There’s never been a more difficult time for brands to try and communicate with their audience. Indeed, it’s easy to forget that, as recently as twenty years ago, the world of advertising was a very different place. Options for advertisers were once restricted to running expensive ad placements in newspapers or magazines, broadcast media like the TV or radio, or outdoor billboards, in hopes of reaching a mostly captive audience. By comparison, today’s audiences engage with so many different platforms, devices and media that the sheer complexities involved make the act of successful customer engagement itself no mean feat.
Despite this, there’s one common platform that allows brands to engage with almost every customer they are looking to reach; mobile. What’s more, mobile can also provide these brands with even greater opportunities than before, allowing them to communicate and interact with customers in a truly innovative and powerful way. In days gone by, there’s very little doubt that the art of ‘communication’ when it came to advertising was limited and, if we’re honest, one-way.
Where consumers would once be satisfied to simply observe and absorb a message, today’s mobile tools have begat a new, more sophisticated type of consumer. The reason for this is simple. Can you think of another device or medium that allows brands to be constantly in the pocket of their audience? In short, there isn’t one. Mobile really does allow advertisers to do more, and, perhaps more importantly, provides them with a platform to interact more efficiently with their audience to boot. Mobile is not just a convenience boon for advertisers looking to target their messages to users of a specific application or service. It’s also an integral part of the brand journey.
For the modern-day customer, it’s not enough for advertisers to simply inform their audience, or even educate them. Today, they have to be entertained and even empowered by their adverts. Mobile can be quite effective in achieving this. In fact, what more and more brands are realising is that a degree of true interaction is imperative when it comes to advertising, and that mobile provides a real time opportunity for them to realise it. Done correctly, advertising is much more than simply sharing a message. It’s also an opportunity to build brand loyalty though honest exchanges with the end user, solve problems and provide a voice to the brand. Successful messaging depends on providing a personal experience, and there’s no doubting the role that mobile can play in achieving this.
Already we’re seeing advertisers exploring with a range of new, mobile-dependent innovations that could change the way we interact and communicate with brands. A study conducted last year by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), suggested that the number of people in the UK using mobile phones to access the internet has doubled in the last three years alone, which presents an incredible opportunity for brands looking to embrace this medium.
Indeed, technology is already available to allow synchronisation between adverts consumers watch on TV and their mobiles. Our own Adsync solution helps to build brand awareness by synchronising mobile advertisements and TV commercials. Research specialists Nielsen have claimed that three quarters of all TV viewers use mobile phones, computers, or tablets while watching TV, underlining the importance of this opportunity.
Today’s audiences enhance their TV program and TV commercial experiences by updating themselves, seeking additional information, and directly discussing content with others during transmission. What’s clear is that TV and mobile devices increasingly exist in a symbiosis, and we believe technologies like this is the perfect tool to help UK advertisers benefit from this phenomenon and to further drive the adoption of mobile advertising in the country.
With this in mind, there’s no doubt that the age of mobile devices is also set to usher in a new golden age of mobile-orientated advertising.
However, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that all of this is dependent on brands acknowledging the importance of interaction in this process. It’s not enough to consider mobile advertising in the same way as traditional advertising; as a one-way means of using a specific media to plant a message. The way we deliver and consume advertising is evolving, and only those who recognise the importance of moving with the times will benefit. One thing’s for sure: this advertising revolution is happening, and it will not only be televised – it’ll be available on mobile as well!
