The upheaval that the Internet has brought about in newspapers, magazines and other media is well documented. Publishers feel that online ad campaigns are worth dimes instead of dollars. However, it has actually been more limited than that so far.
If banner ads do not translate on mobile screens, how do you even sell an ad? Especially seeing that most of these ads aren’t even effective on computer screens.
One the major complicating factors is the difference in mobile uses. A smartphone is quite different than smartphones and so must the ads be. A Tablet has a much bigger screen, allowing ads that normally wouldn’t fit on phones. There have even been studies that show that most mobile use is at home, thus defeating the purpose of the name mobile. While on-the-go activities such as navigating with Google Maps epitomize mobile use, even though “mobile” can actually mean just sitting at home and surfing the web instead of getting onto the computer.
This is another problem among ad agencies. They were focusing on the use of on-the-go things, instead of realizing that even though they are mobile devices, doesn’t mean that the people are actually mobile.
As time goes on though, people are getting smarter with it. One example is the way that content producers can make ads more relevant. They can use location-based tactics that can better target consumers. This is very helpful, especially when pulling up local searches, because if you live in Chicago, you don’t need an ad for a place in Alabama.
Some people may be worried about having their location used, but if it is relevant to the consumer, then it is highly likely that they will not mind. Still, as mobile advertising increases, so do privacy concerns. Google knows about that quite well by now. This gives advertisers the option to rethink tactics when it comes to using relevant ads based on individuals.
In a report this year, Drew McReynolds, a telecom analyst at RBC Dominion Securities, proposed that the industry could set up “a personal information exchange … [to] pay consumers fair market value for personal information.” This would allow people would get their own digital locker to store the personal information they choose to share. Thus allowing people to have the peace of mind of knowing that they choose the information shared.
Mobile marketing hasn’t been perfected yet, but then again, has any marketing really?