App marketers need to rethink their mobile ad strategy

By Sean Galligan

Consumers are increasingly tuning into their favorite shows and movies on their smartphones. In fact, three out of four smartphone users now turn to video streaming applications to watch, according to our research.

For entertainment marketers, this represents a massive opportunity to connect with viewers through app marketing tactics. But understanding how people use their entertainment apps and how to engage them with ads is critical.

Consumers today are well informed and have specific preferences when it comes to advertising, especially when they are watching video content.

We took a closer look at how consumers’ use their entertainment apps, and here are three ways that marketers can rethink their mobile ad strategies:

Be part of the discovery process. How do you find out about the apps you download? For most consumers, ads play a significant role: a whopping 58 percent of respondents said that they discovered streaming apps through ads.

Because consumers have so many options for how they stream content, marketers need to get on their radar early and often.

Mobile advertising represents a big opportunity here, as marketers can engage consumers through targeted search, native and video ads.

Additionally, mobile ads were 13 percent more effective than television ads for driving app awareness.

Move consumers from awareness to download. Mobile ads can help quickly move consumers from the discovery phase to downloading an app.

In fact, 44 percent of entertainment app users say that seeing mobile ads prompts them to install apps to watch TV shows and movies.

By far, mobile video ads were the most effective for driving apps installs among 68 percent of users.

Stay top of mind with app users. Competition for viewers’ attention is fierce.

While there are several factors that determine a consumer’s decision to download a specific entertainment or streaming app, you need to keep them engaged beyond the initial download.

Fifty-one percent of entertainment app users stop using an app after finding a better one.

Remember to keep innovating with your app marketing campaigns to keep viewers tuned in, whether showcasing a new series or season of available content.

ADVERTISERS SHOULD always strive to reach consumers where they are spending the most time, and when it comes to streaming video, that is increasingly a mobile experience.

This shift is opening new doors for advertisers to create meaningful touch points with each viewer.

With a smart app marketing strategy, entertainment marketers can move consumers from discovery to download and make sure to keep them engaged over time.

Sean Galligan

Sean Galligan is vice president and industry lead for technology, media and telecom at Yahoo, San Francisco.