What the World Cup Tells Us About Mobile Video Ads

By Manish Mishra, Vice President (Sales)

If there's one form of advertising that brands and consumers alike are most comfortable with, it's bound to be video. Television commercials have been a staple of the advertising community for decades. As I shared in my last column, video is also beginning to increasingly drive mobile advertising, a trend that is increasingly clear with the World Cup.

Sharing figures from Mary Meeker's annual state of the internet report, the New York Times reports that mobile data consumption is up more than 80% "as the world turns more to tablets and smartphones, especially to watch video".

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) notes that video ad spend rose 55% in the first quarter as compared with a year earlier.

To make mobile video advertising even easier, BuzzCity has launched a a new rich media advertising platform - it starts with a banner which users can click to view your video. 

In today's column, I'll like to share two important tips about using this medium, but first, a look at the most popular World Cup ads.

Who's advertising on Mobile ?

In the first half of 2014 the network delivered 166 billion advertising banners an increase of more than 32% compared to the first half of 2013. Our network now delivers 30 billion ad banners per month.

This follows the increasing diversity of advertisers adopting mobile as an advertising channel.

The Rise of Mobile Video Ads

By Manish Mishra, Vice President (Sales)

Have you watched a video on your phone today?

Odds are, you have. And not just because you're interested in mobile.

Increasingly, consumers are viewing video content from their phones and tablets, when and where they want.

At the same time, advertisers are shifting budgets from TV to online and mobile.

You should too.

And to help you along the way, BuzzCity is introducing a new in-house rich media platform for video ads.

Mobile Banking: Get the Message Right

By Hisham Isa, Vice President (Marketing)

We've all seen the ads. There's no shortage of creative commercials promoting mobile phones and carriers. But too many of these campaigns – particularly when it comes to services like mobile banking – portray these features as premium services for high-end users.

What the industry needs are ads that clearly demonstrate three things:

• Mobile banking is useful and will make our lives easier
• Mobile banking is for everyone
• And here's how to do it

Banks and carriers also need to move beyond screens to engage consumers more directly with below-the-line marketing campaigns that have a personal touch.