Numbers don’t lie – By 2024, the number of smartphone users in India is expected to reach 1.07 billion. People have started relying on mobile phones for everything– be it shopping or entertainment. And that’s precisely why E-commerce businesses should embrace Mobile Advertising. Today, it’s the easiest way to reach your customers and deliver personalized marketing messages to them. But not all businesses succeed in Mobile Advertising, mainly because they fail to adapt and optimize their strategies to navigate the competitive Mobile Advertising landscape.
To help you succeed, we will deep dive into the world of Mobile Advertising, go through its basics and look into some of the best examples of Mobile Advertising in recent times.
Any type of advertising delivered on a smartphone or tablet can be considered Mobile Advertising. These advertisements can appear on social media apps, games, mobile websites, or even video streaming platforms.
Mobile Advertising should be an integral part of your marketing strategy because mobile users are active on their phones throughout the day. In fact, three in every five people across India spend five hours or more on their smartphones every day. So it’s a missed opportunity to not target them on the device they use extensively.
Mobile Advertising is often interchangeably used with mobile marketing. However, they are two different terms with two different meanings. Mobile Marketing is more of an umbrella term that includes Mobile Advertising as one of its core components.
Mobile Marketing typically involves gathering customer data, analyzing the collected data, and using it to share personalized messages with customers. The medium used to communicate these messages to customers is called Mobile Advertising.
Understanding the basics of Mobile Advertising is crucial for advertisers looking to harness its full potential. So let us quickly go through some common terminologies used in the Mobile Advertising ecosystem and also the different types of platforms used to run mobile ads.
Mobile Advertising involves two different types of platforms to reach and engage with your audiences. They are:
Mobile Web
These ads are displayed on websites accessed via a mobile device’s browser. They can include static imagery, video, rich media, text content, and more. More importantly, these ads must be adaptable to a wide range of devices, browsers, and operating systems.
In App
These ads are displayed within mobile applications. In-app ads can be easily tailored based on the app’s content and layout. Ad creators using this format can benefit from the immersive nature of the app, resulting in higher user engagement.
Besides the surge in the number of mobile users today, there are several compelling reasons why E-commerce brands should focus on Mobile Advertising. Here are the top ones –
With smartphones being constantly within reach, users can instantly access your ads and take immediate action. You can include interactive elements such as clickable buttons (click-to-call or click-to-message) on your mobile ads, allowing users to directly connect with you and make purchases in real time.
Mobile ads are cheaper than other traditional forms of advertisements such as print or television ads. The high competition in the Mobile Advertising market and the lower production cost of mobile ads are two main reasons why mobile ads are cheaper when compared to other forms of ads. And most Mobile Advertising platforms offer several self-serving advertising options(ad creation, ad publishing, ad management, etc.) with flexible budgeting. This enables you to allocate your ad spend according to your specific needs and scale campaigns as desired.
It’s very easy to target customers in Mobile Advertising due to geofencing. You can build a virtual boundary around your company’s location to promote your products to individuals in that area. In other words, you only reach those people who want to see your ad and are most likely to purchase from you.
Geofencing works based on GPS and several other radio frequency identifiers. Your geofencing campaigns will give you better insights into your local population’s demographics which you can leverage to personalize your messaging to resonate with your potential customers. Ultimately, you will drive better sales for your business.
The cost of Mobile Advertising can hugely vary and depends on several factors. It could be the ad format, the platform used, the objectives of the campaign, or the competitiveness of the advertising market. But the good news is India is one of the most affordable countries for running mobile ads. According to research, a banner ad costs only $0.50 to $1 while the CPM (Cost Per Mille) rates of a video ad hovers between $5 to $7. However, this is a ballpark figure and can vary based on industries.
Mobile advertisements come in different formats, with each of them having its own share of advantages and disadvantages. Here are the 6 common types of mobile advertisements –
A banner ad is one of the most common types of mobile ads you can see. It is a small rectangular image with text ingrained in it. It can be usually found at the top or bottom of the screen. These ads are affordable, easy to create, and supported on most devices. And the best part – these ads do not interrupt the user experience. However, the chances of wrong clicks are quite high in this ad type.
Video advertising uses video content and elements such as sound, visuals, and animation, to engage viewers. These ads are usually short commercials promoting the brand or different products. Video ads are gaining immense popularity because people spend a substantial amount of time watching videos today. This is a great opportunity that you must take advantage of. However, producing video ads can be costly and time-consuming despite the availability of several video creation platforms today.
Interstitial ads are full-screen ads that appear between content transitions. For instance, they could appear when launching an app or navigating between different screens on an app. These ads are particularly known for their “immersiveness” as they crop up at a crucial time of the user journey. Since they occupy the whole screen, the user is pushed to take action. He could either proceed with the CTA or close the ad. On the flip side, these ads can be quite annoying as they interrupt the user experience big time.
Pop-up ads appear in the same window or a separate window or tab but display over the page you are currently in. They are triggered by specific user actions or after a particular time interval. Like interstitial ads, these ads demand action from the users as it completely covers the present content. These ads have garnered mixed reactions from people due to their intrusive nature. Advertisers have also shifted to less intrusive ads to avoid negative experiences. And many web browsers of today come with in-built pop-up blockers, which prevent pop-up ads from coming up.
