16 Best Tipsto Run SuccessfulMobile Rich Media Ad CampaignsYou are about to embark on an online

advertising campaign to garner interest for

your products or services with the objective of

selling it and gaining mind share. To do this,

you must optimize your ads for conversion.

Conversion rates are a measurement of how

e�ective your ads are in generating leads and

turning them into sales or performing some other action, such as signing up for a trial.

While di�erent approaches work best for di�erent products and services, there are universally proven methods and here we examine 16.

Conversion rates are essentiallya measurement of how e�ectiveyour ads are in generating a leadand converting them into a saleor performing some otherdesired action

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What are you trying to accomplish with this

campaign? Are you promoting a brand, selling a

revolutionary product or looking for Facebook fans?

There must be a clear goal and objective to your ad

campaign. If this cannot be determined, your

messaging, strategies and tactics will lose focus and

consequently, your campaign will likely fail.

Your goals and objectives must be measurable to

show you where you stand and whether you are on

the right track1.

1 “Planning internet marketing Campaign Goals and Strategies” http://www.dragonsearchmarketing.com/planning-internet-marketing-campaign-goals-strategies/

Define campaign goals and objectives

1

Your goals and objectives must be measurable to show you whereyou stand and whether you are on the right track

In online advertising, there is a rule of thumb known as the

“reverse rodeo rule” stating that you have only 8 seconds

to capture the audiences’ attention2. While rich media

maintains your grip on the audience longer, you must

make it count. Maximize this opportunity through the use

of clear and direct messages instead of composing

lengthy essays. Ads containing 4 words or less receive

28% more taps3.

2 “Hit Branding Goals with Rich Media Ads” http://www.everydayhospitals.com/blog/hit-branding-goals-with-rich-media-ads/

3 “Mobile ads with four words or less receive 28% more clicks”

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/08/02/mobile-ads-four-words-or-less-receive-28-cent-more-clicks

Be clear, direct and to the point

2

8Seconds

“You have only 8 seconds to capturethe audiences’ attention

“

Every product or service has a target audience

based on factors such as geographical location, age

and gender. In an app centric world, this is especially

important as di�erent people use di�erent apps.

To draw quality tra�c, it is important to display ads to

the right demographic. An ad for a Ferrari displayed

to teens will likely yield impulse taps, nothing more.

To identify and target your audience, you must work

together with ad networks.

Know who and where the target market is

3

To draw quality tra�c,it is important to display adsto the right demographic

People tend to think about food close to lunch and dinner.

In December, Christmas gifts will be on peoples’ minds and

as the school holiday season approaches, many will be

planning for family vacations. These very simple examples

highlight the importance of the timing of your ads. It should

then be obvious that timing is everything. Take note of the

time, day, month and, sometimes, even the year to increase

the relevance of your ads.

Time ads to increase relevance and visibility

4

25DEC

In December, Christmas gifts will beon peoples’ minds

It may have only been 5 to 6 years since the mobile

revolution began but the change has already been

significant. Today, the majority have migrated from

mobile browsers to mobile apps. According to app

analytics firm Flurry, 80% of the consumer’s time is

spent inside apps4. The conclusion is simple: if your

ads are not being displayed inside apps, you are

steadily losing your audience

4 “Flurry Five-Year Report: It’s an App World. The Web Just Lives in It”

http://blog.flurry.com/bid/95723/Flurry-Five-Year-Report-It-s-an-App-World-The-Just-Web-Lives-in-It

32%

2%4%

12%

6%

2%

2%

6%

8%

8%

18%

App-Games

App-Facebook

App-Entaertainment

App-Utility

App-Social Networking

App-News

App-Productivity

App-Other

Browser-Safari

Browser-Android Native

Browser-Opera Mini

Figure 2: Time spent on iOS and Android connected devices (Source: Flurry)

In-app advertising for an app centric world

5

Mobile devices are generally still small and there are two

ways to optimize ads for a mobile experience. The first is

split it into two: a teaser banner and the full screen ad. The

teaser attracts attention and when tapped, the full screen ad

takes centre stage. The second involves using technology to

determine the screen orientation, whether it is in portrait or

landscape view. A landscape view provides more real estate.

Why not make use of it dynamically?

Figure 3: Optimize for mobile devices to make best use of real estate

Optimize ads for a mobile experience

6

The teaser attracts attention andwhen tapped, the full screen adtakes centre stage

Various mobile ad formats that include interstitials, pop-ups, sliders & IAB mobile rising stars.

Figure 4: A non-intrusive experience increases the likelihood of a tap

Design seamless and non-intrusive ad

7

Traditional banner ads create an intrusive

experience, taking the audience away from

the app used when tapped. New ad delivery

methods jettison this behaviour by

integrating the ad within the app. This

preserves the app state when the banner is

tapped and when done viewing, it returns to

that state. If your ad caught the eye in the

middle of a game, there is now no need to

sacrifice that high score just to view it.

If your ad caught the eyein the middle of a game,there is now no need tosacrifice that high score just to view it

Create HTML5 mobile ads using MobileAds' ad creator.

5 “Mobile Rising Stars Ad Interaction & E�ectiveness”, http://www.iab.net/media/file/MobileRisingStarsAdInteractionandE�ectivenessFINAL.pdf

Use interactions to holdand convert the audience

8

Holding the attention of your audience is a tricky task

but can be accomplished through interactive ads.

This conclusion has been supported by an Internet

Advertising Bureau (IAB) commissioned study5.

