Mobile Video Ads Now Ready
Even though video ads have a long track record of success on both TV and the web, it has been slow to come to mobile computing. Tapjoy announced on Tuesday that it is rolling out its new service to bridge this gap. The goal is to embed video ads within apps, so the mobile user will periodically experience the ads. If successful, this model may help incentivize more free apps by providing the developers with an alternative method of income. Taking a cue from Hulu, Tapjoy plans on offering viewers a choice of ads to view. Advertisers would only be charged if their ad was viewed to completion.
A major concern with video ads on mobile devices is the completion factor. Most video ads on the internet are not viewed to completion. Tapjoy plans to offer incentives for completion, such as premium content within apps or games. Another concern is the high inventory of video ads. Some speculate there are too many for decent exposure rates. Instead being a knock against Tapjoy, this concern emboldens the Tapjoy mission. App developers are hesitant to write the code for the ads because they are, after all, developers and not advertisers. Tapjoy’s model can streamline the process and make it easy for all apps to support inline video advertising. Most mobile users use apps and most spend a significant amount of time on apps. If all apps were able to embed ads, ads that tried to minimize intrusiveness, then the exposure rates would be significant regardless of how high the volume of videos is. The digital agency needs to encourage Tapjoy and other similar services as the pathway to increased engagement of mobile video ads.
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