Remember the ads you used to see on TV growing up?
Back then, it required a lot more effort to make commercials impactful.
As the avenues to host them were limited at best
But today, things have changed.
Ads have now found new ways to reach target audiences through vertical glass screens.
Wondering if they can be effective for your B2B business? You’re in for a treat!
In this blog, I outline everything you need to know about mobile video advertising.
We will look at what it is, its various types, and some amazing examples along the way.
Complete with insights on how you can leverage it to drive results with your advertising efforts.
Mobile video advertising is exactly what you think it is.
It’s using video ads to promote products or services primarily on a hand-held device like a smartphone.
Advertising on mobile has become quite popular too these days.
With Oberlo’s recent statistics predicting the total mobile advertising spend to exceed $235 billion in the United States by 2025.
On the surface, they’re your traditional TV commercials but a little shorter,
With the only difference being that they do so on a mobile device.
And just like any video ad, they capture attention quickly and effectively.
Using features like touch screens and location services to offer a personalized experience.
Are mobile video ads really worth the investment?
A common question that many B2B brands have on their minds.
Allow me to clear your doubts with these six primary benefits of mobile video advertising:
There’s no denying that people use their smartphones more frequently than other devices.
Even the latest statistics from Simple Grain shows daily mobile usage being the highest among a computer and tablet.
Simply put, content created for smartphone screens is bound to get more engagement as people use their phones longer and more frequently.
This is especially true for social media videos and, you guessed it, mobile video ads
The personal nature of mobile devices also plays a role here.
It tailors video ads to the user’s interests and behaviors to make them more relevant,
Leading to higher interaction rates compared to other forms of advertising.
Did you know that almost 48.33% of the world’s population has a smartphone according to the latest numbers from Finances Online?
Which essentially means that every smartphone-optimized content has the opportunity to reach 3.8 billion people at any given point in time.
Mobile video ads are no exception.
This expanded reach gives brands the gateway to tap into new markets and target audiences.
All from the palm of their hands.
The latest statistics from Backlinko found almost 62% of the world’s population using social media.
With estimates from Forbes suggesting 79% of these users doing so exclusively using their smartphones.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that social media platforms offer curated tools for targeted advertising.
While also providing organic means to build an audience and reach new ones.
Platforms like:
Are among the top choices for mobile video advertising.
Mobile devices provide advertisers with valuable data on
This data enables precise targeting that puts your video ads in front of the right audience at the right time.
As mobile advertising platforms, these social networks also give brands the means to leverage in-app advertising and local mobile advertising to make their ads more impactful.
Culminating into increased relevance and effectiveness of their mobile advertising campaigns.
Mobile phone ads can drive higher conversion rates as they engage users more deeply than static ads.
The interactive nature of videos can prompt direct action.
Whether it's visiting your website landing page or making a purchase.
Mobile video advertising gives your prospects exactly what they’re looking for.
Which plays a huge role in increasing conversion rates while boosting the effectiveness of your proposition in the long run.
People spend a lot of money on advertising these days.
With the recent numbers from MediaPost showing global advertising spending going up by 7.7% in 2024.
But compared to the early days, modern advertising has been somewhat cost effective.
With mobile video advertising, making highly impactful video ads is possible without spending a major chunk of your marketing budget in the process.
It gives advertisers the means to set specific budgets, choose cost-effective ad formats, and measure performance in real time to adjust their strategies accordingly.
Creating an effective mobile video ad involves several critical components.
Each playing a unique role in capturing attention but also encouraging viewer action.
We’ll look at some effective mobile video advertising examples later on.
In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of these components and how you can incorporate them into your own mobile video ads:
Your mobile video ad’s length plays is just as important as its content.
Latest numbers from Think with Google also point to the same thing, finding 15-second video ads to have the highest recall among other ad lengths.
Along with ad length, the initial few seconds of your mobile video ad are also important.
For instance, if your audience is seeing your ad on YouTube,
Then it’s crucial to make the few seconds of your YouTube intro on point.