Examining the e�ectiveness of the IAB Mobile Rising

Stars creative ad units, it found the audience 79%

more likely to interact with an IAB Mobile Rising Stars

ad as opposed to traditional banners. From passive

spectators, they now become involved and invested

and increasing the probability of conversion.

it found the audience 79% morelikely to interact with an IAB MobileRising Stars ad as opposed totraditional banners

6 “The State of Mobile Advertising”, https://www.dropbox.com/s/s78vuq9of7ixpfw/opera_state-of-mobile-advertising_july2012_FINAL.pdf

7 “Mobile Rich Media Ads Getting Clicks and Eyeballs”, http://gigaom.com/2011/01/31/mobile-rich-media-ads-getting-clicks-and-eyeballs/

Figure 6: Volvo S60 rich media ad campaign

(Image from GigaOM)

Bring ads to life using rich media

9

A study conducted by browser developer

Opera found 66% of taps on rich media

ads completed the interaction in ad units

that displayed videos with an average

dwell time close to 1 minute6. Swedish

automobile manufacturer Volvo

completed a mobile ad campaign for their

S60 using rich media that resulted in 10x

improvement in click-through rates7.

By conveying the message about your

brand or product in a more interesting

and aesthetically pleasing manner, you

will increase your chances of conversion.

Rich media is more than pictures and videos

10

Having a stock clearance sale? Why not

include a map that uses geo-location to

point those interested to the closest store

to grab those out of this world deals. Just

developed a revolutionary new beauty

product? Do not just describe the benefits;

show it with a comparison of before and

after images. When the term rich media is used, people tend to think only of

pictures and videos. Rich media is much more and can be adapted for the goal at hand.

Rich media is much moreand can be adapted forthe goal at hand

Mobile rich media banner examples that embed components for social media, ecommerce, image slideshow, video, etc.

What if you could provide multiple forms of interaction instead? From flipping through a picture gallery of

your newly redesigned hotel to playing a video of your guests enjoying themselves in the surrounding

scenery, the more options provided, the longer the dwell time. By providing multiple forms of inter-

action, ads become more diverse and cater to a wider audience. Not only

that, it gives you the power of providing di�erent calls to action to people

with di�erent levels of expectations.

Create unique tapestries of interaction

11

Figure 7: Combine di�erent components to create unique interactive experiences

By providing multiple forms of interaction,ads become more diverse and cater toa wider audience

You have the audiences’ attention and

interest but do they know what to do next?

There must be a clear call to action that

entices them to perform the desired action

from a design and messaging perspective8.

Never use text that blends in with the rest

of the ad. Instead, use buttons with

standout colours together with direct and

compelling statements to lead them down

the conversion tunnel.

8 “Your Call to Action is Lame! Here are 10 Ways to Make it Convert Better”,

http://unbounce.com/conversion-rate-optimization/your-call-to-action-is-lame-here-are-10-examples-to-help-you-fix-it/

Figure 8: A clear and obvious CTA grabs the attention immediately

Make call to actions visible and obvious

12

Congratulations!

US sandwich chain Quiznos ran a campaign from

November till December 2012 targeting customers

with discount coupons via mobile ads9 .

It witnessed 3.7 million impressions and a 20%

boost in coupon redemption. The lesson is this:

Before your audience decides to hand you their

credit card, they will want to know what they will

get in return. The probability of conversion

increases when you convey incentives or values

that would otherwise be di�cult to attain.

9 “Quiznos sees 20pc boost in coupon redemption via location based mobile ad campaign”,

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/14738.html

Figure 9: Quiznos mobile marketing campaign (Image from Sense Networks)

Highlight incentives and value

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Before your audience decidesto hand you their credit card,they will want to know whatthey will get in return

Make intimate and personal ads

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What is the purpose of your product or

service? Without doubt, you believe they

improve lives and bring happiness. Make

this known by including images of its

impact on people as this brings a level of

intimacy and gets your audience

emotionally invested10. Pictures of people

having a wonderful time with your product

or service will have a better chance of

convincing the audience it too will have a

positive impact on their lives.

Pictures of peoplehaving a wonderful timewith your product orservice will have a betterchance of convincingthe audience

10 “7 Ways to Improve Your Facebook Mobile Ad CTRs”, http://www.nanigans.com/2013/04/01/7-ways-to-improve-your-facebook-mobile-ad-ctrs/

Whether an article or a picture, people

enjoy sharing through social media

and its power cannot be

underestimated. According to Rhythm

New Media, ads using a social

component increased audience

interactivity rates by 57% with one

client even seeing a 75% increase in

engagement rates11. You may not get

the first time conversion but if

compelling enough, it could spread

through social media12.

11 “Four Mobile Marketing Strategies That Are Working Right Now”, http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/12382.html

12 “Rich Media and Social Media: A Match Made in Marketing Heaven”,

http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2268058/rich-media-and-social-media-a-match-made-in-marketing-heaven

Figure 10: Users can tap to like Hard Graft or retweet its ad

Take advantage of social media

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Ads using a socialcomponent increasedaudience interactivityrates by 57%

Hesitation delays conversions. The longer they

wait, the more likely it is for your audience to

lose interest. The solution to avoiding such a

situation is simple. You must create a sense of

urgency that makes them think ‘now or never’

instead of ‘I’ll do it later’. It could be something

as simple as a limited time o�er lasting 24 hours.

An o�er that is too good to pass up will prod

your audience to act now rather than later.Figure 11: Remove hesitation by increasing the sense of urgency

Create a sense of urgency

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You must create a sense ofurgency that makes them think‘now or never’ instead of‘I’ll do it later’