Driving Consumer Engagement with High Impact Mobile Ads

As consumers spend more time on their mobile phones, advertisers are gaining more opportunities to reach them when they are most likely to take action. One of the best ways to attract these highly engaged  consumers, build brand awareness, and increase ad recall is through high impact mobile advertising.

What is High Impact Mobile Advertising?

High impact mobile ad units are designed to be interactive and encourage consumer engagement through multiple touch points and placements that consider both the mobile and tablet behavioral patterns of content consumption and the overall user experience. In referring to “high impact”, we are suggesting that a user must initiate an action within the ad in order for it to activate.

Why Should Marketers Use High Impact Mobile Advertising?

High impact mobile is growing in popularity  due to the growth of mobile device usage and video consumption on these devices. According to eMarketer, 8 in 10 US smartphone users watch mobile video, which is a total of 191 million people. The average US adult spends 40 minutes a day watching mobile videos, with 1 in 5 of them watching for more than an hour per day. 

US Smartphone Video Viewers, 2019-2023

millions, % of digital video viewers and % of population

Source: Emarketer, August 2019

Mobile phone usage has seen a spike in recent years—with consumers spending an average of 3 hours, 43 minutes per day on mobile devices in 2019, and an additional 23 minutes per day since the start of 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic. Smartphone usage is steadily growing and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years, as shown in the chart below:

TV and Mobile Devices: Average Time Spent in the US, 2014-2021

hrs:min per day among populationSource: Emarketer, April 2019

High impact mobile ads are organically engaging for consumers, especially since they already use their devices multiple times throughout the day. The average person touches or interacts with their smartphone 2,617 times per day, and 69% of all digital time is spent on mobile. With this pattern of increased interaction with mobile devices, high impact mobile ads have become a highly effective way to reach consumers. Stats show that users are 10x more likely to remember an ad if it’s 100% in-view, and they physically engage with it.

High Impact Mobile Ad Formats

There are 6 main high impact mobile ad formats: swipe, tap and hold, user choice, gamified, product carousel, and store locator. Below is a description for each of these ad formats:

  • Swipe: The swipe format prompts the user to swipe up, left, right or down on their mobile screen to opt into the ad experience. Video within swipe is  optional. The maximum length available is :30s, while the recommended length is :15s. This ad can be displayed in either horizontal or vertical format. The KPI’s include awareness, engagement, and CTR.
  • Tap and Hold: In a tap and hold ad format, the user is prompted to tap on the screen to opt into the ad experience. Video within the tap and hold unit is optional, with a maximum length of  :15s. Once the user opts into the ad experience, the sound starts on autoplay. The KPI’s for this unit are awareness, engagement and CTR.
  • User Choice: In this format, the user is prompted to choose a specific video or product. The end card has a button where users can click to go back, which  in turn increases engagement. Video is optional. :15s max length and it can replay up to 3 times. Once the user opts into the ad experience, the sound starts on autoplay. The KPI’s for user choice units are awareness, engagement and CTR.
  • Gamified: Within this high impact mobile format, the user is prompted to opt into the ad experience with game play ad messaging on the first screen. The game type may vary but the most common ones are quizzes, puzzles, and mix and match. Including a video is optional and can be up to :15s in maximum length. The ad experience can be displayed both horizontally or vertically. Sound is auto play on once the user opts into the ad experience. The KPI’s for gamification ad units are awareness, engagement and CTR.
  • Product Carousel: A product carousel ad prompts the user to tap left or right on the screen in order to scroll through to learn more about the various brand products. Video is optional and can be up to :30s maximum, but is recommended to be no more than:15s long. The video can be displayed both horizontally or vertically. KPI’s for this unit include awareness, engagement and CTR.
  • Store Locator: A store locator high impact mobile ad syncs with the native map app (Google Maps or Waze) and GPS technology to give users driving directions to the nearest store location. This fullscreen unit maximizes awareness, drives site traffic, and users to the store locations. KPI’s include foot traffic attribution, CTR, and engagement. 

For examples of what each of these types of ad units look like, visit our High Impact Ad Gallery

Visit High Impact Mobile Ad Gallery

Benefits of High Impact Mobile Advertising

There are two main benefits of using high impact mobile ad placements: maximum viewability and strong performance. These ads are always in-view between site loads and on the page while the user is scrolling and browsing through the content. This guarantees a strong in-view time and user engagement to qualified consumers. The opt-in or call to action interaction area is located in a place where the user’s thumb can easily engage with the ad, making it easier to lead them back to the brand’s website. 

With the increased functionality of high impact mobile ad units in comparison to display ads, brands are guaranteed to have stronger performing ads with great results. When they engage with these ad units, consumers are more likely to remember them, keeping the brand top of mind for future purchases.

Looking for More Information on High Impact Mobile?

Contact our team of campaign experts to learn more about our high impact mobile offerings. Or check out some of our past high impact creative work.