Newest Cellphone Ads Crave Entire Screen
Marketers are turning to more immersive—and possibly intrusive—mobile ads, in a gambit to make more money from advertisers who have been skittish about using cellphones.
For years, marketers have talked up the potential to mint money in mobile advertising. They tried their hand at small banner ads, usually at the top or bottom of a cellphone screen, but advertisers balked at shelling out money for the hard-to-notice spots.
Increasingly, marketers are turning to so-called rich-media ads, which can expand into the whole cellphone screen, feature videos, and include games. The aim: hold on to customers’ attention—and charge advertisers more money for the spots.
The niche is showing signs of jump-starting the money spent on mobile advertising, which has been sluggish until this year. Last year, video ads only made up $12 million of the $220 million spent on mobile advertising in the U.S., according to research firm IDC.
