Mobile Ads Going Up The Funnel: AppNexus’ Gilbert

BARCELONA — Mobile ads are booming. Now they’re ready to burst up the funnel, too.

Mobile was set to account for the majority of digital ad spending in 2015. So far, most of that has been spent on so-called “performance” ads, where advertisers pay for a guaranteed, usually click-based digital outcome.

But, as the medium matures, it will also start to support “branding” campaigns, ones where advertisers desire not an outcome but to simply switch consumers on to their existence, says one ad exec.

“The type of campaigns that have been running tends to focus on some kind of action,” sys AppNexus strategic development VP for EMEA, Nigel Gilbert. “Because there has been way more supply than budget available to fill that supply, sellers are more inclined to run these campaigns.

“That said, we’re now seeing mobile come out of what has traditionally been a performance-based marketplace.”

Gilbert thinks new markets tend to emerge with performance first. Now he thinks new mobile ad formats mean mobile is ready to do more.

“(With) the awareness of what’s possible on the platform – such as video – we’re now seeing branding campaigns come to the fore,” he adds.

His company has just launched several tools for the new header bidding opportunity.

This video was is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of Mobile World Congress presented by Light Reaction.   Please visit this page for additional videos from Barcelona.