Mobile Video Advertising: Beyond Consumer Clicks

By: Kingsley Warner, General Manager of Vuclip Malaysia

The preference for the small screen is no surprise to anyone in Malaysia, where modern infrastructure coupled with the large population of digital natives is driving the demand for more mobile enabled applications. From banking to cinema apps and more, mobile is now a way of life in Malaysia. On average, the daily use of the internet through a mobile phone is 3 hours and 37 minutes, significantly higher than the average daily television viewing time 1 .

With smartphone penetration and mobile video consumption steadily increasing, it is only natural that the region will soon see accelerated mobile video ad spend as it continues to establish itself as a powerful tool to deliver content, engage consumers and turn them into loyal fans with unprecedented social reach.

A forecast by eMarketer reaffirms that trend as it estimates mobile ad spending in Asia Pacific will grow by 37.6% through 20172. According to the Malaysian Digital Association, RM 716.63 million of total revenue in the Digital Advertising market will be generated through mobile in 2020 3 .

Advertisers have started believing in communicating with the customer with personalised content. In this context, mobile video ads are gaining traction, primarily because handheld devices offer a more hands-on experience and drives better engagement results than videos watched on desktop computers.

Many analysts believe that video will outpace the growth of most other mobile advertising formats, establishing itself as a powerful tool to deliver content, engage consumers and turn them into loyal fans with its unprecedented social reach. According to the same eMarketer report, global mobile internet ad spend is expected to account for 73.7% of digital ad spending and 34.2% of total media ad investment by 2020.

By getting in early as a marketer, the opportunity is ripe for seizing competitive advantage, but the ability to seek the right context for a brand’s target audience is critical, because not all mobile marketing platforms are created equal. 

The following are a few steps to ensure that as a marketer your mobile video ads don’t just demand attention but also generate results as an immediate call to action:

• Technology is an essential key to the success of a mobile ad campaign: As with everything else in the hyper connected world, the foundation for a successful campaign begins with finding a technology partner that can help put together a mobile video ad campaign that is targeted to speak to the right audience, while offering the advantages of video quality, excellent experience and most importantly,the ability to cope with device variability and constrained networks.
• Data Analytics add value to your message and reach: As with social media algorithms, mobile VOD offers marketers the opportunity to leverage data analytics to acquire in-depth insights into the taste and preferences of users, acquire rich information on the genre of content a viewer consumes, at what time of the day and on what device. Data analytics can also be used to effectively segment audiences and personalise messages and campaigns to speak to each of these viewers on their terms, on their device and platform of choice, in their native language. They can study the content a viewer prefers to watch to understand exactly what connects with them on a truly emotional level.
• More than just a sales pitch: When ads are more than mere sales pitches, consumers are far more likely to view, enjoy and share with their network. An intelligently designed video ad also has the potential to go viral on social media and divert consumer traffic to the company app, which in turn, helps the brand spread its influence beyond its direct customer base.
• Going beyond clicks and impressions: Finally, it all comes down to measurement. Any good mobile advertising campaign should offer measurement of impact on key brand metrics like brand awareness, purchase intention etc. It’s not always about a zillion impressions; but capturing the attention of the right person for just a few seconds.

What all this means is a new learning curve for marketers and advertisers, who need to account for yet another channel in their marketing strategies and then review and revise their thinking to adapt to the mobile mindset. They should consider performance marketing versus brand campaigns. While digital is good for performance campaigns, what is equally important is to build the brand and use it as an acquisition medium. Leading marketers have recognised this and are embarking on brand immersed content creation to tell their brand story and build awareness and loyalty.

The shift to the mobile screen is not about digital marketing anymore. It’s about marketing in a digital world. While the old order relating to ‘attention, interest, desire and action’ remains relevant, it will fall apart if brands fail to map with today’s connected consumer at key touch points of their ongoing journey. In short, the identity of a mobile video ad campaign lies at the heart of understanding the customer’s journey and successfully carrying out tailor-made data activation.

Let’s cut to the chase: the Digital Revolution is fuelled by how marketing helps monetise it. 

There is no such thing as a free lunch. That’s why game-changing inspiration can always be found 

on the front lines of the marketing and media playbook. There’s never been a more exciting time to 

be in marketing: e-commerce, personalisation, big data, brand safety, walled gardens and more. 

This Conference will show marketers how to take ownership of this future, and how to dance their way through this digital turf war where everyone has an opinion. 

Whatever your take on the future… Marketing is the new Sexy!

Date: 16 October, 2017

Venue: Grand Ballroom, Sime Darby Convention Centre Jalan Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. 

Time: 8.30am – 5.30pm 

Details: www.marketingmagazine.com.my/cmo2017

Contact: [email protected]

Download event PDF here.