Yahoo: 85% ‘visually engage’ with native advertising on mobile
New research from Yahoo reveals that mobile users are twice as likely to engage with advertising when it sits contextually within a stream of content.
Yahoo unveiled new research at the IAB UK Digital Upfronts event today (14 October) that shows that users do not filter ads specifically from a content stream.
The brand’s mobile native advertising study shows that smartphone users are twice as likely to agree that if content is engaging they do not care if it’s an ad.
It also reveals that 85% ‘visually engaged’ with an advert, meaning a user saw a native ad when presented in a content stream, which is 21% higher than on other types of display ads on mobile.
Over half (58%) of Yahoo users said that stream advertising is a better fit with content that other types of mobile advertising and 62% say it’s less intrusive.
Speaking to Marketing Week, Patrick Hourihan, Yahoo’s EMEA head of research says: “The mobile stream and the integrated impact of advertising and content sitting so well together, so that people don’t filter out ads, is the upside and benefits of what native is about.”
The study also shows that content marketing mobile native ads deliver 72% more emotional response than other types of ‘in-stream’ ad.
Yahoo tested different types of creative in the study, for example a simple brand awareness ad compared to content marketing creative.
Hourihan says: “The content marketing creative was more engaging and delivering utility and value for consumers, and there was clearly a more emotional response.”
“That’s not to say that the other types of creative are not good at what they do, it’s about different marketing objectives and matching against what you want to do in the mobile stream,” he adds.
Yahoo announced a new content platform at the event that allows advertisers to use Yahoo’s data and content creation team to distribute ads on the blogging site Tumblr, which the brand bought in May 2013.
When asked about the importance of balance for native advertising and content Hourihan says: “We have a laser focus on that balance between content and advertising because across all media it’s about making sure your offering is not overly intrusive to consumers but is still delivering impact.
“It’s at the forefront of how we think about our consumers and the experience we are delivering.”
