Millennial Media’s monthly SMART report has been released today, bringing a few expected trends to the table. Mobile advertising is still on the rise, with discount alerts continuing to be a primary area of focus. There are a few special report sections that Millennial Media has looked at, including male shoppers, and some new metrics the company has added to the mix.
One promising stat is that nearly 20% of smart phone owners took a special trip to a retailer after receiving a mobile coupon. This is some pretty hefty validation of mobile discount alerts, though it should come as no surprise, given the booming success of startups like Groupon, and ongoing funding for similar services.
The rise in action-oriented consumer behavior is encouraging for advertisers and retailers, especially as coupon redemption has typically demonstrated surprisingly low rates. The numbers from Millennial Media indicate that targeted delivery methods through mobile distribution could be lending to more consumer uptake.
Millennial Media also hints towards opportunities around male-centric advertising, saying “advertisers shouldn’t underestimate the buying power of the male shopper this holiday buying season–particularly brands in the Electronics, Clothing, Store, Department Stores and Service locations where males overindexed for coupon usage.” This recommendation comes from July’s numbers showing an increase in male mobile shopper coupon usage.
Other clues for mobile coupon targeting involve the delivery methods consumers prefer, with 28% of survey respondents noting they want to find coupons on their own, using an app. In-store mobile apps received 82% of consumer interest, with doctors’ offices coming in at 55%, sporting events landing 36%, and during a movie or at a theater raking in 17% of consumer preferences. Categories of interest would be Retail & Restaurants, Automotive, Telecom and CPG, with a focus on rich mobile experiences that consumers can relate to.
Millennial Media has also begun to measure application downloads as a metric in its monthly SMART reports, noting a rise in July, for the second consecutive month. Noting the types of apps that were downloaded most by consumers, Millennial Media also highlights the heavily engaging mobile apps as the most used.
Beyond this, July saw a continuation of several trends, including brands utilizing Targeted-Audience campaign methods. Millennial Media’s ad network saw a 2% increase, month-over-month. Still, broad reach methods have taken up 57% of campaign targeting for July, which is still a comfortable area for beginning mobile marketing, as the industry overall is still in its infancy. Resources allocated towards rich mobile marketing has yet to reach the level of other advertising mechanisms for several industries.
Going back to the success of targeted discount ads, however, and you’ll see how Behavioral Audience targeting managed to gain 5% month-over-month, accounting for 17% of targeted ads in July. The verticals utilizing demographic targeting the most were Entertainment and Telecom, which is a continuation of last month’s trends as well.
