There are two different ways to advertise on mobile devices – through mobile web and through apps. Advertisers more commonly use mobile web advertising, but consensus is shifting, and in-app ads are on the rise.
More time is spent in apps on mobile devices than on mobile internet (through web browsers like Safari or Chrome). This means that there are more opportunities to grab people’s attention in apps than in mobile internet, as more people are using apps. But there are several reasons why advertisers tend to rely on mobile internet for their mobile advertising.
Mobile internet adverts can be used across platforms, showing up on any device whether it is a mobile device (mobiles and tablets) or a desktop (laptops and computers). In-app ads will only show up on mobile devices. When advertising companies run display advertising campaigns, using banner ads and pop ups, they run these campaigns across all devices, having ads that adapt depending on the device. Using this method, they do not need to run a separate campaign in order to reach mobile users. They therefore may not deem it important to run a separate, in-app campaign. There is also more knowledge in advertising companies on how to run mobile web campaigns, whereas in-app campaigns are more uncharted territory for most companies. But, if they are not careful, mobile advertisers can miss out if they do not utilise in-app ads.
There are several benefits to running an in-app campaign. Apps have better targeting for advertisers as they have access to more information on the demographics of the user. One big area that apps can use to target consumers is location. If you want to run a location-specific campaign, then in-app ads are very useful.
In addition, in-app ads have a higher click-through-rate (CTR) than mobile web ads. This means that consumers are more likely to view your product and consider a purchase. In-app ads are also seen as more trustworthy by consumers due to the app context.
There are big benefits for advertisers – advertisers know what they’re advertising next to with in-app ads, whereas mobile web ads can appear on any web page. It is also harder to send fraudulent traffic to apps, so the traffic you receive is more likely to be genuine. There is also less competition as it is unlikely that other ads will appear on the same page in apps, unlike mobile web ads.
To keep up, mobile advertisers must consider in-app advertising.
