Mobile Device Screen Size and Ad CTR Don’t Always Correlate

June 5, 2012

jumptap-mobile-ad-performance-screen-size-inq12012-june2012.pngRather than build one-size-fits-all creative, mobile advertisers should take advantage of the unique features presented by different device screen sizes, suggests Jumptap [download page] in its June 2012 MobileSTAT report. Analyzing click-through rates (CTRs) across a variety of mobile devices, the report reveals that although tablets generally perform better than smartphones, screen size is not always a good indicator of CTR. For example, the 7″ Kindle Fire (1.02%), which boasted the highest CTR in Q1 2012, vastly outperformed the larger 10.1″ Samsung Galaxy Tab (0.53%), while the 9.7″ Apple iPad (0.9%) had a much higher CTR than the smaller 2.5″ Sony Xperia Mini (0.42%). There was more consistency among OEMs – Apple’s devices ranged between 0.84% and 0.90% CTR, while all 3 Samsung devices had CTRs between 0.53% and 0.58%.

Device Preferences Vary by Age

Data from Jumptap’s report indicates that Millennials (aged 18-34) are 23% more likely to own an iPad and 16% less likely to own a Kindle Fire. By contrast, their more senior counterparts, Baby Boomers (aged 45-64), are 3% less likely to own an iPad and 19% more likely to own a Kindle Fire. This suggests that advertisers trying to reach certain age demographics need to consider these preferences when crafting their media plans.

Videos Give Boost to Mobile Ads

Meanwhile, a June 2012 report from Medialets promotes the use of video in mobile ads. Despite just 30% of tablet applications and 12% of smartphone apps including video, the study concludes that adding video to a mobile ad can improve engagement rate by 35%. In other findings relating to mobile video, a Q1 report [download page] from Rhythm New Media suggests that combining in-stream mobile video with full page ads raises engagement by 15% (from 9.3% to 10.7%), while social media buttons can boost in-stream mobile video ad engagement by an even more impressive 64% (from 0.9% to 1.48%).

Other Findings:

  • According to the Jumptap report, quick service restaurant (QSR) ads on the network saw CTRs that were 9.9% higher than average on Saturdays, and 5.9% higher than average on Sundays. Fast food advertisers should therefore advertise more heavily on weekends, and expect weekdays to not perform as well. A report from Adfonic [pdf] that looked at Q1 activity on its network found that in general, globally, CTRs were 5-10% higher on the weekend.
  • During the Kentucky Derby, mobile traffic around Louisville, Kentucky dipped during the time of the race, and then soared shortly after its end, says Jumptap. Insight from the report indicates that advertisers should look for the heaviest mobile activity around live events to occur just after the event ends.
  • Data from the Medialets study reveals that 40% of campaigns on the network ran on multiple device environments in Q1 2012, double the proportion from a year earlier.
  • In Q1 2012, rich interstitials had a higher CTR than rich expandable banners (3% vs. 1.2%), though rich expandable banners had higher engagement rates.
  • The average time spent with a rich expandable banner ad was 20 seconds. According to the report, mobile ads that include video, a brand-relevant game, or a product catalog can boost time spent to more than a minute.
  • Looking at the performance of 3 verticals on its network in Q1, Medialets found that the entertainment campaigns sported a higher CTR for their mobile rich media ads (2.8%) than both finance (0.9%) and automotive (0.5%) campaigns. The report notes that automotive ads often integrate landing page features within the ad, removing the need for click-through.

About the Data: The Jumptap MobileSTAT (Simple Targeting & Audience Trends) is a monthly glance into targeting and audience trends in mobile advertising through Jumptap’s network of over 20 billion impressions, 107 million US users and 25,000 apps and websites.

The Medialets data is based on Medialets-enabled mobile ads delivered to mobile apps and websites during Q1 2012. These campaigns represent both tablet and handset ads that ran on mobile apps and mobile websites of the 200+ premium publishers that are enabled for Medialets rich media advertising.

The Rhythm New Media data points cover ad campaigns from over 140 top brands in Q1 2012.

The Adfonics report is based on an analysis of the performance of nearly 10,000 campaigns across 10,000 publications.

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