Our Favorite Video Experience Is Mobile Video
Mobile. Most of us can’t remember a time when our mobile device wasn’t our constant companion…literally. Gone are the days of a mobile device just being for phone calls and text conversations. Our mobile devices house our photo libraries. We connect with family, friends and colleagues via social network platforms. We check bank accounts or read the news. The list goes on. And, we watch videos on it. From entertainment to tutorials to advertising, we can watch it all from the palm of our hand.
Research firm, eMarketer reports, one in three consumers watch video on their mobile devices, which means watching video on mobile is already more common than using devices to listen to music. There’s also mounting evidence that people who watch video on their smartphone are giving it their full attention. But, mobile doesn’t just command our attention. It allows viewers the opportunity to explore products and offers before making a purchase.
Mobile video advertising is set to reach new heights in the years ahead. Data from an ad buyer survey from Cowen and Company predicts mobile video ad spend will reach $8.6 billion globally in 2018.
The consumer packaged goods industry is taking note. Luis di Como, Senior Vice President Global Media at Unilever observed, “Recent research from the Mobile Marketing Association shows the effectiveness of mobile advertising and, in particular, the strength of mobile video advertising combined with data and context targeting. Video has long played an important role in building Unilever brands and now that consumers are spending more and more time with mobile media Unilever is working to understand how best to use mobile video and other mobile ad formats.”
Advertising on a mobile device offers the ability to identify unique users; therefore it can be relevant and timely to the viewer. Coupled with services such as geofencing, brands can locate opted in customers and send targeted content based on their location. To effectively engage potential customers, brands need to look closely at mobile advertising, both now and into the future.