Mobile News: RTB Boosts Ad Performance, Marketers Struggle to Measure ROI

Exchange-Based Buying Boosts Mobile Click-Through Rates

According to data from trials of its new real-time bided exchange, supply-side platform provider Nexage claims mobile display ads purchased on a real-time basis outperform those sold through other channels such as networks.

The company tested its new RTB Exchange during the first two weeks of May with 12 to 15 of its publisher clients, and found ads sold across those properties in real-time attracted 34 percent higher click through rates than those that weren't. According to Nexage, the results demonstrate the ability of demand-side platforms to pick off high performing inventory, which ultimately benefits both publishers and advertisers.

The trials data is based on hundreds of millions of real-time bidded impressions, Nexage said, adding that a total of around 5 billion impressions flow through its mediation platform on a monthly basis, most of which are purchased by ad networks such as AdMob and Millennial Media.

Marketers Struggle to Evaluate Mobile Campaign ROI

Two in five marketers conducting mobile campaigns will be required to prove the value of that activity in order to continue to receive investment, according to a survey of 563 corporate management and marketing or sales management staffers, conducted by marketing solutions provider King Fish.

Despite that fact, 63 percent of respondents said they haven't measured, or were unable to successfully measure the ROI of their mobile marketing efforts to date, highlighting the continued challenges the channel faces around issues such as measurement and conversion tracking.

Though the value of mobile efforts therefore appears unclear for most marketers, 82 percent of respondents still said they plan to increase their investment in the channel over the next twelve months.

Mobile Ads Turn More Social

Advertisers running mobile display campaigns are increasingly using social media calls-to-action in their creative, according to data from Millennial Media.

The ad network's monthly S.M.A.R.T. report states that 39 percent more campaigns invited consumers to take some sort of social media action in April, compared with the previous month. Those actions ranged from a Facebook like, to leaving feedback on a new product, the company said.