Mobile advertising: how can advertisers capitalise on the second screen?

Ben Williams, trading director EMEA, InMobi

The answer here is in the question – consumers are using and engaging with their phones while watching TV, so synchronisation is a massive opportunity for advertisers. Delivering interactive content that is relevant – and incentivising – to the programmes being watched will capture the imagination, and make the advertising more relevant and personalised. For decades, advertisers have spent vast sums on TV advertising (with questionable measurable return); the shift toward second-screening gives the opportunity to spend the money wiser on a different screen, yet in the same user-scenario.

Jocelyn Bull, marketing director, Somo

TV viewing used to be a passive activity but mobile technology has transformed this.

Mobile provides an ideal opportunity to drive both direct response and further engagement at the point of brand messaging – i.e. when a viewer is in front of the TV with their smartphone or tablet in hand. Adopting a dual screen approach to marketing, and optimising presence in mobile media can drive significant measurable value from your TV budget. Simple steps to take include linking your mobile display advertising and search activity to your TV schedule to leverage mobile as a direct response channel.

Stephen Jenkins, marketing director EMEA, Millennial Media

We believe the ‘first screen’ is always changing, and in this new age, the first screen is whatever device happens to be in front of a consumer at that particular moment. Advertisers who don’t feel that TV is the right medium for them can use mobile to still reach consumers in primetime, and for advertisers who have dedicated spend to TV, mobile can serve as a complementary channel that amplifies their message.

Mark Brennan, head of mobile, Carat

Brands should be tailoring their call to actions with mobile in mind. Audio watermarking TV copy with Shazam is a great way to distribute compelling content. The trick is not to misuse it. For less exciting brand narratives, flighting display, search and social around key TV events. Brands need to be immediate and available.

Phil Cooper, European MD, BrightRoll

Improved technology in the mobile space and accessibility by consumers to mobile devices has made multi-device targeting a feasible option for advertisers. In the video sphere, it allows us to deliver conventional TV advertising against TV content on mobile devices, with precise targeting. The opportunities with mobile video advertising: to integrate messages, and provide a brand journey for consumers is an exciting future if advertisers can take up the challenge.

Martin Jordan, marketing director, Equator

There’s definitely a gold-rush on to capitalise on the second screen phenomenon currently taking place. With Sky scooping up a share in Zeebox and TV shows now carrying multiple hashtags, the race is on to get people interacting on two screens.

However, I don’t believe the biggest opportunities lie here. After all, in both cases, these routes are only used once the user is already watching – and in the process of doing so, actually distract the user from the key revenue-generating stream of TV ads. Rather, what is needed is some clever marketing and technology which encourages people to step away from their Facebook and watch TV again. The principle of commercial TV actively encouraging users to be distracted from the big screen just does not make a lot of sense.

Tim Dunn, director of mobile strategy, glue Isobar

The first is to simply convert leads. Our ATL raises awareness and creates that basic impulse to proceed along the journey to conversion and purchase. This can be achieved through everything from mobile search prompts to SMS shortcodes to audio-tagging, depending on your category and audience. Even upweighting your search activity during airtime should be a must. Allied to this is the creative opportunity to take part in the inevitable conversations caused by high-profile TV ads on Twitter. By capturing and encouraging this conversation, and playing your part in it as a brand, you get to engage more deeply with brand advocates while extending the reach of the advert more widely.

Matt Champion, media services director, Fetch

What this means is that brands can engage with consumers at the same time from two different channels: TV and mobile. If they see your ad on TV, people might use their smartphone to look up more information about you simultaneously.

Brands need to have a mobile presence. A mobile optimised site is a good place to start, because it will ensure users get a better browsing experience. People using their phones at the same time as watching TV are more likely to look up information about the brand being advertised. Therefore brands need to make it as easy as possible for people to find that information – user experience and availability of information on mobile is key.

As well as the opportunity to engage audiences across multiple platforms, there is an opportunity for advertisers to target consumers based on behaviour patterns. Consumer behaviour data has shown that smartphone usage, as well as joint TV and smartphone usage, is higher on weekday nights. Brands can leverage these key times to target audiences.

David Fieldhouse, co-founder, Linking Mobile

The major opportunity here for smart brands is the ability to analyse TV executions overlaid with mobile/tablet search queries. Mobile provides an immediate way for consumers to access more details about a brand (following a TV ad) and the majority will begin this journey via search. The growth of m-commerce means many of these consumers will go on to purchase via their mobile device. Brands can now measure the effectiveness of a TV campaign by the volume of mobile search queries they see – this data will be invaluable.

This feature is published as part of The Drum's Mobile supplement.

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