Data! It’s what feeds the marketing and advertising machines of brands around the globe. In today’s information-hungry, ultra-mobile and hyper-personalized world, organizations are constantly looking for ways to get closer to existing and new customers and better understand their profile and preferences in order to market their products more effectively. Of course, mobile has and is increasingly the most relevant platform for advertisers to reach their target market. According to recent figures from WeAreSocial and Hootsuite, there are now 5.135 billion unique mobile users in 2018 – equating to 68% of the total, global population – and mobile now has the largest share of web traffic by device at 52%.
As consumers, we’re becoming more attuned to the presence of mobile advertising and have a better understanding than ever about what we do and don’t want to see. Similarly, we’re happy to stop using a particular app or website if we feel adverts aren’t personal enough, if they become too obtrusive or if we are fed too much clickbait. What we don’t seem to have wised up to as consumers is the huge value our data holds to advertisers as well as its potential to benefit us personally. In a digital world where data itself is currency, mobile users have an opportunity to monetize their data and get something back in return for the adverts they are willing to accept on their phones.
Here at Cloudbanter, we think all mobile users should be getting something in return for the data they give up to mobile advertisers. Not only this, but we think all adverts that mobiles users receive should be absolutely matched to their profile and preferences, they should be personalized, visually unobtrusive, real-time, preferential, contextual, location and lifestyle based. In other words, we think consumers should get adverts that are highly relevant and exciting, that they have opted in to and that deliver them ongoing rewards such as cashback and SMS, airtime & data allowances and other promotions (again, depending on their preferences).
Imagine this scenario. You have our Cloudbanter Messages app on your mobile and have opted in and provided information on your profile and preferences so that adverts can be tailored to your needs. You receive a rotating, fixed banner advert at the bottom of your phone screen – no pop-ups or obstructive images which reduce your app’s usability. These adverts might provide coupons or special offers on your favourite retailers, promotional items, information on events, promotions and deals plus video links with personalised content. At the same time, because of your decision to accept these unobtrusive banners, you are accumulating ongoing user points each time you use the Cloudbanter messages app. Once you have enough points, you are able to trade them in for rewards – the perfect way to monetize your data.
What’s clear is that it’s time mobile users understood the value of their data. As technology has advanced and the volume of digital natives within our global population increases, not to mention the fact that internet is fast becoming available to everyone on the planet, our data is a powerful currency that can be turned into rewards and incentives. Not only this, but we should be given the opportunity to tailor the advertising we see on our mobile – this benefits both users and advertisers who can understand their target customers more intimately and deliver adverts which they really want to see.
Want to make your data start working for you. Ask yourself what you should get in return for the time and space you offer advertisers, and how much information you can offer to them on your preferences.