Make it compelling enough to prevent users from skipping your ad regardless of where they view it.
Think of how your opening can resonate with the viewer’s interests or solve a problem they might have.
Use eye-catching visuals or intriguing narratives that immediately grab attention in the first 5 seconds of your mobile ad.
Your mobile video ads must have these two attributes dialed in at all times.
They need to be concise and clear.
Mobile ad viewers prefer quick and straightforward communication.
So it is lucrative to ensure your mobile video ads also do the same.
Highlight the core message in your ad’s video script.
Mark in detail the things you want to convey in it.
It could be anything from promoting your product to showcasing a simple video CTA to check out your website.
Use simple language and keep the focus tight to avoid confusion.
Your mobile ads have just a few seconds to make an impact.
How do you make every second count?
By giving your ad’s visual design a makeover your audience has never seen before.
For visual design, you can either go:
I recommend going for animation as it unlocks more tools and flexibility to turn your video ads into show stoppers.
Find ways to leverage visual storytelling to make your mobile ad content engaging while still being relevant to your audience.
Carefully curate the tone of your video ad so it emotionally influences your audience as well.
Consider what drives their behavior and preferences to make your mobile video ad speak directly to them.
Not to sound like a broken record but…
Your Call to Action (CTA) is by far the most important component of your mobile video ads.
I’m not the only one saying this though.
CTA statistics from Sixth City Marketing found CTAs in video increasing clicks by 380%.
Imagine if the analytics of your mobile video ads also showed numbers like this.
The general rule of thumb is to make your CTA:
Whether it’s encouraging a purchase, a website visit, or a subscription, make sure the CTA stands out using contrasting colors or animation, and place it strategically where it cannot be missed.
Ideally, it’s better to include your CTA at the end of your mobile video ad to have maximum impact.
Your visual content is a direct extension of your brand.
It’s what helps your audience create an association with your B2B business, reinforcing brand recognition and trust.
Take stock of all your content and identify branding elements that make it unique and distinctive.
It could be anything like:
Once you’ve identified these elements, create a branding kit to consistently incorporate your brand elements in all your visual content.
Especially your mobile video ads.
Ensure your branding doesn’t overwhelm your ad content or your target audience.
Mobile video advertising has evolved into various formats.
Each serving unique marketing objectives and audiences.
Among the various formats out there, here are the six most prominent types of mobile advertising:
Example of an in-stream mobile video ad on YouTube (Source: Wyzowl)
These mobile video ads appear before or while streaming video content, similar to traditional TV commercials but on mobile.
They are highly effective in environments where the user's attention is the highest in the initial phases of video content consumption.
And these types of ads are quite prevalent on platforms like YouTube and Twitch.
An example of an out-stream mobile video ad while scrolling through a website (Source: Shareaholic)
Out-stream ads are placed in non-video content, such as text articles or news feeds, an example of which you can see above.
They start playing automatically when they come into view on the screen and often pause when out of view.
These ads are designed to expand the reach beyond video distribution platforms, capturing attention across various content types.
An example of rewarded mobile video ad implementation by Spotify (Source: CleverTap)
Common in mobile gaming and apps, rewarded mobile video ads are essentially incentivized commercial ads.
In other words, they offer users a benefit for watching the entire ad, such as in-game currency or access to premium content.
The objective is to increase ad engagement rates by providing a direct incentive to viewers.
Example of native mobile video advertising by Cognizant on Forbes’ website (Source: Wyzowl)
These are seamlessly integrated into a mobile app or website’s content.
With the sole objective of making them less intrusive while also worth a prospect's time.
Native video ads mimic the look and feel of the surrounding content, while its relevance may or may not be matched.
Leading to higher user acceptance and engagement.
The goal is to provide a non-disruptive advertising experience that feels like a natural part of the user's content journey.
Is this something you want to explore further?
