Untapped Creative Potential of Smartphone Digital Advertising

Smartphones are a staple of modern life, with consumers being very familiar with mobile advertising. We’re used to swiping, tapping, and pinching to view content that interests us. However, when it comes to those behind these adverts, there remains many more creative ways for brands to engage with their audiences through smartphones. In this piece, Rob Garber (pictured below), managing director EMEA, Undertone, explains why smartphones present an entirely new canvas for advertisers to unleash their creativity.

Advertisers should make better use of the functions already available on smartphones to create more engaging experiences. They encourage users to participate in adverts by controlling the experience themselves, thus developing a rapport with a brand as a result. As research from our proprietary platform SparkFlow shows, native smartphone functions also drive better results; campaigns that use these functions have click-through rates that are up to 50x higher than those using mobile expandable banners.

So, how can advertisers connect with the public on their personal devices? It’s time to think outside the box – or the screen, in this case. There are new opportunities for brands to cut through the digital noise; and here are three examples of smartphone functions that still have a wealth of untapped potential:

Making a move

When we tilt our devices in a game, our devices measure this action through an accelerometer. They can detect movement, acceleration, and whether the phone is in portrait or landscape mode. We’ve seen this in countless mobile games over the years, with the advertising industry also considering how they can make use of this technology. We’ve already seen this evolve into 360° adverts, where users can tilt their phone to explore a virtual scene around them. Examples include an exclusive promo tour, or the interior of a brand new car, as we’ve done for Jaguar.

Accelerometers make great adverts because it gives users a compelling reason to connect with a brand. We’re still in the early stages of the technology, so there’s plenty of room to innovate. Imagine, for example, an advert featuring a rugby game in the midst of the Six Nations. Users could tilt their device in time with the on-screen action to score a try or conversion, unlocking new and interesting content as a result.

Shaking up the status quo

While accelerometers can be used to track slow movements, they can also be used to track faster, spontaneous actions like shaking. When paired with the right creative, consumers can be surprised by a new message, video, or image as they interact with the advert.

For example, we’ve used accelerometers in our campaign for VitaCoco, offering users new life hacks in exchange for shaking the device. We’ve promoted The X-Files with an interactive magic 8-ball for smartphone users.

Drawing in users with creativity

Smartphone screens are becoming ever larger; and the ways in which we interact with them are evolving with this growth. Multi-touch sensors and creative tools mean that users can draw images on the screen, creating content from the palm of their hand. From an advertising perspective, this means that there’s an opportunity for consumers to put their own stamp on a brand experience.

These interactions are perhaps the most engaging of those mentioned here; brands that take advantage of this can reap considerable rewards. For example, we’ve worked with Lancôme to create an advert focused on touch. It asks users to draw a heart on their screens using a branded ‘lipstick’ to unlock exclusive content. This technique is high-impact, with consumers being entertained and thoroughly engaged in a brand’s message and campaign.

Smartphones present an entirely new canvas for advertisers to unleash their creativity; it’s a far more personal space than traditional online adverts. After all, the advert is literally in the palm of your hand. Brands can, therefore, combine technology and creativity by using formats that best use these native smartphone functions. These adverts create an experience that will stay with a consumer for a long time – a great achievement in our busy modern world.