Consumers want content that is consistent across all channels, and that concept applies to mobile advertising, according to a report by Microsoft.

The way consumers interact with brands, products and services is dramatically impacted by digital media. Consumers are using their PCs, mobile phones, televisions and gaming consoles such as XBox Live?sometimes at the same time?to perform the same functions, whether to research products, for social networking, to play games or make purchases.

The study, which covered activities across computers, smartphones, TVs and game consoles, found that:

? Sixty-nine percent of multi-screen consumers believe that being able to access similar content?media and advertising?across different screens makes the content more useful and their media experience more relevant and informative.

? Eighty percent of consumers surveyed expect improvement in the delivery of content and advertising across devices, and they report that these improvements will increase their engagement.

Mobile Marketer?s Dan Butcher interviewed Alison Engel, San Francisco-based senior marketing director at Microsoft Advertising. Here is what she had to say:

What are the main takeaways of the study for brands and agencies?
We learned that consumers who are actively engaged across multiple devices value experiences that are cohesive and connected across those screens.

Our research showed that consumers are performing many of the same activities on different devices and that they expect to be able to do many of the same things, like making dinner reservations, on different devices.

The results show that while there is convergence of activities across devices, people think of each device separately, which means our multi-screen campaigns need to balance a connected experience across the board, while tailoring creative and messages to best fit that particular device and its use.

Eighty percent of consumers expect improvement in the delivery of content and advertising across screens in the future, and they expect that their engagement across screens will increase as this becomes a reality.

This clearly represents an opportunity for marketers to begin investing more in multi-screen campaigns to keep pace with consumer adoption.

Consumers want media companies and advertisers to get this right.

They see the value in a connected experience, they trust that media companies and advertisers will figure out how to deliver it?and they are optimistic about what that will look like in the future.

What is the most surprising finding and why?
We were surprised at the level of consumer enthusiasm for consistent experiences and how these experiences drive value.

Sixty-nine percent of the respondents said that being able to access similar content across screens makes the content more useful and their experience more relevant and informative.

Going into the study, I didn?t expect this figure to reach more than 50 percent, which shows that consumers are beginning to expect a seamless connection between screens even faster than we as marketers would have expected. 

How can mobile advertising influence consumer buying decisions while they?re on the go?
The study demonstrated that more than any other devices or screens, phones and computers are converging when it comes to activities performed on those two screens.

Phones are ever-more powerful, and more capable of delivering the same great, super-fast browsing and information-gathering experience that we also experience on the PC Web?all while on-the-go.

Sixty-five percent of those surveyed reported relying on their mobile phones to help making buying decisions while away from home.

But beyond just assisting with buying decisions, the mobile device is also becoming a key point of purchase: buying online is certainly mainstream, but among those surveyed, a full 30 percent reported having made a purchase using their smartphones.

This is particularly interesting since there has been an adoption curve as people have learned to be comfortable making online purchases from their phone.

Consumers are quickly reaching a tipping point where the right message received on the go is increasingly likely to turn into a sale.

How does a multi-screen approach that includes mobile enhance the overall effectiveness of the campaign?
We recently conducted advertising effectiveness research for Toms Shoes ?One Day Without Shoes? campaign, a multi-screen campaign that incorporated online media, mobile media, in-game and around-game media (see story).

The advertising effectiveness results demonstrated that advertiser value increases incrementally with the addition of digital media channels.

The more advertising channels through which consumers were exposed, the more likely they were to be aware of ?One Day Without Shoes.?

Viewing the campaign across multiple channels increased consumers? understanding of the event, as well as positive feelings toward the ads and the Toms brand.

Viewing the campaign across more channels increased the likelihood that a consumer would register for ?One Day Without Shoes? or take action after seeing a campaign ad.

Final Take
Dan Butcher, associate editor, Mobile Marketer

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