NEW YORK: Standard mobile advertising formats are not only frustrating, disruptive, and boring to consumers, but they don't score particularly highly on important brand metrics such as awareness, favorability and purchase intent, according to a new report.
Mobile ad provider Yieldmo had usability research firm Applause conduct an independent survey of nearly 400 US consumers on their perceptions around standard mobile ad formats compared to non-standard, mobile-specific formats developed by Yieldmo itself.
This found that two thirds of respondents preferred the mobile-specific formats. Standard formats such as interstitial and pre-roll video were considered more frustrating, disruptive and annoying, while static 300x250 and adhesion banners were described as boring and uninteresting.
While such conclusions might be expected from the organisation funding the research, perhaps more interesting were the results around specific brand metrics.
So, for example, 86% of respondents who saw the static 300x250 ad in the research incorrectly recalled the advertiser brand – making it the worst performing format in terms of unaided brand recall.
More generally, only 48% of respondents were able to correctly recall a brand seen in standard formats, compared to 63% in a non-standard format.
Favourability ratings for brands using standard mobile formats stood at a respectable 63%, although this rose to 79% for those viewing the Yieldmo formats.
Additionally, publishers stand to benefit from better designed-mobile ad experiences, the study said, with twice as many consumers reporting their perceptions of publishers had improved as a result of seeing a Yieldmo ad.
"Consumers must know that better mobile advertising experiences do exist," Lucas Piazza, director of marketing at Yieldmo, told Mobile Marketer.
"When mobile ads are respectful to their mobile behaviors, creative and engaging, and relevant to their interests, advertising can be helpful to their purchase journeys, rather than frustrating."
And, slowly, the industry seems to be getting there, driven partly by concerns over the rise of ad blocking. Google and the IAB are also among those working to create a mobile-specific advertising experience.
Mobile ad provider Yieldmo had usability research firm Applause conduct an independent survey of nearly 400 US consumers on their perceptions around standard mobile ad formats compared to non-standard, mobile-specific formats developed by Yieldmo itself.
This found that two thirds of respondents preferred the mobile-specific formats. Standard formats such as interstitial and pre-roll video were considered more frustrating, disruptive and annoying, while static 300x250 and adhesion banners were described as boring and uninteresting.
While such conclusions might be expected from the organisation funding the research, perhaps more interesting were the results around specific brand metrics.
So, for example, 86% of respondents who saw the static 300x250 ad in the research incorrectly recalled the advertiser brand – making it the worst performing format in terms of unaided brand recall.
More generally, only 48% of respondents were able to correctly recall a brand seen in standard formats, compared to 63% in a non-standard format.
Favourability ratings for brands using standard mobile formats stood at a respectable 63%, although this rose to 79% for those viewing the Yieldmo formats.
Additionally, publishers stand to benefit from better designed-mobile ad experiences, the study said, with twice as many consumers reporting their perceptions of publishers had improved as a result of seeing a Yieldmo ad.
"Consumers must know that better mobile advertising experiences do exist," Lucas Piazza, director of marketing at Yieldmo, told Mobile Marketer.
"When mobile ads are respectful to their mobile behaviors, creative and engaging, and relevant to their interests, advertising can be helpful to their purchase journeys, rather than frustrating."
And, slowly, the industry seems to be getting there, driven partly by concerns over the rise of ad blocking. Google and the IAB are also among those working to create a mobile-specific advertising experience.
Data sourced from Yieldmo, Mobile Marketer; additional content by Warc staff
