Ad recall and In-App Advertising
A boost for Brand Lift
In-app advertising is currently the fastest growing form of mobile advertising. According to App Annie, in-app advertising is set to triple in value in the next few years, going from $72 billion in 2016 to $201 billion in 2021.
But what is the reason behind this advertising trend?
It all comes down to usage and recall. Recent studies show that mobile digital traffic amounts to 71% of Internet usage in the United States, while other countries such as Mexico and China present similar numbers, with 75% and 71%, respectively. Moreover, these studies show that 90% of their mobile time is spent in apps, while they only spend 10% of the time browsing the Internet.
One of the key aspects that favors mobile ads is the fact that they usually cover most of the screen, which makes it virtually impossible for users to ignore them, while ads are highly likely to be ignored when displayed on a tiny portion of a website when using a computer.
Additionally, apps can offer a great advantage when it comes to reaching large numbers of users at all times, which has to do with the fact that apps are used consistently throughout the day, often at times when users are unable to consume other media such as TV or desktop. For instance, people look at their phones as soon as they wake up, while travelling to work, during meals, and even while using the restroom.
Apart from the usage frequency factor, recent research by Ipsos suggests that in-app ads are effective for driving action. This interesting study found that users are more likely to remember the details of an ad when viewed on apps and mobile websites. 47% of respondents said they could remember ‘a lot’ or ‘some’ of an ad when they saw it on an app compared to 36% who saw it on a PC. This is likely to be because, while attention is limited overall, users tend to be more engaged in apps, especially in gaming apps, where users have a tendency to become permeable to advertising due to the crucial role of rewarded strategies. The possibility to include opt-in interactive formats certainly ensures a seamless transition for users.
Another extremely important factor for recall and engagement is the possibility to personalize ads according to the user’s behaviour and demographics, since in-app advertising publishers can actually choose the audiences that will be served a certain ad depending on the offered product and the goals set by the advertiser. The results of serving ads that are more relevant to the user based in their location, gender, age, and even interests, will inevitably be superior in comparison with ads that are served randomly to all users on other channels.
When it comes to driving Brand Lift, meaning an increase in user interaction with a brand as a result of an advertising campaign, in-app ads prove to be a lot more effective according to a study by Comscore, which shows that in-app ads are more effective in metrics such as Awareness, Favorability, Likelihood to recommend and Purchase Intent in comparison to desktop.
