The Online Publishers Association released some interesting new insight into the performance of smartphones, mobile ads, and the attitudes of smartphone users toward mobile advertising. We all know that mobile advertising has been doing quite well lately for marketers, but OPA thought it was important to find out exactly how smartphone users felt about the ads that they have been constantly clicking through day by day. Up against internet ads on desktop platforms, OPA compared the way mobile device users feel about the two, noting which they prefer. It has always been said that mobile would continue to grow in popularity with both marketers and mobile users, and the evidence to support this prediction continues to show up.
So, according to the study performed by OPA, only 38% of smartphone content buyers thought ads on mobile devices were the same as ads on the internet. 42% said that smartphone ads were difficult to ignore. When it came to researching items seen in ads further, 25% said that mobile ads made them look deeper into advertised items while only 14% said otherwise.
What is really important, however, is that 79% of paid-content buyers said that they took action after viewing an ad on a mobile device, while on 39% of non-content buyers said that they took action. Even though content buyers (21%) brought in higher clickthrough rates than those who are non-content buyers (15%), both well exceeded the clickthrough rates of internet advertisements on desktop displays. This illustrates the preferences of smartphone content buyers when it comes to advertisements, especially since only 27% of those who viewed a mobile advertisement went on to make a purchase on a PC, and only 24% actually went to a store after seeing an ad online.
To make the results more general, a total of 24% of mobile users bought content on their smartphones throughout the year. 14% of the apps downloaded on smartphones were reported as being paid apps.
The president of OPA, Pam Horan, states:
 Over the past few years, there has been an undeniable shift in the way consumers access content and information as well as stay informed and entertained. Consumers now expect the world at their fingertips anytime, anywhere, and publishers have worked vigorously to optimize their mobile sites and create apps that cater to this demand and behavioral shift.
For content buyers on smartphones and other mobile devices, the preferred form of advertising in the past year has been mobile. Smartphone users tend to see an ad on a mobile device and act upon that ad directly on the device in their hands. This information should greatly interest the marketing community, as keeping the consumer happy is key. Now that 44% (still growing) of the entire internet population owns a smartphone in the United States, mobile marketing takes much more careful consideration to create a successful campaign.
OPA’s study was performed in collaboration with Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc. in order to get some insight into the advertising preferences of smartphone content buyers as well as non-content buyers.
