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Boar?s Head misses the mark with mobile ad campaign

Although the Boar?s Head mobile ad campaign aims to engage new and existing consumers with its products, the company would have had a better chance at success if the execution was mobile-optimized. 

Boar?s Head is running the mobile ad campaign within Pandora?s iPhone application. The company is running both full-page and expandable mobile ads.

?Your mobile ad is viewed on a mobile phone,? said Marci Troutman, CEO of SiteMinis, Atlanta. ?When the ad is clicked, where do your customers go? The mobile Web. 

?Once they get to the mobile Web ? what is in place as an action to take that customer to an ROI experience? Anything? Or have you wasted your ad dollars on a mobile campaign that falls flat and does not deliver anything to the end user?,? she said. 

?Why pay for something that is of no use? Do not waste your ad dollars, put together a mobile strategy that says: print, media, product, marketing collateral all can have an action to ROI through a mobile instant with all of your customers.?

Ms. Troutman is not affiliated with Boar?s Head. She commented based on her expertise on the subject.
Boar?s Head did not respond to press inquiries.

Mobile versus Web
The mobile ad reads ?Dozens of Heart Healthy Deli Meats. Boar?s Head. Compromise Elsewhere.?

When consumers tap on the mobile ad, they are redirected to a landing page that is not optimized for mobile devices.

The landing page is not optimized for mobile devices

Users need to pinch and zoom to read the text on the screen.

The landing page is the company?s Web site which features recipes and product information.

If the page were mobile-optimized then consumers would not have to pinch and zoom to read the text and the experience would be more engaging.

Additionally, companies such as Boar?s Head need to make sure that their mobile ad campaign is executed till the end.

Running a mobile ad campaign is great, however, not testing it to make sure that the landing page is mobile-optimized is not very good.

Companies want to make the experience as seamless as possible for users and having them pinch and zoom to read the text is not very effective.  `

?While your customers are at the grocery ? they see the ad while adjusting their Pandora pick, they click on the ad and see a recipe link ? instant ROI from two clicks,? Ms. Troutman said.

Past fails
Boar?s Head is not the only company that has missed the mark when it comes to executing a fully mobile ad campaign.

In 2010, Chrysler?s mobile banner in the New York Times iPhone app illustrated the importance of having a mobile-optimized landing page. Chrysler?s landing page was not mobile-optimized.

The banner took a user to the company?s Web site, which was not optimized for a handset, thus completely ruining the user experience and making the ad useless (see story).

Last year, Unilever?s I Can?t Believe It?s Not Butter mobile banner ad, which ran in WhatToExpect.com?s iPhone application, promoted the company?s butter products.

Instead of taking consumers to a mobile-optimized site, the banner ad took them to the company?s Web site, which changes the overall purpose of the ad (see story).

?Adding the text and content on the PC site to a mobile friendly view would encourage customers to read an article on wellness, health and the reason to choose Boar?s Head as an option while they are waiting at a game, doctors office, hair salon or multiple other places on a simple click through,? Ms. Troutman said.

?Companies need to remember, simple is better, always,? she said. ?Make it easy to use, see, navigate, and make sure there is an action in the process.  

?Mobile is quick, if a campaign is done right, everyone wins.?