The Box Office in Your Pocket

Sometimes, we just want to kick back with a bucket of popcorn and watch a good movie. But there are so many questions that need to be answered first— What’s playing? Which theater should I go to? What time does the show start? Did the movie get a good review? Am I going to be able to get tickets? The list just goes on and on.

As mobile devices continue to act as our personal assistants, consumers are turning to their smartphones for answers to these entertainment-related questions. So, last month RadiumOne conducted a survey examining how consumers use their smartphones to make purchase-related decisions, such as researching which movie to see, viewing trailers, and purchasing movie tickets.

Our survey respondents indicated that they predominantly use the mobile web in a research capacity. Here was the demographic breakdown of those surveyed:

• 17.6% were aged 55+
• 46% were aged 35-54,
• 34.9% were aged 18-34
• 1.5% were under 18

56% of survey respondents stated that they use their phones to look up movie times, while 20% use their phones to watch trailers. Later, when asked why mobile users watch movie trailers on their phones, 50% again cited research as a decisive influence, suggesting that consumers are more likely to engage with interactive, contextual advertisements.

Thinking beyond the initial engagement, RadiumOne unearthed that nearly 79% of the audience explicitly prefer to purchase tickets on-location at the theater while 21% would rather buy them on their phone. Of that 21%, 16% feel safer making the purchase on a mobile app such as Fandango or MovieTickets.com. What’s more, advertisers and the entertainment industry would be interested to know that 63% responded favorably to purchasing tickets on their mobile devices if the option was presented to them after viewing a movie trailer.

With these insights in mind, it is imperative for entertainment advertisers to begin putting more thought into mobile creative to take full advantage of the mobile device’s native features.

Here are some additional suggestions gleaned from our research:

• Embed a calendar feature within the advertisement as a way by which consumers can remind themselves of times/dates of upcoming shows playing near them
• Our research shows that users are likely to buy tickets after seeing a movie trailer— include a call to action that redirects the user to purchase tickets on a mobile site
• Make sure to provide the ability to share the ad since personal recommendations are a major influence on purchase decisions. Advertisers can save money and build social credibility by leveraging sharing users as brand ambassadors that will excite other friends to see the movie

Advertisers should look at mobile as a clear choice for maximizing ticket sales during the holiday movie season. They need to perceive mobile as a primary tool for reaching audiences who make purchase decisions largely based on the research performed on their phones. The results of our research make it clear that consumers value relevant information, and more importantly, efficiency. By bridging advertisements and movie trailers with direct-purchase options, advertisers open up the possibility of tracking not only conversions, but also direct ROI.

Generation C: Bolstering Mobile Momentum

Mobile smartphones for today’s consumers are what Swiss Army Knives have long been for outdoorsmen—a multi-functional tool, whose features are used both for utility and for enjoyment. And while the everyday battles of urban survival may seem trivial, smartphone users’ behaviors continue to suggest that mobile applications play a significant role in the day-to-day bustle. From playing the latest trending games and watching hot off-the-press videos, to deep dive comparison-shopping, mobile users engage with and consume content in a number of ways.

Last month, a survey of Generation C mobile users conducted by RadiumOne found new insights into the ways that consumers are responding to and interacting with mobile advertisements.

Research highlights include:

• 47% of respondents indicated they have clicked on a mobile advertisement
• 55% have made a purchase on their mobile device in the last 6 months
• 35% have used mobile payments in-store
• 55% have used their mobile device to comparison shop at least once per week

Mobile has also reinvigorated the sharing of coupons and offers with family and friends. When asked how frequently these mobile shoppers share coupons, sales, and promotional offers with their direct social networks and family members, just shy of half of the surveyors said they used their smart phones for this purpose approximately 1-6 times per month.  This shows that sharing offers is not only a phenomenon of face-to-face interactions and desktop display channels, but it is also happening at an increasing pace on consumers’ mobile devices.

Generation C, which is comprised of adults 18-34, pro-actively leverages mobile advertisements as a form of peer-to-peer sponsorship for certain products and sales offerings. A whopping 79% of respondents revealed that mobile purchases are largely driven by personal recommendations and sales based content. This observation in and of itself should capture the attention of advertisers strategizing their next mobile campaign. These statistics overwhelmingly support the broad impact social influence continues to have on mobile platforms. With tools such as RadiumOne’s audience amplification technology, ShareGraph^TM, advertisers can leverage their current consumers as brand ambassadors to promote products more robustly and contextually. Strong media partners who possess access to first-party data offer a competitive advantage in delivering mobile-based campaigns, as they are able to act and make decisions in real-time.

The same study also took a deeper dive into consumers’ common smartphone behaviors. Turns out, there isn’t equality among the apps. The survey found that for a majority of users, mobile apps act as a direct substitute for traditional forms of entertainment. The two most popular app categories were gaming and entertainment and social networking.

As Generation C continues to rely on their phones more and more, there is no doubt that their tastes will be refined and advertisers will create new ways to interact with this growing audience. Advertising campaign messages and branding schematics applied to traditional and display campaigns may in fact have to be re-directed to suit the tastes of the next generation of mobile consumers.

