Trusted Media Brands Survey: Video And Native To Rule Mobile In 2016

Mobile Banners To Dive By 20 Percent In Popularity

Survey uncovers trends among client and agency marketers

NEW YORK – Trusted Media Brands, Inc., an iconic, multiplatform media company, released findings from a survey on mobile advertising formats. The study was conducted by Advertiser Perceptions and surveyed clients and agency executives to reveal that the overall perception of video and native ads on mobile are less intrusive than banner ads, build brand awareness lift and engagement, offer a better user experience and will surpass display banners as the top mobile formats in 2016.

While 63 percent of respondents used display banners in mobile last year, only 45 percent expect to do so this year. Almost half of respondents (45 percent) plan to use video in 2016, with 46 percent of total respondents planning to use pre- or mid-roll video and 45 percent planning to use native in mobile as well.

“Our survey showed that native gets high marks for giving the message an authentic brand voice and imparting a superior user experience, while the increased brand awareness and engagement of video are considered a top benefit for both marketers and agencies,” said Rich Sutton, Chief Revenue Officer for Trusted Media Brands, Inc. “With video on mobile commanding better CPMs than desktop for many publishers and native CPMs four to five times that of banner monetization, the advantages for these two formats are clear.”

According to the survey, a majority of marketers at agencies and brands (63 percent) agree that mobile phones should have ads. Additional survey results include:

Benefits of Mobile Native and Video Ad Formats
The top three benefits of mobile native ad formats cited by agencies and marketers are that they are less intrusive (44 percent), increase brand awareness (32 percent) and foster better engagement and interaction (31 percent). Among agencies, 31 percent cited the more authentic brand voice native ads lend, while 33 percent of brand marketers noted the better user experience as a benefit.

Sight, sound and motion give video the advantage of being an ad format that works for marketers at both the top and bottom of the consumer purchase funnel. Increased brand awareness was noted by 47 percent of marketers as the most important benefit of video ads on mobile, while engagement (34 percent) and how well suited video is to mobile consumption behaviors (31 percent) followed. Among 26 percent of agencies, video is seen as providing a more authentic brand voice, while 25 percent of marketers believe it impacts lead generation.

Mobile Ad Format Usage – Past and Planned
Pre- and mid-roll video is the top ad format planned for use in 2016 (46 percent), while native and display banners tied second at 45 percent each, representing a slight dip from the use of native ads by 50 percent of marketers last year. Measuring the success of native was cited as the format’s top challenge.

The Trusted Media Brands, Inc. survey was conducted in December 2015 among 283 U.S. media decision-makers from the Advertiser Perceptions Omnibus Panel. Respondents were those involved in digital/mobile and social advertising. For a copy of the white paper that includes all survey results, visit http://www.tmbi.com/research/.

About Trusted Media Brands, Inc.
Trusted Media Brands, Inc. (formerly known as The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.), is a visionary, brand-driven multiplatform media company whose portfolio of iconic properties and products include Taste of Home, the world’s largest circulation food media brand; Reader’s Digest; The Family Handyman, America’s leading source for DIY; a suite of highly targeted brands including Birds & Blooms, Country, Country Woman, Farm & Ranch Living and Reminisce; and digital properties which include EnrichU, the Taste Community and Haven Home Media.  Trusted Media Brands, Inc. reaches active consumers who genuinely connect with our blend of uplifting and enduring expertly-curated family, food, health, home improvement, finance and humor content – digitally, via social media, magazines and books, and events and experiences.  Founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace as The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., one of the first user-generated content publishers, Trusted Media Brands, Inc. is headquartered in New York City.  For more information visit TMBI.com.

About Advertiser Perceptions
Advertiser Perceptions is the world leader in providing media company executives with the research-based advertiser insight and guidance necessary for producing superior advertiser experiences. The company specializes in determining, analyzing, communicating and applying what advertisers think — their plans, opinions and motivations.