Making Awesomeness

Mobile is the first screen your customer goes to in the morning, on their commute, in the evening and even in bed. This is why it’s best to plan your message for these moments. With 65% of the human population being visual learners, the biggest connection of a mobile campaign is the creative. And with more than 30% of consumers already disliking online ads, it’s our job as mobile experts to change their view!

Firstly when creating a mobile campaign, brands should consider how they can adapt their current advertising strategy for the mobile environment or consider creating a digital strategy specific for their mobile campaign. When building and designing for mobile, it’s not a simple matter of resizing. Designers must strategically consider overall user experience to ensure it is intuitive and innate. One of the biggest challenges on mobile is keeping it simple, yet engaging. There is only so much real-estate to work with, so sticking with one main functionality is highly recommended for a natural and straightforward user experience. A good rule of thumb for achieving a simple ad unit, is keeping the required interactions by the user to no more than three, as we’ve seen significant user drop-off when there are more interactions required.

Just as you show your best self when meeting someone new, first impressions are always crucial. With this in mind, considering formats and units that are less intrusive allow for users to consume content at their own leisure, instead of the ad being forced on them. This not only improves brand credibility but creates a more memorable overall experience. Consumers will be much more likely to talk about your advertisement long after they have seen it if done effectively.

Interested in how we ensure our ads are always ready and built for mobile? We have five key guidelines we are always referring back to and help keep us on track when designing.

1. Reduce friction on the ad 
– Minimize the number of touch points necessary to go from seeing the ad to completing the call to action – rule of 3 
– Minimum target touch area on mobile is 44px by 44px – smaller can lead to touch errors 
– Video helps grab the user’s attention – remember short and sweet

2. High quality graphics – RM Mobile + Tablet 
– We like to work with retina PSDs. Retina means double the size, phones now have a high pixel density, so we want to always use that to our advantage. 
– Product shots catch the eye, but need to ensure that they are not so small that they become illegible

3. Compelling content 
– Legibility and Clarity – short, concise messaging is key 
– Inject a little humour, if on brand – everyone loves a good laugh! 
– Clear, simple and enticing call-to-action (CTA) 
– Be cautious with dual branding – it can confuse people, especially on smaller screens 
– Ads that resonate with users on an emotion level outperform standard benchmarks 
– Unique animation creates a level of interest on a mobile ad to hold users attention

4. Engaging content 
– Even slight interactivity can hold user’s attention, allowing users to get through to the CTA

5. Environment 
– Be cognisant of where people will experience and consume your ad – at home on an iPad vs. while shopping in-store can be a very different experience 
– Environment can also control the unit performance. Units that are too heavy in low network areas can create load issues and create a poor user experience

Now you know it’s best to keep ads simple, non-intrusive, engaging and appealing. But the most important element before starting any ad campaign design is knowing the primary key performance indicator (KPI). Mobile advertisements can: raise awareness, build brands, increase sales, promote an offer or product, drive to a website/ landing page or even drive in-store visits. With these in mind, selecting high impact formats and units that are tailored to that campaign KPI, will set the stage for an effective campaign and success for the client.

Want to see some of the great ads we have been working on? Check out some of our favorites here.