Mobile video ads should not be direct response

By Giselle Abramovich

August 14, 2008

Jaguar pounches with mobile video ads

Mobile video advertising has lower reach than other platforms such as mobile Web and messaging, but the video experience is still powerful, reaching millions of people in the United States alone.

Although there is a lot of experimentation going on, mobile video advertising is still in developmental stages. There are still multiple basic options, including clip-views and multi-cast and both have promising futures and will be used in different ways.

"Media companies across the industry are taking mobile video advertising seriously, from broadcasters to cable companies and beyond," said Louis K. Gump, vice president of mobile at The Weather Channel Interactive Inc.

"Ad agencies are dedicating more attention to mobile advertising overall and so they’re asking about options on video in addition to mobile Web and messaging," he said. "Companies are experimenting with formatting.

"We're currently using a 5 second billboard in front and a 15-second post-roll, which is different from our implementations on other platforms."

The mobile video landscape is changing fast.

Various players are making great strides to ensure that the playback of video is ubiquitous across all phones.

This is not a trivial task with the current fragmentation in the mobile industry.

Also challenging marketers is the fact that not all consumers have all-you-can-eat data plans.

"The state of the mobile video advertising market is nascent with a capital N," said Michael Bayle, senior director of global mobile advertising at Yahoo Inc., Sunnyvale, CA. "If you ask the major media owners and carriers, a great deal of promotion needs to occur to drive widespread consumer adoption of mobile videos, let alone mobile video advertising.

"The last thing a brand wants to do is be culpable of running up a consumer's bill by enticing them to watch a video when they don't have a plan which will responsibly charge them for that consumption," he said. "We believe 2009 will carry greater promise for mobile video advertising, even though it is available in a non-perfected form today."

Doing it right
Mr. Bayle sees three facets of mobile video advertising.

First, the use of video in the increasingly comprehensive mobile Web sites that agencies and advertisers are creating.

This is especially true in the automotive sector, where inclusion of video assets is a key benefit to consumers on the go, learning about a particular car for the very first time.

"We saw this with a successful campaign Jaguar ran with Yahoo around the 2009 XF," Mr. Bayle said.

Then there is the use of video as the ad unit itself.

"We're running some programs in the UK where, similar to the PC, advertisers are buying video ad units as pre-roll to snack content which we get from media owners supplying content to our carrier partners," Mr. Bayle said.

Tylenol's mobile video ad was done well, according to Mr. Gump.

It was a short billboard in front, with concise message after the content that was consistent with Tylenol's brand attributes.

Mr. Gump said that Cisco also did an interesting mobile video ad campaign.

It used video on a mobile Web site (linked to from a mobile Web banner) to show how Cisco enables people to accomplish their goals.

"This was very powerful and a great example of combining mobile media," Mr. Gump said.

Best practices
"Certainly the best practice is to shoot specifically for the mobile user," Mr. Bayle said." We see some brands conscious of this at the time of the shoot and spend extra cycles capturing shots, which they know will treat their imagery and messaging with the fullest flavor appreciating the smaller screen size of the mobile phone."

Timing is important too.

Thirty-second video ads on mobile isn't the best route to success.

Instead, adopting the developing standard of seven seconds has a greater chance of not turning consumers off by the fact there is an interruption to what they were intending to do - watch a video or live TV.

"We are also seeing brands use the mobile channel to display videos otherwise not available in other channels, including outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, etcetera," Mr. Bayle said.

Direct response oriented marketing was one of the things mobile marketers should avoid, according to Mr. Bayle.

"It isn't sensible to expect a user to apply for a new credit card by using video," Mr. Bayle said. "Given the sight, sound and emotional elements which are uniquely available in video – and commonplace on traditional television obviously – brand-awareness creators are the ones best positioned to adapt those principles towards mobile."

It is also important to use mobile-specific creative that is consistent with, but not necessarily the same as, that on other platforms.

Advertisers should look for places where the ads not only match consumer demos, but also fit well with the content type.

Consider advertising both on mobile video and also on other mobile platforms such as mobile Web simultaneously to achieve campaign goals, Mr. Gump said.

He also said placing video ads in video content and making it an option from a mobile Web site may be a good idea.

"Take advantage of the fact that users are on their cell phones to provide content and experiences that are superior to other platforms when possible," Mr. Gump said.

"While mobile has its limitations, it also has advantages like the fact that a consumer sees this as such a personal device and also that they can make a phone call from the device," he said. 

He also suggested that marketers avoid putting in a pre-roll that is so long that it significantly reduces clip views.

Mr. Gump said not to indiscriminately use Web or TV video for a mobile campaign.

Instead think through goals and the consumer experience before using the same creative on multiple platforms

The future
"We see a consolidation of formats and programming which should ultimately lead to standards," Mr. Bayle said. "The Mobile Marketing Association is currently reviewing proposed draft standards with regard to mobile video advertising and I suspect you'll see greater adherence to standards in 2009 as a result."

Mr. Gump forecasts continued growth in mobile video consumption generally, as wireless networks improve, handsets have more video capabilities and content providers deliver more video content.

"Advertising will continue to evolve, with more advertisers participating and movement toward consensus on standards, especially with efforts of organizations like the Mobile Marketing Association," Mr. Gump said.