These ads do not feel like your typical advertisements. They belong to the app or page the users are on and create an organic promotional experience. These ads could comprise images, texts, or even videos. Native ads are the least intrusive ads available today and can attract clicks without compromising on the user experience. However, you need to be careful while creating such ads. If these ads are not distinguishable as sponsored content, your users may be misled or confused about the information they are consuming. This can result in a loss of trust in the long run.
These ads allow you to customize ad content based on the user’s location. They utilize the mobile phone’s GPS capabilities to deliver highly relevant ads such as localized offers or specific messages when the users are in a particular area. These ads can also offer information about your physical stores and drive footfall to them.
Let’s now discover some creative ways in which E-commerce brands have harnessed the full potential of Mobile Advertising-
Fire-Boltt, an emerging player in the wearable technology market, recently rolled out an interstitial mobile ad to generate buzz around its upcoming product launch—the Quantum Luxury Smartwatch. The campaign smartly tapped into the wide user base of a popular news app, Inshorts, and placed the ad on their users’ news feeds. The ad was seamlessly integrated into the user journey and received maximum exposure by targeting tech-savvy individuals who rely on Inshorts for their daily technology news consumption.
Puma, the global sports brand, implemented a mobile ad campaign on the Playo app, a platform for booking sporting facilities. Upon logging into this app, users were greeted with a popup ad that showcased an attractive offer from Puma for all Playo users. When users clicked on the CTA, they were directed to the Puma mobile website where they could explore Puma’s vast catalog and purchase products at a discounted rate. This campaign aligned the Playo users’ passion for sports with Puma’s growing brand image in the sports industry to drive sales for both brands.
This is one classic example of a native mobile ad. This advertisement from Swiggy Instamart, an online grocery platform, effortlessly blends into the layout and content of the popular newspaper app Times of India. The ad utilized one of the spaces reserved for articles and showcased a discount as a part of its latest campaign. Upon clicking the ad, the user was taken to the Instamart app for making purchases.
Mama Earth, a brand known for its natural and organic personal care products, launched a banner ad campaign on the Flipkart mobile app. This banner features a catchy slogan about one of their products along with an attractive discount for Flipkart users. The placement of this banner on the home page of the app is extremely strategic as Flipkart is one of the largest E-commerce platforms in India with thousands of users accessing its app on a daily basis. The banner has the potential to reach a vast audience driving traffic to that product page and increasing brand awareness.
Apple’s ad campaign focused on one of its flagship product’s data privacy capabilities. The ad was in the form of a video that played on the free plan of Spotify, a widely used music streaming platform. By displaying this ad on Spotify, Apple received great visibility and reach. Spotify’s vast user base enabled this campaign to target a diverse audience, particularly those looking to purchase a new phone with advanced privacy features.
Pant Project, an Indian apparel brand with a focus on custom-made clothing, has created a video ad campaign for its cargo collection. This ad runs on YouTube’s mobile app and instantly captures the attention of users through stunning visuals and enticing background music. The ad also features memorable captions to ensure that it can be viewed even without music being switched on. There is also a crisp CTA that directs users to the brand’s website directly from the app.
Ugaoo, the home gardening store created an image ad for the Instagram app. This ad showcased the brand’s unique collection of plants to capture the attention of plant enthusiasts casually scrolling through their Instagram feeds. Using the Instagram app for this campaign is a smart move as the users of Instagrammers tend to be highly engaged and active. They not only scroll through their feeds and explore content but also interact with posts through likes, comments, and shares. This level of engagement is much needed for a relatively new and growing brand like Ugaoo.
Ajio, an online fashion retailer, created a WhatsApp ad campaign to promote its weekend sale. The brand leveraged the widespread usage and convenience of WhatsApp to engage with customers. This is an example of a retargeting ad that re-engages users who had previously interacted with the brand. This ad doesn’t have an active CTA and is mainly used to drive users to their physical store and improve brand recall.
Juicy Chemistry, a renowned organic skincare brand, created an ad campaign on the Facebook mobile app. Facebook, often known for its visually driven content, is a great platform for a brand that revolves around beauty. The ad captures the instant attention of users, thanks to the stunning video shot of a product, showcasing the brand’s commitment to quality and eco-friendliness. Checkout types of facebook ads E-commerce brands can use.
Pampers, a well-received brand in the baby care industry, crafted a unique and eye-catchy Mobile Advertising campaign to showcase their recent recognition. It successfully leveraged the popularity of Firstcry, another renowned name in the baby care industry, and strategically integrated its campaign with the app. When the user closes the Firstcry app, a visually appealing pop-up emerges that has a prominent mention of this award. This approach offered maximum visibility for Pampers by capitalizing on an action that most users will take on the Firstcry app.
And that’s a wrap! The examples highlighted in this post showcase some of the most innovative approaches you can witness in the world of Mobile Advertising. Use them as an inspiration and as a starting point while running mobile ads for your own business.
As the competition in the E-commerce space grows, brands are faced with the critical challenge of handling multiple aspects of their business. This is where ANS Commerce steps in. We are an E-commerce technology company offering end-to-end support to Indian and foreign brands planning to launch their online store in India. To know more about how we can help scale your E-commerce business, book a free demo now.
