The report has some interesting findings regarding engagement influencers such as household income and outside temperature. Overall, The positive response to rich media ads is causing brands to invest in the technology.

?If used correctly, mobile ads can speak to the consumer in the right way, at the right time and at the right place,? said Anthony Iacovone, CEO of AdTheorent, New York. ?Personalization is the key and there?s no vehicle like mobile for driving awareness and engagement.  

?When harnessed correctly, the use of big data and targeting in mobile not only identifies the optimal target, but it allows for a deep level of personalization, which enables brands to serve relevant content to the right consumer, ultimately creating a one-to-one relationship with that consumer.?

For this report, AdTheorent analyzed user engagement with approximately 150 million mobile impressions in the retail space for insights regarding the highest performing secondary engagement actions, household incomes, operating systems and devices, as well as outside factors that influence mobile advertising engagement.

Rich media drove an expansion rate across the retail category, delivering rates of 125 percent higher than the industry average. Secondary ad engagement within rich media units for Q2 was 76 percent higher than industry average.

Social actions consisted of approximately 33 percent of all in-banner actions, and ?shop? or ?buy now? calls to action drove the second largest share of actions within rich media content, delivering 29 percent of all in-banner actions across the category.

?Consumers with a short attention span love shop or buy now actions, because these functions trigger users to react right then with one action to do what they?d like to do,? Mr. Iacovone said.

Click throughs to a brand?s landing page consisted of 17 percent of all in-banner actions. 

High-income levels contributed to comparable engagement for mobile abs in retail capacities. 

For example, for household incomes of $75,000 to $100,000, engagement was 96 percent higher than the industry average. For household incomes of $150,000 to $250,000, engagement was 106 percent higher than the industry average.

Furthermore, interestingly enough, increases in temperature resulted in a parallel rise of engagement. 

When temperatures were 88 degrees or higher, engagement rates were 137 percent higher than the industry category average. 

In March, McDonald?s made a mobile push by investing in rich media ads to support its Facebook presence, revealing how the quick-service restaurant keeps ahead of its competition.

The burger chain ran rich media mobile ads within The Hollywood Reporter?s mobile site to promote its Big Mac sandwich. The McDonald?s campaign came at a time when more marketers were reportedly losing some of their organic reach on Facebook and were likely pumping in more marketing campaigns to drive traffic (see story).

In July, Wet Seal elevated its mobile messaging strategy with rich media, including images, video and social links, to meet the increasingly sophisticated mobile needs of its target audience.

With a predominantly young female customer who actively embraces mobile for staying in touch with friends, the latest trends and their favorite brands, retail chain Wet Seal recognized a need to evolve beyond its previous text-based SMS strategy. The new Rich Media Messaging program was provided in partnership with Iris Mobile, which has seen similar programs double in response rates for other clients (see story).

AdTheorent?s executives believe the ?self-contained? aspects of rich media make the experience worth the investment for brands.

 ?When you think of rich media, think of it as a self-contained mobile destination that lives within the creative unit,? Mr. Iacovone said. ?In this contained experience, you have the ability to execute enhanced, high-impact functions. 

?Advertisers can do unique things with geo-functionality, video or games, all within the ad unit. Rich media is effective and making a positive difference because the user can stay in one environment and not be taken out of it to another site or app to get a brand experience. 

?Because rich media ads are more creative, interactive and visually appealing, they deliver engagement, well beyond the click.?