Video dominates advertiser's mobile advertising strategies, says S.M.A.R.T. report

In 2014, advertisers increasingly took advantage of mobile video advertising with the primary goal of driving brand awareness and engagement:

• Twenty-two percent of campaigns on our platform included Watch Video actions
• Video realized an average of five times the engagement when compared to standard banners with some verticals experiencing over 800% greater engagement
• Advertisers further honed their targeting strategies, capitalising on tablets’ bigger screens and Wi-Fi connections in concert with mobile video advertising

Other keys highlights from the research include:

• Retail was the largest vertical on our platform in 2014, followed by Telecommunications and Entertainment
• The Consumer Electronics (189%) vertical showed the largest year-over-year growth on our platform, followed by Government & Military (161%) and Pharmaceuticals (110%)
• Advertisers most frequently ran mobile campaigns with the goal of generating Brand Awareness & Engagement (37%), largely achieved through video ads and re-targeting
• The vertical running Increased Foot Traffic campaigns most frequently was the Retail vertical (33% of all Increased Foot Traffic campaigns), as Retailers running mobile campaigns are heavily focused on driving in-store visits and sales

Zac Pinkham, Managing Director, EMEA, Millennial Media, commented on the findings:

“Mobile video continues to deliver value across the ecosystem—from ensuring a rich user experience for consumers to providing greater engagement to advertisers and driving revenue gains for publishers and developers.”