Reader & publisher relationship has 'catalytic' effect on ad effectiveness .. Inskin Media

Brand safety is considerably more complex than the industry thinks


The relationship a reader has with a publisher has far more impact on the effectiveness of online ads than the surrounding editorial content, which suggests concerns around brand safety may be misunderstood, according to a new study. 
 
The study – by Inskin Media, Research Now and Conquest Research – compared the conscious and subconscious reactions of 4,370 people, who were served ads on websites either with or without publisher branding. It revealed that ads on the publisher-branded sites increased consideration for the advertiser by 60% compared to the ads on the site without publisher branding.

New Research ...Ad viewability hits 18-month high .. Meetrics

First consecutive rise on record

For the first time since it started measuring ad viewability, the level in the UK rose for two consecutive quarters – to hit the highest mark for 18 months – according to the latest quarterly benchmark report from ad verification company Meetrics. 

In the third quarter of 2017, the proportion of banner ads served that met minimum viewability guidelines rose from 51% to 52% – the highest level since Q1 2016 (54%). This followed a rise from 47% to 51% in the previous quarter.

AI-Powered Features Expansion - Google Ads is set to introduce more sophisticated AI and machine learning tools. These advancements promise enhanced automated bid strategies, advanced audience targeting, and semi-autonomous ad creation, aiming to optimize campaign performance through predictive analytics.



"Yes, the latest rise is small but its directionally very significant, said Anant Joshi, Meetrics’ country manager for UK & Ireland. [Pictured] “For the first time, there’s a consistent positive trend which is a sign that efforts to increase viewability are bearing fruit. A driving factor is that some agency groups are starting to demand a higher percentage of an ad’s surface area to be in view which is making the sell side improve the quality of their ad placements."
 

Viewability comparison by countries

Despite the rise, the UK still lags far behind the other six European countries in which Meetrics measures viewability. Italy (68% viewability) and Austria (67%) lead the way while Switzerland and Poland (both 55%) are the closest to UK levels. Joshi notes that despite the UK heading in the right direction, the latest IAB/PwC digital adspend figures “suggest around £165m in the UK is being wasted per quarter on ads not meeting minimum viewability guidelines.”

Ads are deemed viewable if the meet the IAB and Media Ratings Council’s recommendation that 50% of the ad is in view for at least one second.

Discussing Options: Should You Invest in Dedicated Apps or Mobile Sites?

Mobile applications (apps) and mobile websites often perform very similar roles yet there are still fairly large differences between the two.

The Comparison.  So, what are they? An application is a program that will be downloaded onto the user’s phone; as such, it can be tailored to a very specific purpose and can be more interactive with the user than a mobile site. Applications can be accessed offline and can be left running in the background of your phone, allowing for easier access where regular usage is required.

A mobile site is simply a website that has a specific variant for mobiles. Mobile sites are sometimes preferred to apps as they are easier to access and provide a greater online presence for businesses, and they can be found and shared easily. Mobile sites are cheaper and easier to make than apps, and they offer compatibility across all phone devices.

Examples.

eBay's application is useful for regular users as it allows for push notifications on bids and followed items, and it provides an easier interface for those wanting to sell items. Blizzard, the creators of World of Warcraft, have produced an app for their game that provides the perfect example of how apps can be more relevant than mobile sites. The app allows users to access in-game features such as the store (auction house), team chat and follower missions that require an amount of processing power not accessible through a website.

However, the company's online store (Battle.net) has remained app free with a mobile site. This is mainly due to the fact that Blizzard experiences far greater desktop traffic than mobile traffic by up to seven times as much, meaning a mobile-only app would not be worth the development cost. But, it is also due to convenience as their customer support must be readily accessible on all devices.

Why Not Use Both?

Apps and Mobile sites often shine in their own areas but they work best where there is some crossover. Shopping sites like Amazon often feature both, as companies must support a wide range of customers, from regular users to one-off interactions. In the world of iGaming there is a number of casinos that offers both a mobile site and applications to download. The casino uses a mobile site for ease of access and for first time players, while they offer applications for many of their games so they can be accessed offline or on the go.

Lastly, HSBC mobile banking features a mobile site and app that must be used in conjunction as a security measure. It is a great example of both being used to their strengths; the mobile site allows for convenient banking whereas the app, which can only be on the account holder’s phone, confirms the account holder is the one accessing the mobile site through a throw-away generated input code.

Both applications and mobile sites have their own positives and negatives; you should decide which you want to develop based on what kind of experience you want your users to have. For regular accessibility, security, and greater integration with the phone’s features (such as use of the camera) developing an app is best. For ease of access, better web presence, upgradeability, and cross-device compatibility, mobile sites are the best option.

Smartphones now twice as popular as PCs for going online

Smartphone use is most dominant between 8-11am

Twice as many adults now use the internet on a smartphone than do on a desktop computer, as smartphones have become the most popular device for going online at every hour of the day.

Verto Analytics, a research company that tracks which devices nearly 5,000 UK adults use to go online, showed that smartphones account for 57% of people who go online, whilst traditional PCs account for 27% and tablets 16%.

Dr. Hannu Verkasalo, Verto Analytics’ CEO, says, “Mobile’s dominance at every hour of the day is a change from recent years when desktop PCs tended to be the most popular device for going online during the middle hours of the day and in the middle part of the evening.”

Negative SEO attack: How to fight it

In 1996 the creation of Google led to the boom of web pages and the knowledge that you could make money with them. Hence, day after day the competition to reach the first positions in the search engines was growing.

It was then, when SEO was created (Search Engine Optimization). Although for the readers of this blog it is not necessary to define this concept, SEO is based on increasing the number of organic(unpaid) visitors of a website in different search engines.

For this reason, more and more websites and companies are starting to use SEO as their main tool to improve the effectiveness of their websites and make them more appealing to Google. The more visible you are to Google, the more customers your website will have.

It's like a high school popularity contest, the more people pointing you as the best football player, the more people will believe in you and the greater your popularity will be.