Mobile advertising
Mobile advertising refers to promotional content specifically designed for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Initially, mobile advertising primarily utilized SMS (short message service) technology, allowing advertisers to send text-only messages directly to consumers’ phones. This method proved effective for promoting products, sharing sales news, and rewarding loyal customers. As smartphones gained popularity, mobile advertising evolved, incorporating more complex formats akin to traditional online ads, including text, images, videos, and audio.
The emergence of mobile internet advertising has become a crucial aspect of reaching consumers, enabling businesses to connect with audiences anytime and anywhere. Advertisers must consider the unique technological limitations of mobile devices when designing their campaigns—such as the incompatibility of certain multimedia formats with specific devices. Additionally, mobile applications frequently feature advertisements, often displayed as banners or integrated notifications, which can alert users to promotions directly through the app. This adaptability and direct engagement have made mobile advertising an essential tool for businesses looking to effectively reach customers on the go.
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Subject Terms
Mobile advertising
Mobile advertising is advertising designed for mobile devices such as cellular phones and tablet computers. Early forms of mobile advertising included text-message advertising, which consisted of short, text-only ads sent to potential customers’ cell phones. With the advent of smartphones, mobile advertisements have grown to resemble the display ads used on the wider Internet and often feature text, images, video, and audio, although companies must take the limitations of mobile technology into account when creating ads optimized for mobile devices. The use of mobile advertising has enabled numerous businesses to advertise their products and services to customers on the go.
Overview
In the past, when consumers were outside the home, it was difficult for advertisers to reach them. While billboards and other signage remain an important form of outdoor advertising, their reach is limited. The development of mobile technology, however, changed the advertising landscape dramatically, enabling advertisers to reach consumers no matter where they are through the use of advertisements optimized for mobile devices.
Early mobile advertising efforts took advantage of short message service (SMS) text-messaging technology, which enabled advertisers to send short, text-based advertisements directly to the cell phones of potential customers. These messages could encourage users to purchase particular products, share news about sales or other special events, and even reward loyal customers with coupons. As SMS marketing evolved, many businesses introduced opt-in programs similar to mailing lists that allowed them to reach targeted groups of customers easily and affordably. Although other forms of mobile advertising have become prominent, SMS advertising remains a key tool for many companies.
As smartphones became increasingly popular and allowed users to visit both full and mobile-optimized websites as well as download all kinds of applications, or apps, mobile advertisers were presented with new opportunities to connect with consumers. Mobile Internet advertising has become one of the most important forms of mobile advertising since the introduction of the smartphone. Many mobile versions of websites feature mobile-optimized advertisements, and advertisements are often visible on the desktop versions of websites as well. Advertisers seeking to capture the mobile market must design ads that can be viewed on mobile devices, some of which have technological limitations that full computers do not. The Apple iPhone and iPad, for instance, cannot view advertisements that use the multimedia platform Adobe Flash; advertisers hoping to reach users of these devices must create ads using other platforms.
Many apps designed for mobile devices feature advertisements, often in the form of traditional ad banners, including social media apps. In addition to containing advertisements, some apps use the notification functions of mobile devices to share news about products. For example, if a smartphone user downloads the app for a particular online retailer, the app may notify the user when a sale begins. The user can then click on the notification and be taken directly to the app, where he or she may take advantage of the sale, just as the advertiser intended.
Bibliography
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