Harnessing the mobile magic: Why the smartphone holds the key to publishing success

While the initial success of the media was built on paper, today’s ‘we need it now’ society means content is increasingly being viewed on multiple platforms. The boom of the PC and the laptop led to the birth of a new publishing repertoire, a phenomenon that has now come full circle thanks to what could be described as an even more powerful platform – the smartphone. IDC estimated that over 1 billion of these mobile devices were shipped in 2013 a figure that will grow further over the next few years and in terms of the UK, smartphone adoption is between 60-70 per cent.

As the smartphone continues to replace the trusted laptop and tablet sales still pale in comparison to their smaller cousin, publishers are seeing mobile as the new frontier. The AOP’s latest annual census showed 71 per cent of UK publishers saw a major increase in mobile audiences over the last 12 months. This data echoes research published in March by Millward Brown that found in today’s multiscreen world the smartphone reigns supreme – in total we spend 147 minutes a day (more than any other device) swiping our smallest screen.

Platform number one

In-line with this rise, an increasing number of publishers are making mobile the first port of call when developing a primary content platform. This presents a shift from the days when online was king and mobile users simply had to make do with viewing a stripped back version on their phone. This approach, known as ‘mobile first’, allows the user a seamless experience on the same site, whether that’s moving from their phone to a tablet and eventually a PC or laptop throughout the day.

Despite the majority of publishers' willingness to move away from mobile optimised to mobile designed and responsive sites, many of their major partners are yet to follow suit. The IAB believes a third of the UK’s top 100 advertisers (36%) still don’t have mobile friendly sites. When it comes to brand promotion these findings are detrimental, but not surprising and in general mobile commercial revenue lags behind the time people are spending on their devices.

While this is set to change (figures from eMarketer show mobile ad revenues surged 105 oper cent in 2013 to bring in nearly $18bn in sales), publishers are still faced with the grim reality that the majority of this increased spend comes through games, apps, social media and search engines. As such the industry is grappling with how it can change this trend and as part of that, native advertising has emerged as a way of placing adverts among content, which appear to match the content itself.

Fitting the format

The reason why mobile advertising has seen such a growth in other sectors is down to the swathes of people they can attract. Facebook for instance has the ability to reach hundreds of millions of people, as do popular games. While impressive, some doubt can be cast on how relevant each of these audiences are.

With centuries of experience, publishers are far more likely to know their congregation. Simply look at the readership demographics of some of the UK's largest nationals and you’ll see just how well their print and online ads tie in. The issue around mobile that brands and publishers face today comes down to format.

In order to drive sponsorship and increase revenues, both sides need to work together. Mobile is a very vertical experience, something social media has embraced tremendously – placing ads in position the user sees as they scroll through their news feeds. Publishers must follow suit, placing reader-relevant messages that create impact and catch the user's eye as they embark on their journey. There’s a massive need for both sectors to move towards this more responsive design approach, taking heed of commercial design and native advertising successes deployed by other sectors.

Data is big

There’s no denying that when it comes to data, mobile’s knowledge is unrivaled. Privacy regulations, however, have made utilising this data a tricky affair – something mobile operators know too well. The challenge for the industry is working out how to capture the mass of information and work with individual identifiers to reap the rewards.

Moving forward, aspects of mobile such as location will become increasingly important to publishers. From a commercial point of view, being able to target someone precisely with a relevant ad is of incredible value. In order to make mobile work fiscally, publishers must toil in the coming years to figure out how this can be can be achieved in a legal and non-intrusive way.

Video is another form of data that is particularly relevant. Many of today’s online sites have done a very good job in monetising this medium, which slots in so nicely with the busy lives so many of us lead (while reading is great, the ability to be fed a story in a minute and half is always welcome – a fact recognised by Yahoo that ultimately led to its $30m purchase of Summly in 2013). The fact so many people view their smartphones as an entertainment system means that alongside increased infrastructure, the future of mobile video is naturally set for a boom. Ensuring a creative and modern approach is taken is vital for this growth to be achieved.

Working together

In the coming years it is imperative that publishers build on their existing relationships with brands to test and trial the many opportunities that currently exist to achieve success. People interact in mobile in a different way to other formats such as print and online. Understanding this and producing not only content but also effective commercial communication will be key to the industry’s ultimate success.