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Nielsen exec: Mobile advertising done well shows great promise as branding vehicle

NEW YORK ? A Nielsen executive at the ad:tech 2012 conference said that the mobile landscape is growing daily and marketers can effectively use channels such as mobile advertising to influence shopping and conversion.

During the ?Reaching and Influencing the Mobile Consumer? session, executive addressed how mobile is impacting both marketers and consumers. The session was moderated by Maarten L. Albarda, vice president of global connections at Anheuser-Busch, New York.

?It?s no longer the year of mobile,? said Eric Ferguson, vice president of digital client services at Nielsen, New York. ?It?s the year of cross platforms.

?Mobile now represents a sizable share of overall media consumption and we need to think about this in a cross-platform way,? he said.

Extreme reach
Mobile increasingly is digital.

Consumers are there, but marketers need to look at how to define success in marketing to them.

It is all about reach, resonance and reaction.

Firstly, marketers need to look at who their campaign is aiming to reach. Then, find out the impact the effort had on the brand.

Finally, companies need to see what the campaign motivated consumers to do.

When it comes to mobile, testing and analyzing is crucial. While the space has been around for a while, there are still marketers out there that are hesitant on how to best leverage the channel to drive engagement and awareness.

Mobile properties vary widely in reach and engagement for particular audiences.

According to Mr. Ferguson, mobile advertising is a great medium that companies can use to better target consumers, not only because they are already exposed to mobile ads, but also because they actually interact and often buy items right after.

Mobile commerce is growing.

The key is reaching the right customer at the right time on the right device.

Additionally, when marketing to consumers, companies must separate the difference between smartphones and tablets.

Smartphones have a right-now mentality with consumers increasingly turn to their mobile devices while on the go.

However, tablets are a different story and are more often considered a couch device.

?The eyeballs on mobile devices are there,? Mr. Ferguson said. ?We?ve now reached more than critical mass and the next challenge is reaching and influencing consumers effectively.

?Use effectiveness frameworks and measurement to gauge success ? for example, measuring a mobile ad campaign?s performance in reach, resonance and reaction can foster continuous improvement,? he said.

Mobile, done right, can be very effective in both branding and direct response.

And, with so many variables on such a personal device, data and analytics play a critical role in driving effectiveness.

?Mobile in particular is in a unique place,? Mr. Ferguson said. ?Time, location and branding is also very important and should be part of the mix.? 

Final Take