’t monetizing your mobile app or site by now you are missing out on a great revenue stream. If you’re reading this, I am sure that you already are onto it, and perhaps you’re just revamping your monetization strategies. So, what are the top 3 things to consider when monetizing your mobile properties?
1. Go “universal”
Have you read our earlier post about the Mobile Marketing Association’s (MMA) “universal” guidelines? The MMA have produced the universal guidelines with the aim of reducing the effort required to produce creative material and ensure that advertisements display effectively on the majority of mobile phones, regardless of device. Similarly, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has established a common Application Programming Interface for mobile rich media ads that will run in mobile apps. This is a standardized set of commands, designed to work with HTML5 and JavaScript that developers creating rich media ads will use.
The concept of the “Universal Creative” and whether it is more valuable to make unique rich media creative, or develop an ad that can run in as many different channels as possible is a concept that is much debated. For publishers, we think you need to consider going universal. Adhering to the MMA or Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) guidelines essentially means opening yourself up to a bigger supply of ads that you are compatible with, and this naturally means higher ad revenue potential.
2. Discuss app logistics
Discussions have been going on for the last few years within the publisher and development community about whether apps should be paid or free of charge. Consider what works best for you. Data is increasingly showing though that free apps are the way to go, because most users who are app browsing naturally prefer free ones and as a result, these receive more views and downloads. The ability to monetize the app means you still have a strong revenue stream and get the benefits of having a free app. This is one of the strongest ways to monetize your mobile properties. It is important to discuss your app logistics when considering monetizing your mobile application. As mobile advertising is so successful within apps, it makes sense to consider how a free app might work for you.
3. Carve out your mobile inventory so it can be sold to advertisers
As a publisher, you should consider carving out your mobile inventory so it can be sold to advertisers. Consider your advertisers in conjunction with your user base; if you section out or file content effectively, you are creating opportunities to create “packages” for advertisers to buy. You should also set up your ad server sites and zones for multiple-property buys, and split test ad unit placements across the site or app, then split test again for specific sections of content to see which perform best. Remember also to follow industry guidelines for ad unit sizes.
Have you considered all these things when planning your mobile monetization strategy?
