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Mobile Advertising: Definition, Types, Expert Tips & Examples

Mobile Advertising Types, Importance & Pros + [Examples]

Mobile advertising accounts for most of the advertising efforts and for a good reason. Research suggests that 79% of people always have their smartphones with them. 

But how exactly does this advertising on mobile phones works, and why does it have such high-intent users?

Find all about the types, importance, and benefits of mobile advertising in this in-depth article. 

What Is Mobile Advertising?

Mobile advertising is any form of advertising that shows on mobile devices (including smartphones and tablets).

Mobile marketers can advertise via text, but it’s more common to use banner ads on websites or through advertisements on the downloaded mobile app.

Mobile advertising is always personalized and based on user preferences and previous browsing history regardless of the advertisement types or the channel they advertise from.

Why is Mobile Advertising Critically Important & Advertising Benefits

Since the boom of mobile devices in 2014. there are now more mobile phones than people in the world. 

It’s safe to assume that mobile advertising has become the primary form of advertising because of the increased number of users and mobile advertising platforms.

This market is constantly growing and expanding, and the latest figures from IAB US show that in 2019, mobile ad spend grew by 38% (from the previous year) to reach a whopping $100 billion.

So, let’s take a look at the many benefits of mobile advertising.

10 Advertising Benefits

  1. It’s cost-effective
  2. It is the primary way of digital advertising
  3. It gives you a great understanding of customers
  4. Mobile ads deliver relevant messages in real-time
  5. They require less content to be effective
  6. It creates content that can be shareable
  7. It places advertising content in people’s current location
  8. It creates data that can be instantly tracked
  9. It makes instantaneous user responses
  10. It increases user engagement

Enter into Shoutem app builder and start creating your app!

How Mobile Advertising Works

With the change of consumer habits, mobile advertisement has also changed over the years.

Mobile marketers have adapted their advertising campaigns to today’s consumer tastes. Nowadays, there’s more than one mobile advertising strategy, and they are used interchangeably to boost user engagement.

First mobile advertisements reached the users via SMS, but that model was discarded years ago. Now, users see ads in the corner of websites or in-app advertisements.

Mobile advertising business relies on the fact that over 90% of apps are free, and they have to use some mobile advertising formats to earn revenue.

This has led to the development of app marketing tools widely used today.

Types of Mobile Advertising

Of course, there are multiple types and forms of advertising.

Typically, app developers use more than one type of mobile ad to provide revenue for themselves and benefits for advertisers.

Also, it comes down to advertising sources for most of these mobile advertising types.

Push notifications

A simple pop-up that notifies users of new deals, coupons, and such. It works when the user is not currently using the app. This type of mobile advertisement improves user engagement.

Image text and banner ads

One of the most common types of mobile ads. Once the users click on the banner advertisements they are redirected to the advertiser’s page.

Click-to-download ads

These ads function so that they provide revenue for the owner every time a user downloads the advertised app via the advertisement on their app or website. Having a short and long-term customer engagement strategy is a great way to divide your marketing goals into smaller segments. 

Click-to-call ads

Once the consumer clicks on the ad, they can directly reach the mobile advertising companies. Every call creates revenue for the app or website.

Click-to-message ads

Digital advertisers don’t use this type often anymore, but it can still be found. Once the user clicks on the ad, it allows them to contact the direct advertisers via message.

Enter into Shoutem app builder and start creating your app!

Mobile Advertising vs. Mobile Marketing

Although there are some similarities, mobile advertisement and mobile marketing are two different phenomenons. 

Mobile marketing is a more general term that includes mobile advertising. It gathers personal data and geographic location to personalize the ads for users. That’s why you’ll get an advertisement about the particular shop as soon as you pass near it.

Mobile advertising covers a similar but smaller area of activity. Mobile ad placement is a competitive market similar the any other. Advertisers fight for their time and place on mobile devices.

This creates a process called demand-side platform (DSP). Mobile advertising platforms such as these allow the advertisers to optimize their performance based on indicators like cost-per-action or cost-per-click.

Bonus: Best Mobile Advertising Examples

British Airways has used Instagram Story Ads to show people various activities and areas in London. Because of the great content and interactive media, it was shown in, this created great interest.

Adidas advertised their new Z.N.E. travel hoodie using Facebook ads. They did it in an interactive form of video and also showed the similar product that the target audience would like. 

Samsung has turned to Youtube ads to advertise. They are aware that users’ attention span is short, so they captured their interest with the setting of a classroom ringing for a break, followed by lip-syncing of the catchy song “Yadada.”

Frequently Asked Questions About Mobile Advertising

What are the characteristics of mobile ads?

  • They’re cost-effective
  • They’re the primary way of digital advertising
  • They give you a great understanding of customers
  • Mobile ads deliver relevant messages in real-time
  • They require less content to be effective
  • They create content that can be shareable

Why is mobile advertising growing so rapidly?

Mobile advertisement is growing so rapidly because of the increased number of mobile phone users and mobile advertising platforms.

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