Amp Up Your Mobile Approach

There’s no escaping the fact that mobile marketing and m-commerce are on the rise since 66% of smartphone owners use their phone to aid them when shopping[i] and 25% of smartphone owners said have made purchases on their phone in the last week[ii]. Advertisers need to make sure they are up to speed on the best practices for mobile advertising and optimizing their web presence.

For those already on board with mobile advertising, make sure to run with Rich Media creative. Mobile is all about engagement; so don’t be shy about using the native functions of the smartphone to engage consumers with your brand, products and offers.

• Use push notifications to let users know when they are close to your store.
  • GPS locators are great for retail stores—brands like Starbucks, Target and Goodyear use this creative functionality to drive in-store traffic.
• Include the option to set calendar reminders.
  • This functionality is great for entertainment clients that want to remind fans to watch upcoming movies and shows, or for retailers to remind customers that a sale is starting or announce that a new product is available.
• If you have an app, increase interactivity by implementing a rewards or loyalty program.
  • Consumers will be more excited to keep spending with you if they are getting something in return.
• Apply audio and video to grab attention and make your offer more appealing.
  • Audio and video complement cross-platform campaigns, especially for new product launches as they can align with radio and television advertising respectively.

Also, make sure ads are built in HTML5 when possible—this will lower the cost of creative and you will be able to run the ad on both mobile and display.

Outside of advertising on mobile platforms, there are two distinct ways for brands to better connect with mobile consumers—mobile optimized sites and branded apps. Any brand ignoring mobile optimization risks losing revenue as 61% of customers who visit a mobile unfriendly site are likely to go to a competitor’s site and 57% of consumers will not recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site[iii]. And, although users prefer to shop on the mobile web, apps are important too.  This is especially true for retailers; 43% of mobile consumers have downloaded retail apps to shop[iv]. As mobile usage continues to grow, so will these numbers.

Developing a mobile marketing strategy can seem overwhelming. Some savvy mobile platforms will create alternatives to the above options as an added value if your creative development resources are limited. Instead of going without a mobile presence at all in Q4, partner with someone who can solve your cross-platform media needs.  The efforts will keep your brand top of mind among mobile audiences and boost sales as m-commerce continues to skyrocket.

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[i] Leo J. Shapiro and Associates, 2012

[ii] Wave Collapse, 2012

[iii] Karim Temsamani at IABALM 2012 via IAB

[iv] Retrevo Blog, 2011

Exponential Advantages of Multi-Screen Advertising

Multi-screen advertising is too powerful for advertisers and brands to overlook anymore. TV, the original screen, is an effective way to help build brand awareness, but the “spray and pray” method leaves many metrics to be desired. Desktop display fills the void of unknown audiences, as there are a bevy of targeting technologies and ability track ad impressions, engagement and ultimately ROI. And then there is mobile. Smartphones and tablets are the newest and final pieces of the multi-screen puzzle that some advertisers are hesitant about. As with any new platform, mobile brings confusion and anxiety to the marketplace, but it also brings new opportunities and the potential for huge rewards.

According to eMarketer[1], mobile spending will rise 62% in 2012, and for good reason. Mobile marketing provides advertisers the sole opportunity to connect with consumers already in the purchase mindset: in-store and researching products for the last time before making a final purchase decision. Brands should take advantage of the devices’ native capabilities such as GPS and search as well as the high user engagement rates with mobile creative and the availability of cross-platform social sharing data.

Brands still wary of mobile advertising need to realize that 47% of media is now consumed on smartphones and tablets[2]; 44% of Americans own smartphones; mobile adoption rate is at 120% in the US[3]; and 80% of smartphone owners don’t leave home without them[2]. These numbers can’t be ignored.

While it’s no doubt that TV and desktop display still capture a decent amount of our attention, any brands not utilizing mobile advertising solutions are handing consumers over to the competition on a silver platter. A retailer’s mission is no longer just to get consumers into a store. Now, more than ever, they are challenged to be the product of choice wrung up at the register.  With smartphone devices in their hands, shoppers are able to compare prices, read reviews, locate a store with the product in stock or order the product to be shipped to their home from virtually anywhere.

This past August, Google released a study that revealed not only are consumers more engaged on smartphone devices, but also that they often switch between devices throughout the day. Users shift between multiple screens in two ways—sequentially and simultaneously. Simultaneous usage involves using more than one device at the same time for either a related or unrelated activity. Smartphones are most frequently used with another device. Sequential usage, however, is moving from one device to another at different times to accomplish a task. The top activities most commonly performed sequentially between two devices are browsing the Internet (81%), social networking (73%), shopping online (67%) and searching for information (67%)[2].

The multi-screen experience is growing rapidly among millennials, making it imperative for brands to focus advertising across platforms, especially since 34% of the time users will just grab the closest device to complete a task[2].  By creating a marketing strategy that encompasses all four screens, advertisers can be more certain that the right audience will be exposed to their messaging. And, by leveraging data from both display and mobile, brand marketers can amplify consumers down the purchase funnel.

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[1] eMarketer, US to Top Japan as World’s Biggest Mobile Ad Market, August 2012

[2] Google/Ipsos/Sterling, The New Multi-screen World: Understanding Cross-platform Consumer Behavior, 2012

[3] Lopez Research, The Future of Mobile is Right Time Experiences, 2012