Mobile phones and smartphones are synonymous with our modern, fast paced culture. According to a study performed by Baylor University, college students average about 8-10 hours on their cellphones each day, taking up a very large portion of their attention. When students spend so much time looking at their phone screens, how exactly do you improve your next college mobile advertising campaign?
Many advertisers have realized how much marketing power fit in virtually every college student’s pockets. Mobile phones are basically tiny billboards. Advertisers must figure out who to sell to, and where students spend their time in the virtual world.
Digital Native Mobile Advertising
College students are arguably one of the most technologically savvy generations. Students moving away from traditional media formats, such as tv and newspapers. They see less of the advertising mediums presented with them. Students are also more likely to passively ignore online banner ads. They have grown accustomed to noticing them or employ ad blockers on their mobile devices.
The development of native advertising addresses this issue. Native advertising is a form of paid media, where the ad resembles the user experience. Users interact and experience the content or ad as if it where the usual media they consumed; it is no longer obstructive. Viewers tend to interact with it as it resembles the other facets of the site/ app.
This type of advertising is useful in apps such as Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat, popular apps that college students spend most of their time on. Native advertising could come in the form of Snapchat stories, Instagram posts, or Twitter posts. These ads seamlessly blend in with the surrounding media present.
According to a study by IPG Labs, people ages 18-34 were 60% more likely to recall native advertising ads as well as 9% more likely to purchase the products or services of a brand through this medium. Readers were also more likely to read or watch longer videos and articles, increasing overall engagement.
Targeting Ads
Social media sites test the limits in consumer advertising by using cookies and user behavior to push targeted ads. Although there are concerns about the ethics of these practices, the reality is that they work.
As a demographic, college students have been found to be extremely comfortable with targeted ads. They even welcome them to a certain extent. Research by Yahoo concluded that approximately 50% of college age people wanted to click on ads that were targeted to what they wanted. The same results applied across social media such as Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram, with over half of the survey respondents showing positive attitudes towards targeted ads in these mediums.
There are various niches and subgroups of people within younger generations, with many different needs and wants. By focusing the message towards their demographic, as well as the specific subgroup that they fit in, these consumers are more likely to interact or purchase from your brand. With many tools and services available to aid marketers, it would be wise to invest in targeted marketing due to its efficiency and versatility. The more targeted the ad, the more effective your college mobile advertising.
