What makes for good ads?

Google announced last week that that their mobile ads are now MMA compliant. At GoLife we, too, have been working carefully to ensure that our advertisements are all compliant with the MMA standards. I see an issue, though, with mobile advertising, which can’t really be addressed by any standards body, no matter how carefully and thoroughly specified. The specifications and standards are all about how the advertisement is presented, and not about why the advertisement is presented.

The thing about mobile is, it’s different than the Web. People don’t typically use mobile applications to search for information.If they’re using a mobile device, it’s because they’re on the go somewhere. They are using their mobile device because they need to do something specific that involves interactions with the electronic world.

Yes, I know, there are plenty of people who spend of time using mobile devices to kill time while they’re riding the bus or waiting for a doctor’s appointment or something. The mobile web is ideal for that. But I don’t think that’s the primary target use case of most mobile applications.

Advertising works to the extent that it aligns with the user’s interests or goals within the context of the presentation. That’s why targeted advertising is the goal of marketing, of course: if I can show the user that I can give him exactly what he needs right now, he will buy it. Google has done a brilliant job with this and it has paid off for them in the gazillions of dollars.

One thing to bear in mind, though, is that advertising doesn’t work nearly as well if it fails to align with the user’s goals, especially if it annoys the user. Ads that aren’t related to the users’ goals are usually ignored. Ads that interfere with the user’s goals are really disliked. Ads that pop up over webpage content, for instance, especially when they’re unrelated to the content, are most vehemently denounced.

So what does this have to do with Google and the MMA? Well, the true power of advertising in mobile applications is that it gives the advertiser the opportunity to present while the user is not only interested in the subject, but actively doing something about it. Mobile lifestyle applications enable unprecedented levels of customization, the chance to help people by presenting them with exactly what they need, even if they don’t know they need it.

So, should you use interstitial ads or banner ads on a mobile application? MMA standards notwithstanding, we believe that banner ads degrade the mobile experience, because they consume precious screen real estate. We believe that interstitial ads can actually enhance the user experience, especially when used (as we do) during idle times on the handset while the system is processing data or communicating with the server. It’s more interesting than a ‘processing’ screen or the ubiquitous spinning hourglass. All the more so if it’s relevant, and in the mobile lifestyle, relevant becomes increasingly easy to define.

The size and shape and resolution of the ad aren’t nearly as important as its relevance. The challenge is to align with the user’s context. That’s where the magic happens.