Types of Mobile Advertising and How To Choose A Strategy

Consumers use a number of mobile devices throughout the average day.

As such, it’s important to consider mobile advertising when planning out a marketing campaign. Different strategies work better for different platforms, however, so deciding to branch into mobile advertising involves more than just deciding to launch mobile ads. It also requires understanding what some of the different types of mobile ads are and how best to employ them to promote a brand or product.

Banner and display ads

The most common types of mobile ads you will encounter are banner and display ads.

These ads can appear as a small banner at the top or bottom of the screen, static or animated images on a page, or in some cases even as a full-screen display that has to be closed before the user can interact with the page or app. Because they are so common, some consider these types of ads to be less effective than other forms of mobile advertising due to “banner blindness;” this refers to users being so used to the ads that they simply ignore them or close them without looking at their content.

Some display ads are trying to counter this challenge by adding interactive elements to the ads, including playable games or other options to try and engage the user.

Native ads

An increasingly popular form of advertising is native ads, which are designed so that they look similar to other content and seem to fit in better than banner or display ads.

These ads can be very useful in creating a more cohesive experience for users since the ads don’t break the immersion of the website or app that the user is on. Care should be used with native ads, however, as they are sometimes used in an attempt to trick the user into thinking that the ad is part of the actual content of a page or app; doing so is often considered unethical, and in some cases may result in problems with the advertising platform that hosted the ad.

Video Ads

Video ads are becoming the most popular form of mobile advertising.

These ads are used more often in recent years due to how they catch the user’s attention; they often begin with a short clip preview of the ad, then play the full content once the user is watching. Because they provide a full video experience, these are some of the most effective ads at catching a user’s eye in the few seconds that it typically takes for a user to begin scrolling down for additional content.

Which ad type is best?

Determining which of these ad types is best for your mobile advertising needs isn’t always easy.

Each type has multiple ways that it can be implemented across different platforms, and each has its own benefits and drawbacks. The exact nature of your product or brand also plays a part, since some types of ads lend themselves more naturally to certain products and are less effective with others. Market testing and examining the performance of past ads is an important part of making this determination.

It’s also worth noting that there is nothing restricting your company to a single type of mobile advertising. Many companies plan complex mobile campaigns that incorporate multiple ad types, with certain types such as video targeted toward specific platforms (such as social media) while static ads and banners are featured on general websites. By experimenting with different ad configurations, your company can determine the specific mobile ad types that work best for your products.