Will Smartphones Kill The Digital Advertising Age?

Mobile devices have changed the way the marketing industry operates. Thanks to the smaller screen and bigger possibilities, global marketing companies have to find new, creative ways to market products. That is why at the annual WPP Stream conference the importance of digital advertising through mobile devices was a hot topic.

Are Mobile Ads Working?

Why Mobile Phones are Killing Traditional Advertising
Back in the day, all it took was a flashy banner on a website to draw in the attention of potential buyers. Though the use of banners is still popular with mobile devices, the smaller screen and limited advertising space have made it difficult for designers to market a brand effectively.

According to the American internet entrepreneur, Jeff Pulver, the small screen isn’t killing digital advertising, but it certainly disrupts it. The challenge for marketers is to make something “big”, but still adequate for the small screen.

Smarter Advertising
In reality, digital advertising isn’t dead — it just needs to get smarter about how it operates. Global marketing firms can no longer create useless advertising and plaster it about web pages in hopes one person will click. Instead, they have to get innovative, creative and capture a person’s attention with what little exposure they get on mobile phones.

The small screen is not the only issue advertisers will face. Mobile phone users have a smaller attention span than the average internet browser. That means that not only does a marketing advertisement need to be creative in terms of size, but also creative enough to capture a mobile user’s attention within one to two seconds.

Promising Mobile Marketing Models
Some companies have already embraced mobile as the new marketing platform. Starbucks, for example, markets their products by offering mobile apps and even the ability to pay directly from a smartphone rather than handing the barista a credit card.

Advertising has always been a fast-paced, constantly changing industry. Though some marketers fear this is the end, others have embraced the change and welcomed the challenge for mobile marketing.

[Image via eightytwenty]