We have a detailed blog you can check out here: 15 Best Native Advertising Examples: Definition, Types, and Inspiration
Examples of interstitial mobile video ads (Source: gameBiz)
These are full-screen ads that appear at natural transition points in the user experience.
Commonly appearing between game levels or after completing a task in an app.
They capture the full attention of the user with engaging visuals.
With an emphasis on giving the main message and CTA center stage throughout the ad.
The aim is to create impactful messages without being tied to the user’s initial content choice.
A vertical video ad example from Deloitte (Source: Nuoptima)
I’ve mentioned “mobile video ads” countless times by now.
And I’m pretty sure vertical video ads were the first thing that came to your mind every time.
Optimized for mobile use, vertical video ads take up the full screen of a smartphone, aligning with how people naturally hold their phones.
These ads are ideal for social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Essentially any platform where vertical content is the norm.
They aim to provide a more immersive and less disruptive viewing experience for mobile users.
We’ve discussed the ABCs of mobile video advertising at quite a length at this point.
But what do they look like in action?
The following mobile ad examples can give you a pretty good idea:
Teasing a new product can go one of two ways.
You can simply show stills of your product in the hopes that it catches someone’s eye.
Or you can go the extra mile and make the presentation worth a customer’s time.
That’s what OnePlus did with their mobile video ad here.
They made the ad specific to an audience who were interested in their OnePlus 12R smartphone and the famous mobile game, Genshin Impact.
Using photorealistic 3D renders of their special edition smartphone turned a virtual show into the real deal.
With the iconic purple colors from Genshin Impact making this 47-second ad absolute eye candy.
Usually, 15 seconds is a sweet spot for mobile video ads as we discussed earlier.
But if it exceeds that duration, viewer retention becomes a challenge that can backfire.
So Buffer decided to counter the challenge of retention with this SaaS mobile video ad.
It goes through their social media management platform and targets a B2B audience.
Just like we saw in the case of OnePlus, choosing your audience makes your ad more specific, relevant, and impactful.
During the ad, they also throw in some software demo clips into the mix too.
Giving the viewer a taste of how Buffer’s platform feels from a user’s perspective.
When we go from products to services, the dynamic shifts a bit.
Value propositions aren’t the thing consumers are looking for now.
It’s now about how your service can solve their immediate needs and problems.
So how should a B2B brand generate excitement for their new service?
Let’s take notes from Shopify here.
As a part of the awareness campaign for their Winter Edition 2024,
They created this animated mobile video ad to spread the word.
Kinetic typography, coupled with realistic 3D renders, makes their offering hard to miss.
And even harder to forget.
Here’s the thing about software offerings.
It's difficult to present SaaS features and benefits in a tangible way.
And when the window to make an impression is mere seconds, it can turn into a concern.
But Hewlett Packard Enterprises found the perfect solution to make their message heard.
Using this animated mobile video ad, they talk about their cloud solution and everything surrounding it.
Without using a single still from their software, they give viewers a complete picture of their cloud platform.
And it's absolutely magical when you sit back and give it a hard thought.
Such is the immense potential of visual storytelling in turning words into messages that stick forever.
I saved the best for last.
The folks at Logitech have been around since 1981.
That’s more than 40 years of being in the game with a fairly sizable recognition.
And it’s only natural that they integrate their brand perception into every content that they post.
This mobile video ad is no exception.
On the surface, a new webcam might not turn that many heads.
But with a blend of mixed media animation, Logitech shows in mere seconds what is possible with their new webcam.
And that’s the beauty of their ad.
Instead of selling propositions, they market possibilities.
And that’s what turns their offering from generic to irresistible.
At the end of the day, anybody can see your video ad anywhere you launch it.
Be it on a computer, tablet, or on a digital billboard on Time Square.
One thing is undeniable: Where you launch your video ads matter too.
Which makes mobile video advertising a resourceful avenue you can tap into for your advertising efforts.
It is about sticking to the basics and being vigilant about what works and what doesn’t.
And then letting your mobile video ads take care of the rest.
No Comments Yet
Let us know what you think