I was at Visiongain’s MAMA (Mobile Advertising and Marketing Awards) conference this week (oddly, I can’t find any online link). As with so many of these things, there were lots of vendors there and very few advertisers - and certainly few big brand or agency folks. We’re still talking to ourselves, in other words and this isn’t a reflection on the excellent work the Visiongain team had invested, but the state of the market as it stands today.
Hey ho, things will change - and indeed, are changing rapidly. Mobile advertising’s time has come, without question.
Lots of the vendors had case studies to share and one theme quickly emerged in my mind, which I’d like to bounce off you. To get the best results, considerable care needs to be invested in constructing a campaign to really engage the consumer, as opposed to the outmoded shout-loudly-in-the-consumer’s-face that’s still widely used, even today. It’s about conversation, of course and if you read MobHappy, blogs like Communities Dominate Brands and all the way back to The Cluetrain Manifesto, you’ll understand this.
So I wonder if it’s time that we started to reflect and indeed emphisise this in our pricing of mobile advertising campaigns - in other words, start charging on a Cost per Conversation basis. Usually, campaigns are charged on the same models as those run in a PC environment, such as Cost per Click or Cost per Impression (CPM). But this is really charging for the wrong thing. Who cares if someone clicks on an ad, especially if that’s all they actually do? What difference does it make to a brand, if someone merely sees the ad and doesn’t engage?
The difference between Cost per Conversation and Cost per Impression might seem semantic. However, it would reflect the opportunity we’re creating and value we’re delivering to the advertiser and consumer alike.
What do you think?
Russell, I am not sure that I understand what you mean by cost per conversation? Are you talking flat rate charging for campaigns.
So *** days or views for *** cash?
If this is what you mean then it might be great for large brands but not the best for small business.
Bena
Hi Bena
It was more about charging per conversation that the click initiates. So, in fact, it’s pretty much the same as CPC currently, but emphasises that it’s what happens AFTER the click that’s important.
So it’s great for both small and large brands alike.
It’s not especially revolutionary, but I do think it might position what mobile advertising actually does, particularly for companies taking their first step in the medium.
Russell
Qcodes might offer a way to measure this?
Worth considering what made someone click or search in the first place and sharing out the value closer to content?
As a marketer by profession, we are noticing a similair trend: when actively seeking new business opportunities, we are hearing from prospective clients that they no longer want to simply make their target audiences aware of themselves/product/service, etc. Rather, they are looking for ways to actively engage their audience. The same is true for mobile advertising: it’s the overall engagement that matters. Engagement should be how ads are measured. Like you said, what’s a click if nothing comes of it.