Robert Bridge, VP head of international marketing, Yahoo
Last month marked the 20th anniversary of Yahoo being incorporated as a company. While it’s amazing to think how much the internet has evolved and changed in the last two decades it’s even more exciting to look forward.
User activity has shifted to mobile across the globe with users now spending more time on mobile devices than PCs.
Smartphone adoption will reach two-thirds of the global population next year. We are seeing that a computer is used to fill in the gaps on things which aren’t easy to do on a smartphone.
Developers must create efficiency and improve user experience to drive the next wave of consumers to smartphone dominance.
It is Millennials leading this charge. Although older smartphone users own the majority of devices, it is younger consumers who are far heavier users.
Flurry’s research found more than half (51%) of 13 to 17-year-olds are classed as heavy users. The 80/20 rule is in full effect, as heavier users dominate the most sessions and time spent on mobile devices.
It’s important to understand what drives smartphone dominance and what drives future users to adopt quicker. Historically the ‘app-osphere’ was a black hole for marketers, we didn’t know what users were doing inside apps, or the relationship between different apps. Of the nearly three hours users spend on mobile devices daily, 86% of that time is spent in apps – so it’s critical this is done right.
When building creatives, we must ensure to account for the rapid adoption of larger phablet devices. This will allow for more freedom in mobile messaging.
On top of this, mobile ad budgets should not be thought of in isolation. With two in five consumers crossing devices daily, siloed mobile budgets must evolve to larger cross-device buys. Native advertising in particular, is seamlessly integrated into the user experience, is the must need weapon in every marketers’ arsenal.
There should no longer be mobile-only strategies. The continuation in cross-device and dual screening means any strategy must follow a sequential process across devices with creative messaging that can live across various formats.
In the smartphone dominant era, success in digital mobile marketing will come from companies implementing a multi-pronged strategy that drives word-of-mouth and use of paid advertising, while creating opportunities through content marketing that activate app discovery.
Written by:
Robert Bridge,
VP head of international marketing,
Yahoo
MMA UK Blog 