How Phablets are Changing the Advertising World

The world is becoming increasingly more mobile. According to Entrepreneur.com, “smartphone and tablet video consumption grew 400 percent” in 2014, and “now accounts for 30 percent of all online videos played.” As this trend continues, digital marketing companies will pay more attention to mobile advertising, especially with video.

But why are people watching more videos on their phones? On the one hand, data coverage is more accessible than ever, but more importantly, screens are getting bigger. 

With the release of the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy Note, “phablets” are the latest trend, and as stated by Publishing Executive, “consumers are expected to move to larger-sized screens with their very next purchases.”

So what does this mean for digital marketing companies? For one, more time should be focused on mobile video ads. Whether on YouTube, Twitter or Facebook, bigger screens mean more engaging video content. As Entrepreneur states, mobile viewers “are what you might call a ‘captive audience.’” When ads pop up online or on TV, people turn to their phones. But “when people are already looking at their smartphone, nothing is going to distract them.”

Another opportunity that comes with larger phone screens is native advertising. Rather than disrupting the flow of content, digital marketing companies are now teaming up with apps and websites to create content that more closely fits with the platform. For Instagram, this means creating ads that look like everyday photography; for Twitter ads should appear more spontaneous. 

Website such as BuzzFeed have begun creating native video ads that are prefaced with a warning for viewers that content is sponsored. But when the lines are blurred, consumers don’t seem to mind. When advertisers can work together with publishers to combine a promotional tone with editorial, consumers are more likely to keep watching. 

Publishing Executive also points out that with larger screens a variety of engaging content can be produced that “calls for less of the zooming and pinching that causes small-screen users to quit reading.” Now that screens are big enough to display content as it is intended to be displayed, digital marketing companies essentially have no limits when it comes to advertising.

Rather than focusing on making mobile ads into a category of their own, marketing companies should focus on re-purposing Web ads for mobile. Publishing Executive suggests that they “deliver high-quality, amazing content that capitalizes on the host of new mobile and native-app advertising opportunities created by larger screens.”

Emily Culp writes for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. They write for many other clients as well. Follow on Twitter