Tomorrow the major players in the mobile advertising space will convene at the annual Mobile Ad Summit in New York City to discuss everything from standardization to getting maximum reach out of a campaign.
At Jumptap, which today announced a new CEO, Chief Marketing Officer Paran Johar says he’s as excited as ever about the possibilities surrounding mobile advertising going forward.
To be sure, Apple and Google’s acquisition of Quattro and AdMob have done wonders for the health of mobile advertising as a whole. Big name brands are now devoting larger shares of their ad budgets to mobile with increasing confidence that the channel is maturing.
“The days of the $25,000 test budget are over,” Johar says, adding that not only is mobile ad spend growing, the brands that are fronting the money have gone beyond just the core markets, such as automotive and pharmaceuticals.
So how much of this growth is due to Apple and Google? Johar gives credit where credit is due, commending Steve Jobs for really putting the spotlight on mobile advertising with various keynotes surrounding the iPad and iPhone 4. Still, he says that Apple remains insular in its approach.
Johar points to the keynote line-up at the Mobile Summit this year as an indication that people are becoming more aware of what’s happening in the mobile space. With names like Michael Roth, CEO of Interpublic, and top executives from the likes of Atari, BMW and Electronic Arts and others on tap to speak at the Summit, Johar says the channel has finally arrived.
While some say SMS is still the cheapest option with the farthest reach, Johar insists that cheap is almost never better. “What matters more is making an impression, not the number of impressions you’re able to serve up,” Johar said. “The days of just focusing on reach and buying impressions are over.”
Johar says that increasing smartphone adoption, larger form-factor tablets and better user experiences are paving the way for users to consume more content. “It stands to reason that as more content is consumed, there will be more opportunities to support that content with advertising,” he says.
