LeadBolt has been a major player in the mobile app development and advertising market for some time, and they have just announced an innovative new ad format. This format, called “Audio Ads” is designed specifically for mobile devices using either the iOS or Android OS. The format harnesses the gyroscope technology that exists in almost all mobile devices, in order to capture the way the user responds to the ad.
Advertisements are displayed within apps, and when activated the users hear a message from the advertiser, and are then encouraged to shake the mobile device to engage with the brand further.
Dale Carr, CEO of LeadBolt, said “With mobile users quickly becoming desensitized to banners and other common forms of mobile ad units, LeadBolt exclusively designed Audio Ads to deliver a fresh and fun user interaction that helps brand messages get noticed. With this new mobile technology, brands can deliver more accurate ads to users while maximizing the Click-Through-Rates for greater monetization.”
The new technology is already getting a lot of attention from some of the biggest advertisers. King.com and Zynga are among the first who are experimenting with this format to try to attract users to their games. At this point, LeadBolt is reporting that these advertisers are seeing 30% improvements in their CTR, which shows that this new advertising format could be a powerful tool for all marketers in the future.
Of course, there is a risk that this type of ad is just going to be a fad, which mobile device users will quickly tire of and begin ignoring, or even complaining about. LeadBolt is attempting to avoid that risk by serving the ads in a way that will engage the users more directly, and in a way that they will be more engaged in. They use a proprietary algorithm to serve the right ads to the right audience, and in the right format for best engagement.
What do you think about this new mobile ad option? Will it continue to drive increased engagement with viewers, or is it going to be short lived? Share your opinions in the comments below.
