By Rimma Kats
July 5, 2012
Mobile advertising is not what it was years ago. Nowadays, marketers are looking to incorporate new technologies to better reach consumers.
Here are the top 10 mobile advertising campaigns of the second quarter, in alphabetical order. The campaigns were judged on creative, form of engagement and execution. Results for the campaigns were not provided.
Realizing the company could do better, Boar’s Head redeemed itself.
Just four months after running a mobile advertising campaign that was clearly not optimized, Boar’s Head launched a new initiative that was well executed this time around.
The campaign encouraged consumers to discover the company’s Jerk Turkey products
When consumers tapped on the mobile ads, they were redirected to a mobile-optimized landing page that let them learn more about the company’s bold flavors, as well as watch a commercial.
It was clear to see that Boar’s Head thought out its new mobile initiative this time around.
It is important that a mobile ad campaign takes consumers to a mobile-optimized page.
Consumers do not want to pinch-and-zoom. Therefore, offering optimized content is crucial.
DisneyRecently, Disney bet big on mobile for a national TV, print and out-of-home advertising campaign that showcased its new Disney Mobile Magic App mobile application.
Throughout the campaign there were several calls-to-action that ultimately encouraged app downloads.
Consumers were also invited to call **MAGIC (**62442) to download the app or visit Google Play.
Nowadays, marketers are using different forms of advertising to drive app downloads.
An initiative such as this is a great way to get users to download a company’s app.
Additionally, this move proved that Disney is a force to reckon with in the mobile space.
McDonald’sMcDonald’s has been leading the way in the mobile advertising space.
The fast food giant continually turns to the medium when it needs to promote new products.
Last month, McDonald’s ran a mobile advertising campaign that promoted its breakfast items.
The company sponsored Us Magazine’s Hot Pics section within the publisher’s mobile site. The mobile ads promote the new McDonald’s Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal.
When consumers tapped on the ad they were taken to a mobile landing page where they could learn more about the fast food giant’s new breakfast item, as well as find the nearest McDonald’s location to try it out.
What was great about the campaign was that it took advantage of the device’s GPS-enabled technology and helped users locate the nearest McDonald’s location.
This mobile initiative was a effective way to drive in-store traffic.
NordstromWhile many use mobile advertising to drive in-store traffic and promote new products, Nordstrom took a different route.
The department store chain put social in the forefront for its recent ad campaign.
The mobile ads were aimed to bolster the company’s social media presence and encouraged consumers to learn more about its Nordstrom Rack brand.
The mobile ads took consumers to an optimized landing page were they could learn more about the company, as well as browse its Twitter, Flipbook and Facebook page.
By incorporating social into its mobile marketing efforts, Nordstrom was able to build a relationship with new and existing customers even when they were done engaging with the mobile ad.
Additionally, by featuring Facebook and Twitter tabs, Nordstrom was able to grow its social media list.
Panera BreadSeldom do marketers use mobile advertising to drive YouTube viewership.
However, it worked well for Panera Bread.
Panera’s YouTube page featured videos where users could watch the company’s version of the ABCs and see how it uses food to create art.
For example, there is an A is for Avocado video that features a Panera employee cutting up avocados in the form of the letter A.
The videos help build brand awareness and that is exactly what the goal of the campaign was.
Clearly, Panera put a lot of effort into its YouTube page. Therefore, leading consumers to it through mobile advertising helped engage new and existing customers.
PopsicleIt has been a while since a company rolled out a clever iAd campaign.
Popsicle took advantage of Apple’s iAd network to help bolster its presence in the mobile space, as well as encourage consumers to learn more about its new products.
The iAd campaign was colorful and interactive.
Via the mobile ad, consumers were able to browse the company’s products and use the Store Locator feature to find the nearest retail stores that sold the products.
The advertising campaign also incorporated video that featured Popsicle Pete’s dog Rufus as he went through different adventures.
ShowtimeShowtime used mobile advertising to its advantage.
To help promote the new season of “Weeds” and “Episodes,” Showtime partnered with Pandora to offer limited commercial breaks to its users.
The advertising sponsorship included expandable, full-page and audio ads that promoted the upcoming shows.
For the Weeds mobile ad campaign, users were taken to a landing page where they could download the Weeds iPhone app to keep up-to-date with the show.
In addition, the Episodes mobile ad encouraged consumers to watch the season premiere when they tapped on it.
A mobile ad sponsorship such as this is a great way to drive new viewership.
Additionally, by advertising within Pandora and offering limited-time breaks, Showtime was able to give users an incentive when they tapped on the ad.
When consumers tapped on the Weeds mobile ad, they were taken to a landing page where they could download the Weeds iPhone app to keep up-to-date with the show.
Showtime also promoted its show, Episodes and encouraged consumers to watch the season premiere when they tapped on the mobile ad.
A mobile ad sponsorship such as this is a great way to drive new viewership.
Additionally, by advertising on Pandora and offering limited-time breaks, Showtime is giving users an incentive to tap on the ad.
StarbucksStarbucks is no stranger to mobile advertising.
The coffee giant constantly uses the medium to not only promote new products, but also to bolster its position in the mobile space.
Most recently, Starbucks ran a campaign that promoted its VIA Instant Coffee.
Starbucks used mobile advertising to let consumers learn more about its products.
Additionally, the company sweetened the deal by offering Starbucks Reward members an extra star for each pack of Starbucks VIA Ice Coffee they buy using their registered card.
Every time a user reaches 15 stars, they received a free, customized drink.
Starbucks is continually using mobile to promote its Rewards program.
This helps build loyalty and is a good way to increase new sign-ups.
SubwayRestaurant franchise Subway was one of the few marketers who used mobile video in its advertising efforts during the second quarter of this year.
Subway incorporated video and location into its marketing efforts and invited customers to try its summer menu items.
The mobile video ads were part of a multichannel push from the company to promote its line of avocado-inspired sandwiches.
The videos were 30 seconds long and promoted that it was avocado season at Subway.
During the commercial, consumers could tap the “More details” button in the upper left-hand corner to visit Subway’s mobile site.
By using mobile video, Subway was able to engage its customers on a deeper level.
Mobile video presents marketers with a great opportunity to promote new products.
In this case, having consumers visually see the new sandwiches was a great way to drive in-store traffic.
Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures has been riding the mobile advertising wave over the past year.
The studio continually used the medium to promote its upcoming films, and, ultimately drive ticket sales.
However, to help promote its “Snow White and the Huntsman” film, Universal put a greater focus on social.
The Universal mobile advertising campaign incorporated social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
When consumers tapped on the ad, they were redirected to a mobile landing page that let them learn more about the film, watch videos and browse the gallery.
What set the mobile ad apart from Universal’s previous ones is how the company really ramped up its social efforts.
For example, there were Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Flipboard tabs within the mobile ad.
This let consumers further engage with the company on many aspects.
Mobile and social constantly goes hand-in-hand and the two should be incorporated more often to drive engagement.
