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Will mobile video advertising impact marketing in 2012?

Brands, publishers and retailers began embracing more mobile video advertising in 2011 as a way to lock in engaged users. Experts agree that the medium will continue to grow in 2012 with more cross-platform integration.

In particular, social media will play a large role as an opportunity for marketers to reach consumers on their mobile devices. Additionally, marketers will need to think outside the box on ways to incorporate mobile video and incentives into the marketing mix.

?Everyone recognizes that mobile is a main channel and that it is hard to ignore anymore,? said Mitchell Reichgut, founder/CEO of Jun Group, New York.

?Now the main trend we are looking at is a way to tie an incentive with views and we expect to see mobile as a big part of our business in 2012,? he said.

Switch to mobile
In 2012, companies will mix up their marketing budgets by swapping traditional mediums for more mobile video components.

However the newly-allocated video component needs to mirror the functions of a mobile device.

For example, a 30-second television commercial is too long for mobile to keep users engaged and should be replaced with a 15-second clip, per Mr. Reichgut.

In particular, social will be a key driver because it is measurable, making it easy for brands to get a grasp on.

With traditional video pre-rolls, marketers cannot tell who is watching the video, but with mobile and social, it is easier to understand where users are accessing content.

?Once you know who you are reaching and connecting with, it opens up to lots of feedback and becomes tangible to help justify the spend,? Mr. Reichgut said.

?Mobile is where consumers are and where people are paying attention with higher click-through rates,? he said.

?It adds a connection you cannot have elsewhere.?

Overall plan
This year?s growth in mobile video advertising signals that the medium will increasingly become a significant part of an overall digital strategy.

?Mobile video advertising is no longer planned solely as a part of the mobile marketing mix, but rather also seen strategically as a portion of larger video and TV initiatives,? said Lisa Abramson, director of marketing at Rhythm NewMedia, Mountain View, CA.

?This is a fundamental shift that will open up mobile video advertising to all Fortune 500 brand advertisers in 2012,? she said.

2012 will also see new techniques and strategies that mobile marketers can tap into.

In-stream video will continue to be an effective and worthwhile investment because it breaks up content either as a commercial or before a video clip begins, similar to TV.

Rhythm claims that the company?s in-stream videos have a 87 percent completion rate compared to a Web average of 72 percent.

Brands can also use more interactive features such as mobile banner ads that automatically play video content and expand once users engage with it.

?As brand marketers know, immersion is the key to delivering the emotional impact of a video ad, and when it comes to single focus immersion, mobile video reigns supreme,? Ms. Abramson said.

?Additionally, mobile video is entirely fullscreen which helps hold the consumer?s complete attention and leads to increased ad effectiveness,? she said.

All-in-one device
The increase in mobile video can also be attributed to consumers using their mobile devices for all of their music, video and entertainment needs.
 
According to a study from Oracle, 43 percent of mobile users have swapped their camera for a mobile device, showing how mobile is becoming the one gadget that consumers need with them at all times.

?Mobile video as a percentage of companies? overall bucket of ad spend will continue to increase in 2012,? said Thi Wernau, vice president of business development and client services at skyrockit, San Francisco.

?Because the end user can interact with the brand, mobile video make the experience much more participatory,? she said.

Additionally, the increased use of mobile as a third screen for consumers poses an opportunity for marketers to reach their video efforts across three screens ? mobile, Web and TV.

In order to maximize their efforts, marketers need to think of creative ways to layer additional interactive elements into a video, including sharing, downloading and purchasing.

Ms. Wernau also believes that social will play a critical role in mobile video in 2012.

?Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are ripe for increasing social video engagement because of the emphasis on sharing in their existing platforms, and video is a natural extension of sharing,? Ms. Wernau said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York