What is the mobile programmatic future of advertising?
Advertisers ignore in-app inventory at their peril, according to a new report exploring the future of programmatic mobile advertising.
Programmatic Mobile, future
The whitepaper, published by with The Drum in partnership with Tremor Video, available to download here, explores the challenges and opportunities ahead for marketers on this most personal of devices – across both mobile applications and the mobile web.
“Agencies don’t always see the app ecosystem as premium inventory,” says Mike Reynolds, Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) mobile manager. “But the audience on gaming, for example, on mobile is a valuable one.”
The mobile device commands the lion’s share of a consumer’s online activity, and almost all of that time (nearly 90 per cent) is spent in apps. The report’s expert contributors point out that people are often more engaged on apps, and in-app advertising can capture a consumer’s attention and encourage them to interact without disruption.
The Mobile Programmatic Future of Advertising whitepaper was produced by The Drum with contributions from Dennis Digital, Trinity Mirror, Northern & Shell, TUI, MEC, ISBA, VivaKi, Adptly, IAB, Xasis and Essence.
The report also highlights how mobile apps can offer more sophisticated data tracking, targeting and geo-location, and remain (relatively) untouched by the rising threat of ad blocking. Yet apps are seldom seen by marketers as the premium opportunity they promise.
The whitepaper also aims to dispel some of the myths surrounding mobile programmatic advertising, with contributions from experts at advertisers, agencies and media owners.
MEC’s head of programmatic Martin Beauchamp says: “You can’t disconnect from your device. From a marketer’s point of view, it is a dream; mobile is becoming increasingly important, not just because of consumer adoption, but also because of programmatic technology.”
The report pinpoints areas of growth – such as mobile video – and areas for improvement - including measurement, metrics, formats, fragmentation, fraud, ad-blocking and tracking.
Sammy Austin, TUI Group head of media, group marketing, says: “Being able to place value on mobile is hugely important to justify spend.”
At present, just 50 per cent of UK marketers have bought mobile inventory programmatically, according to the IAB, and 44 per cent have little or no knowledge of it – making it one of the least understood mobile topics.
This report aims to help bridge that disconnect
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