6 Trends That Tell Where Mobile Marketing is Moving in 2014
Mobile marketing keeps us in the know when we’re on the go, but do you know where mobile marketing is going in 2014? Considering how mobile advertising has grown more than 75% in 2013, it’s no longer considered an emerging channel but is now an essential element of every digital marketing strategy. Mobile marketing moved to the mainstream after this year’s stunning success of Facebook’s mobile advertising, which amazed and crazed the industry and completely changed the mobile marketing mindset. Now that mobile is front and center on the forefront of 2014, TapSense tapped into the six most important mobile trends and innovations for the coming year and MarketingProfs.com posted their insights to help marketers plan their mobile marketing moves.
1. Mobile RTB Will Comprise Almost Half of All Mobile Ad Buys – Despite a lukewarm response from PC ad buyers, RTB has been warmly embraced by mobile marketers as the best way to bring scale to the ad-buying process. And after Twitter acquired mobile RTB tech leader MoPub earlier this year, mobile real-time bidding (RTB) went widespread and was projected to account for one-third of the year’s mobile ad buys. This trend shows no sign of stopping and now RTB is expected to make up 45% of all mobile ad buys by the end of 2014.
2. More Mergers in the Ad Network Space – The declining inventory available to ad networks today will lead to a rise in consolidations throughout the industry. And the powerful combination of RTB platforms and direct ad sales by major publishers will make the options of larger mobile ad networks seem redundant.
3. Email Will Evolve into a Mobile-First Channel – With more than half of all emails currently opened on a mobile device, experts expect email to emerge as a mobile-first channel in the coming year. The trend will be sped and supported by the mounting amount of email received and the steady slide of PC sales. So now is the time for marketers to start optimizing and customizing their messages for mobile viewing since that will be a must for marketing success.
4. More Mobile Ad Formats Will Pop Up – Prepare for many new mobile ad formats in the coming year. Some have already started to appear, such as Twitter’s Promoted Tweets and Facebook’s in-stream ads format. Of course, Pinterest is sure to present its own new mobile ad format and marketers are expected to pin their hopes and their budgets onto the popular social media platform. In addition, mobile video formats are ready for a revamp, so watch for a rise in 5-second and 10-second mobile video spots. And the widespread availability of Wi-Fi in most public places will make it much easier to deliver video ads any place and any time.
5. Twitter Will Tap Third-Party Twitter Clients for Ad Revenue – Twitter offers a variety of ad formats, such as Promoted Accounts and Promoted Tweets, but only a few third-party Twitter clients currently use them. With records revealing that Twitter has failed to return a profit, expect Twitter to focus on finding revenue streams in 2014. That search will most likely lead to Twitter expand its advertising platform by working closely with its current ad partners to extend the reach of its advertising platform. Twitter has had great success with seamlessly integrating ads into its content and that experience should help Twitter develop deeper advertising partnerships with its client base.
6. Facebook’s FBX Will Go Mobile and Go Through the Roof – For Facebook’s ad revenue to reach its full potential, the network must make FBX into mobile. With today’s simultaneous rise in mobile usage, engagement rates, and mobile ad spend, Facebook would be wise to leverage this trinity of opportunity by taking FBX mobile in the coming year.
As the momentum for mobile marketing propels it to a priority in 2014, marketers are expected to greatly increase their mobile spending and watch as their mobile efforts lead the way to a wealth of ROI.
Mobilize your brand’s mobile marketing efforts. Contact MDG.
MDG is a full-service advertising agency and one of Florida’s top creative ad agencies. With offices in Boca Raton and New York City, MDG’s core capabilities include branding, logo design, print advertising, digital marketing, mobile marketing, email marketing, media planning and buying, TV and radio, outdoor advertising, newspaper, video marketing, Web design and development, content marketing, mobile marketing, social media marketing, and SEO. To stay on top of the latest mobile marketing trends, contact MDG. To learn more about the power of mobile marketing, download MDG’s e-book, “How to Bag More Mobile Shoppers this Holiday Season.”