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Personalized, cross-channel ads upshot of programming shift to mobile

As Verizon and others lobby for a role in the growing mobile television programming space, the winners will be those that offer means of more personalized and cross-channel marketing for advertisers. 

Mobile video viewing is growing at an accelerated rate, with a 71 percent increase in the global number of people watching video on mobile devices in three years, according to research by Ericsson ConsumerLab. With this number skyrocketing, many advertisers and developers are able to jump in on previously unreachable television ad space such as Verizon testing its upcoming Go90 ad-supported video player and BBC?s new Dancing with the Stars companion application. 

"Introducing personalized ads, as well as advertising across different platforms, will mean a shift away from the traditional TV ad market where advertisers reach a target audience by paying for space during the appropriate TV shows and programs," said Andre Gualda, researcher at Ericsson's ConsumerLab. "By enabling personalized ads across platforms, it will be possible to get better hit-rates, reach the audience on the device they are currently using and gain a positive audience, not actively trying to avoid ads breaks like they are today."

Mobile video evolution
Video viewing has been rapidly growing as technology for smartphone devices has been growing, and screens are becoming larger. Consumers now take to their mobile devices to watch a variety of videos from viral clips to full television programming. 

Teenagers in the US now view video and television programming 55 percent of the time on mobile devices. Mobile video views in the US have increased 136 percent since 2012. 

Verizon is launching its future mobile video viewing platform into beta this week. The service named Go90 will act as a network channel, but only on mobile devices, serving consumers? television programming from various networks on an app powered by advertisements. 

Dish and AT&T are rolling out similar services in the future, directly competing with Verizon for the teenager demographic. 

BBC Worldwide has partnered with Monterso to bring content to Dancing with the Stars? fans? mobile devices. Users will be able to interact with the show while watching with features such as dance performance ratings, games and the chance to win prizes and show tickets through accumulating points. 

Dancing with the Stars will be increasing its revenue stream through the addition of mobile advertising, as well as the preexisting television ads.

Also, CBS Interactive teamed up with brand sponsors Mary Kay, Kohl's and Ram Trucks to leverage a wide array of mobile tactics for the Academy of Country Music Awards, including live-streaming, social media reporting, voting and delivering backstage content (see more). 

"As more dollars move from TV to mobile, some of the newer entrants to the category will begin to feel some of the pressures and realities of today's digital and mobile world i.e. viewability, brand safety, data-driven measurement, good user experience, and that may be good for buyers and more challenging for sellers and content owners," said Terri Walter chief marketing officer at Kargo.

"However, the future of advertising will be centered around consumers, quality content and the mobile device, and we are just beginning that journey," she said. "Marketers need to be in mobile video if they are not already, but doing it well is about understanding the differences between mobile and TV. 

"A shorter creative length, the quality of the environment and frequency are all important factors. With a new player like Verizon who has the potential to connect data and understand users at a deep level, there may also be new data and targeting opportunities for marketers to leverage. It is still early, but there is so much potential in the category."

Content overload
The Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media Report 2015 also noted that it is not only professional programming on mobile that is growing, but user-generated content as well. YouTube is being accessed similar to another television network, with about one in 10 consumers viewing more than three hours of content on the platform. 

YouTube is currently a critical platform for mobile video but, as consumption continues to grow, Facebook made a play for a bigger role, which means marketers should consider boosting their video strategy on Facebook, given its significant reach (see more). 

With the current overload of content generated by mobile devices, the added platforms on mobile will only add to the onslaught of advertising. It will be difficult for marketers to make their content seen through the overabundance. 

"We can see that TV and video content is increasingly being accessed via smartphones," Mr. Gualda said. "In fact, since 2012 there has been a 71 percent increase in the number of consumers who watch video on their smartphones. 

"When taking tablets and laptops into consideration, around two thirds of the time spent watching TV and video among young people are on a mobile device," he said. "Factors such as place shifting when watching content, and the growing importance of user generated content are among the key drivers of that."

Final take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer