‘Mobile is still heavily regarded as a direct response marketing tool’ says Mail Online mobile boss
Mobile is a companion to all mediums, yet currently is still considered an off-shoot of digital rather than something that can complement all media touch points, warned MailOnline’s director of mobile Hannah Buitekant.
Advertisers regard mobile as a direct response marketing tool, she told The Drum ahead of the Marketing on Mobile Awards (MOMA), for which she is a judge.
“Big means brand in digital, so by simply being a smaller screen, this can go against what mobile offers to advertisers,” she said. Her comments reflect a stumbling block many publishers are yet to overcome that sees them struggling to turn their mobile traffic into revenue.
Smaller screen sizes that allow for fewer ads on a page compared to desktop and cheaper ad rates on mobile are just two of several issues media owners are yet to resolve. The bulk of mobile spend is going to the likes of Facebook and Google, an issue publishers like the MailOnline are working to resolve with the advent of native content and programmatic trading.
“There is a lot of interest from brands regarding bigger ideas across mobile devices, however few of these come to fruition,” admitted Buitekant. This trepidation has pushed many media owners to reassess how they measure their audiences with some like the Guardian and the Financial Times gravitating toward time-based metrics to secure a bigger slice of mobile budgets.
Buitekant added: “Mobile tech and mobile sites are still in their infancy, we are still at the start of being able to capitalise on the opportunity that mobile presents.
“Whilst the world moves to 'always on', mobile is still the most available one on one experience so needs to be more targeted and efficient in its messaging to specific users. Mobile becomes a tool of personal information and promotion rather than general awareness.”
iBeacons could play a pivotal role in familiarising users with the purpose and value in mobile messaging, according to the publisher. Buitekant said this was specifically true in convincing advertisers to take that first step in “closing the gap in the path to purchase”. The aim is to encourage brands to step away from traditional campaign briefs and focus on strategies which deliver a clear value exchange between their data and a service of some kind.
Campaigns featuring “fit for function” features like these will be what catch Buitekant’s eye when judging this year’s MOMAs. Strategies that treat mobile as complementary to all above-the-line advertising along with those that put mobile at the heart of social sharing are also what the marketer believes will stand out from the crowd.
The MOMA’s, sponsored by Weve Mapp Media and Celtra, has closed for entries but for those entries that need an extension visit the dedicated website to access contact details.