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Brands can use mobile video ads to complement TV spots

Research released by Rhythm NewMedia reveals that mobile video advertising can be used as a complement to television campaigns.

The report provides a snapshot of first quarter mobile video advertising metrics from Rhythm?s mobile advertising network. Data reflects ads that have achieved more than 250 million average monthly content views on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android devices in the United States.

?We are focused on brand mobile video advertising, which is similar to TV-style commercials,? said Ujjal Kohli, CEO of Rhythm, Mountain View, CA. ?You can see our usage is spread out during the day and less than 25 percent of ad spend is during prime time. The corresponding number for network TV is 80 percent.

?When ads are spread out throughout the day on mobile they are remembered,? he said. ?When crushed into a particular time frame they are not recalled as much.?

Rhythm is a mobile video ad network. Its mobile ad units combine the brand engagement of TV with the interactivity of online media.

The network?s data shows that there is a similar video consumption trend per user on Android and Apple platforms. In fact, 49.5 percent of Android users watch video, compared to 50.5 percent of iPhone users.

Video viewing is spread throughout the day with peak times between 8-10 p.m.

A whopping 52 percent of video viewing occurs on WiFi and 48 percent is via 3G.

?Sometimes people are concerned over mobile video because of 3G performance,? Mr. Kohli said. ?The networks may not support video all the time.

?However, more than half the usage is on WiFi,? he said. ?Obviously, when someone is watching mobile video they are sitting and watching and not walking around.

?They are sitting in the hotel lobby, home, at the doctor?s office and in malls ? places that have WiFi. On WiFi the performance is very good. Mobile video is working well.?

The data also shows that video viewing is higher on applications with full episodes. It is actually more than three times higher.

Interactive pre-roll video, application launch units, full-page interstitials and banners were covered in the report.

The data pointed out an impressive 86.7 percent completion rate for 15-second pre-roll video ads.

Additionally, interactive pre-roll video ad click-through rates were higher than their online counterparts.

Full-page interstitial click-through rates are high as well ? 11.6 percent.

Application launch units click-through rates are comparable to full-page interstitials, meaning they are also high.

Banner click-through rates reflect industry norms.

?Our network is seeing amazingly high click-through rates,? Mr. Kohli said. ?Video is higher than online. People are not multitasking on mobile and they are involved in a high entertainment experience on high-end phones such as Android and iPhone and other mobile ?big screens.?

?Mobile video advertising engagement rates are impressive,? he said. ?While the online medium is strong for transactional advertising, it does not work as well for branding because  online people multitask.

?Mobile is different and it might be a good complement for TV. Mobile video can complement television ads. The high engagement rates, young upscale audience and uncluttered atmosphere of mobile video is what makes it a good complement.