Research Highlights Demand-side Platform Desire

New analysis from mobile research agency mobileSQUARED has revealed that an increasing number of ad agencies see demand-side platforms, particularly those dedicated to mobile, as the best opportunity to shift the lingering perception that mobile ad campaigns are too time-consuming and complex to plan and execute, and lack the effectiveness and transparency of online advertising.

The insight comes from a whitepaper, How to Simplify Mobile Advertising Planning and Buying, commissioned and sponsored by mobile demand-side platform, StrikeAd. As part of the research, mobileSQUARED interviewed leading UK ad agencies to understand the challenges they face when considering mobile campaigns and perceptions around mobile advertising.

The paper also finds that with buying trends becoming more short term and clients more risk averse, brands and agencies have been discouraged from investing heavily in emerging media such as mobile. 

At the same time, despite the complexities, brands are still asking agencies to add a mobile element to their campaigns, though not yet at the scale required for mobile advertising to reach its growth potential. According to the research, in 2008, approximately 80 per cent of all mobile ad campaigns were created to promote other niche mobile-only content, whereas today, some 50 per cent of mobile advertising is carried by major lifestyle and consumer brands.

“Interest in mobile is growing, and now is the time to unlock that potential, says mobileSQUARED chief sgtrategy analyst, Nick Lane. “That means simplifying the process of planning and buying mobile campaigns. Our research highlights the need for an optimised platform to execute and measure mobile campaigns transparently, and maximise ROI. In doing so, this will overcome the reluctance of brands and agencies to give mobile the due consideration the medium deserves.”

Key findings from the whitepaper include:

  • Agencies are still not treating mobile as a significant advertising channel in its own right: Not all agencies have a dedicated mobile specialist. Those who do will not have the time to fully-develop a mobile campaign for multiple clients simultaneously.
  • Advertising buying trends in agencies have become more short-term, and clients risk-averse: This reduces the likelihood that they will invest in mobile and other emerging platforms where the planning and buying process remains convoluted.
  • There is growing demand for third party ad serving via a single platform: Network and device fragmentation, the complex planning and buying process of campaigns on mobile, and the lack of transparent and measureable reporting, are leading more agencies to seek streamlined solutions. Delivery and planning optimisation tools, like mobile demand-side platforms, will assure accuracy and confidence in mobile advertising.
  • Planners are confronted by limited data on mobile consumers: Agencies currently find the task of collating data for reporting manually intensive, and the results not entirely accurate or transparent across ad networks. Dedicated mobile demand-side platforms have the ability to aggregate multiple data points across operating systems or networks.
  • Agencies need more reassurance that they are providing the best and most accurate targeting for their clients: Bad user experiences or content appearing in inappropriate locations can only be addressed by demand-side third party ad serving and its ability to list a lack of inventory by target.

“There is a huge demand for a single platform that simplifies the process of planning and executing campaigns in an often opaque mobile landscape,” says StrikeAd CEO and co-founder, Alex Rahaman. “This research clearly shows that brands and agencies need the reassurance that a platform focused on mobile can provide to deliver measurable ROI in this emerging channel.”
You can download the whitepaper here.