The following is a guest contributed post by Harald Kratel, VP of Global Marketing, Smaato
Mobile has fundamentally redefined the marketing landscape in a dramatically short time frame. For the most part, as consumer time spent has shifted to mobile devices, advertising dollars have shifted as well. However, while a great deal of attention has been paid to the gross reallocation of these dollars, not nearly as much attention has been paid to the strategic shift required by marketers in terms of how those mobile dollars are spent.
Mobile devices will account for 73 percent of global time spent online in 2018, up from 65 percent in 2016. Within that time spent, comScore’s latest data indicates apps are responsible for more than 80 percent of the time people spend using mobile devices, with this number rising as high as 95 percent in some regions.
The dominance of mobile in-app experiences is good news for marketers, as more data is available in-app than with any other media format. Since apps can collect first-party data on an opt-in basis, they are also able to pass along valuable targeting parameters such as gender and age, which allow advertisers to precisely reach their ideal audience. Within the in-app environment, advertisers can also harness geo-location data.
In short, marketers now have easy access to the long-coveted “right person, right place, right time” marketing utopia. But far too few marketers today are structuring their campaigns this way.
It’s time for marketers to start thinking in micro mobile moments. Here’s what that looks like:
Dayparting – and Then Some
The concept of dayparting is by no means a new one, but it’s newly relevant in the mobile world. As in the TV world, dividing the day into several distinct chunks and tailoring messaging appropriately during each chunk makes infinite sense in mobile marketing. But marketers need to take things further.
Enter the micro mobile moment. The general idea of “micro-moments” was popularized by Google a few years back as a succinct way of referring to the instances within the consumer journey when decisions are made and preferences are shaped. In the mobile world, these are the instances where people turn to their devices to find, do, or buy something, and it is within these moments that marketing messages are particularly resonant.
Micro-moments take on special importance in the mobile realm, where in-app time is highly fragmented. On average, users spend three hours per day in-app, but the average app session is only five minutes long. On average, users check their phones 47 times per day, and many of these sessions are intent-driven micro-moments where the right messaging could make all the difference in an ultimate purchase decision.
Identifying micro mobile moments, and understanding them in relation to the individual who owns the device, lays the foundation for a solid mobile advertising strategy. Every daypart has hundreds of micro mobile moments. For example:
- Searching for healthy recipes before dinner
- Playing a game at home
- Seeking product information while in a store
- Checking restaurant reviews on a Friday evening
- Listening to a podcast on the train
These are context-rich moments that, in combination with knowledge of the individual, lend themselves to targeted messaging from brands. The key is understanding where a given brand can add value and have influence on the consumer’s journey. By effectively dayparting a mobile campaign according to micro-moments, marketers can optimize campaign performance, enhance user targeting, improve cost-efficiency, and maximize user engagement. The three steps to doing this effectively are as follows:
- Identify your target group
- Analyze their mobile behaviors (or work with partners to do so), particularly as it relates to app usage
- Identify the right mobile moments that align with your goals.
OK, so the above steps seem simple enough. But what does the result look like? It might be simpler than you think. Here are just a few micro mobile moments that would be a fit for well-known brands:
- KFC: 12:15 p.m., food court, fast food lovers
- Bacardi: 1:10 a.m., party area, students
- Dreyer’s ice cream: 2:45 p.m., parks, sunny weather
The above criteria are all easily targeted within in-app experiences. Customized programmatic deals are an effective way to ensure that your in-app advertising campaigns reach their target audience at the right mobile moment. Not only do they provide more transparency and control, but they are effective tools for optimizing campaigns, inventory, and pricing.
The shift from desktop to mobile advertising is well-established, but the opportunities surrounding proper dayparting in the mobile environment are only beginning to be explored. Is your brand ready to seize its moment?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Harald Kratel
Vice President, Global Marketing, Smaato
With over 20 years of experience across the media and advertising industry, Harald (Harry) has proven himself as an innovative and effective marketing leader.
Harry has played a leading role in Germany’s digital advertising industry since 2000, when he became Managing Director of internet activities at G+J, one of Europe’s biggest magazine publishers. From 2005 to 2009, Harry served as the COO/CMO of Parship, Europe’s largest online dating service, where he was responsible for the company’s internationalization into 14 countries. Prior to joining Smaato, Harry was the Partner and Managing Director of mlv, a full-service advertising agency located in Hamburg.
Harry holds a degree (Dipl.-Kfm.) in Business Administration from the University of Münster.
