Mobile Monday: Discover a New Lock Screen, Brands Increase Ads in Gaming, and Consumers Want Customized Ads
Digital Turbine is constantly keeping tabs on the mobile world, and every week, we’re sharing the most interesting and important need-to-know stories and articles. In this edition of Mobile Monday, we’re covering Glance’s new idea of what mobile lock screens could look like, diverse audiences from mobile gaming, and what consumers want from customized ads. Learn all about these stories in this week’s Mobile Monday!
Don’t Knock the Lock Screen
News recently came out that Glance, a subsidiary of InMobi, is in talks with carriers about bringing a successful lock screen solution to the US. In case you are unfamiliar, and don’t want to click the link, what Glance does is provide a set of rotating cards on your lock screen for you to “glance” at before you even open your phone. Think of it as super rich notifications that will always be there. This Verge article about Glance compares it to a SnapChat Discover Feed on your phone’s lock screen. While the Verge headline levels up the snark and calls the lock screen solution “exhausting,” the article itself does take a look at BOTH the pros and cons of a lock screen solution. When our phone habits have us “glancing” at our phones seemingly every minute or more, something that helps us easily and quickly discover the content and media we love is something that would save us time and, thus, allow people to spend less time on their phone. On the other hand, the article also wonders whether putting ““easier access to endless feeds of medium-interesting content” is a worthwhile goal. The answer, really, is somewhere in between. Think of a People magazine (which I do now every week since my wife has signed us up for a subscription for some reason I can’t figure out). The cover of it will give you a collage of the content that you will see within. If you see something you like, you can quickly find the piece and engage. This is clearly better than having to go through stories about Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian page by page before finding what you like. With phones being cluttered with an endless supply of content, anything that aids in discovery is bound to help the consumer. The key is ensuring the discovery is seamless to the phone use, is personalized enough to each user, and doesn’t distract. It remains to be seen if Glance can manage all three of these things at once.
Mobile Games Bring Diverse Audiences to Brands and Advertisers
More brands and advertisers are turning to in-game mobile ads as this channel of advertising provides a strong connection between brands and a wide audience base that is in a positive mood and ready to engage with branded content. What’s more, a recent study from IAB Australia, indicates that 45% of respondents (decision makers in brands and agencies) are looking to in-game ads for the diversity of the audience base. What’s more, 55% of decision makers have increased their participation in advertising in gaming in the last year.More specifically within gaming, 68% of respondents plan to use mobile for gaming advertising in the next year.
Goals for in-game advertising vary, yet the number one objective for advertising in games is to build brand awareness, followed by increasing engagement.
As consumers continue to shift more time and money to mobile and apps, specifically, it should come as no surprise that brands and advertisers are following consumers' attention to mobile games and using this advertising method to increase brand awareness and engagement within a diverse audience.
As Brands Unlock Mobile and Mobile Gaming — Consumers are Buying In
Mobile advertising in the gaming environment is becoming more appealing to brands - and with users on mobile more than ever before, it’s the quality of the ad that counts.Ad formats, delivery timing, retargeting - and much more - all go into delivering the best ad experience for users on all apps. And personalizing your ad to your specific users, with the available data and capabilities, is something that consumers prefer.
According to Insider Intelligence / eMarketer sharing a recent Salesforce report, 73% of survey respondents expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations, and 62% think companies should anticipate their needs.Customized ads deliver the most relevant information, with nearly 9 in 10 respondents saying they are likely to enjoy receiving a personalized offer based on their history - and the same number are willing to share more relevant information following a positive experience. As expected, consumer preference on what and how much data to share varies - especially between generations. Younger shoppers, including Gen Z and millennials, are more comfortable with sharing more information. Understanding the comfort level of consumers, and app users, can help tweak the level of data based personalization - striking the right balance per consumer group.
