By now, the digital media industry is well-versed in the issues that accompany the rapid shift of eyeballs to mobile as monetization and ad spend continue to lag. While eventually we would expect for the dollars to follow the eyeballs, many in the industry have openly wondered if that will ever happen or if mobile ads are even effective.
New Comscore research suggests that it is.
Having conducted hundreds of Mobile Brand Survey Lift studies over the past couple of years on behalf of a range of clients and industry verticals, Comscore recently compiled the results into some benchmarks that brand advertisers can use to understand the performance of their mobile campaigns.
The research shows statistically significant lifts for the test group vs. the control group in aided awareness (+20%), favorability (+4%), likelihood to recommend (+22%), and purchase intent (+28%). The observed lifts appear to be the strongest near the bottom of the marketing funnel, with the most notable impact being on ‘purchase intent’, a metric that correlates with in-store sales.
These results of course beg the question: why do mobile ads appear to be working particularly well at the bottom of the funnel? Perhaps it’s because mobile devices are inherently personal devices and the ads may resonate on a more individual level. Another possible explanation is that mobile ads often appear when people are out and about, and either closer to the point of purchase or in a social context where they might recommend a brand.
As more research is compiled across brands and verticals, we will hopefully be able to shed more light on this increasingly important subject. But in the meantime, publishers and advertisers who may be vacillating about their mobile strategy should take note: mobile ads do work in influencing consumers’ brand perceptions.