BEING CREATIVE WITH YOUR MOBILE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / OPINION
14 June 2012
Justin Taylor, MEC UK's managing director, digital, on why mobile is the key channel for building emotional connections
- Media Type
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It is often said that a mobile screen is too small to be worth spending advertising budget on. But it's not about absolute size, it's about relative size and the amount of attention it can garner.
While a typical mobile phone screen is around 4", it is held around 18" from a user's face. This compares to a typical home TV screen that might be 32", but is typically 15" away. Now, I haven't done the precise maths here, but if you were to look at how much of your field of vision a 4" device takes up, when it is 18" inches from your eyes, and compared it to a 32" device that was 15' away, I'm pretty sure that the 4" screen is going to take up a bigger percentage.
So what does this mean? Quite simply, it means there is less chance of you being distracted by something in your peripheral vision. It means that you are more focused on that smaller device than you are the larger one. Sure, you could sit closer to the TV but how many of us do that once we get past the age of about 6?
We also develop emotional attachments to our mobile phones that we don't have with other devices. If somebody wanted to borrow your laptop for a couple of hours to work on an important document, you'd probably let them without too much hesitation. On the other hand, if somebody wanted to borrow your mobile phone for a couple of hours, you might acquiesce but you would feel panicky and disconnected. No other media device engenders this level of emotional attachment, and certainly not your TV that you probably never even touch.
Another thing with holding a phone is that you're doing just that: holding it. You are physically connected to it. You're not just watching your mobile phone from the other side of the room, you're actively engaged with it. Tapping. Swiping. Pinching. Typing. This means you're paying far more attention to that tiny little 4" screen than you are any other screen that you use.
So, is it worth spending advertising budget on a 4" screen? Absolutely! No other device takes up as much of your customers' attention, and no other device offers your customers the same level of emotional involvement with your brand.
The key to ultimate success in your mobile campaign is to be creative. That tiny device - with technology more advanced than many laptops and desktops - offers you ways to be more creative than any other existing platform, or through any other channel. If you start by building a creative concept for mobile and only then cascade them into other media, there is a much higher chance that your overall campaign will be a roaring success.
Justin Taylor will be speaking at the creativity in mobile advertising forum at Cannes Lions on Tuesday 19 June, 2pm
While a typical mobile phone screen is around 4", it is held around 18" from a user's face. This compares to a typical home TV screen that might be 32", but is typically 15" away. Now, I haven't done the precise maths here, but if you were to look at how much of your field of vision a 4" device takes up, when it is 18" inches from your eyes, and compared it to a 32" device that was 15' away, I'm pretty sure that the 4" screen is going to take up a bigger percentage.
So what does this mean? Quite simply, it means there is less chance of you being distracted by something in your peripheral vision. It means that you are more focused on that smaller device than you are the larger one. Sure, you could sit closer to the TV but how many of us do that once we get past the age of about 6?
We also develop emotional attachments to our mobile phones that we don't have with other devices. If somebody wanted to borrow your laptop for a couple of hours to work on an important document, you'd probably let them without too much hesitation. On the other hand, if somebody wanted to borrow your mobile phone for a couple of hours, you might acquiesce but you would feel panicky and disconnected. No other media device engenders this level of emotional attachment, and certainly not your TV that you probably never even touch.
Another thing with holding a phone is that you're doing just that: holding it. You are physically connected to it. You're not just watching your mobile phone from the other side of the room, you're actively engaged with it. Tapping. Swiping. Pinching. Typing. This means you're paying far more attention to that tiny little 4" screen than you are any other screen that you use.
So, is it worth spending advertising budget on a 4" screen? Absolutely! No other device takes up as much of your customers' attention, and no other device offers your customers the same level of emotional involvement with your brand.
The key to ultimate success in your mobile campaign is to be creative. That tiny device - with technology more advanced than many laptops and desktops - offers you ways to be more creative than any other existing platform, or through any other channel. If you start by building a creative concept for mobile and only then cascade them into other media, there is a much higher chance that your overall campaign will be a roaring success.
Justin Taylor will be speaking at the creativity in mobile advertising forum at Cannes Lions on Tuesday 19 June, 2pm
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