Metrics find high user engagement, interaction for iPad's first ads
Those cool splashy iOS ads that Steve Jobs has showcased at a couple of media events are delivering high levels of user engagement and better-than-average interaction times, according to metrics studies.
In a release issued today, textPlus, PointRoll and AdMarvel - which were among a special group that debuted optimized apps for the iPad launch earlier this year - cited data to illustrate the interest in these ads. In a release, the companies wrote:
Campaigns that ran the first four weeks after the iPad launch delivered average interaction times across advertisers of 30 seconds, and as high as 53 seconds for one advertiser. Time spent with each ad correlated with the amount of content included in the ads. In addition, interaction rates (measuring the number of people tapping to expand and engaging with the ads, as a percentage of impressions) ranged from .9% to 1.5% in the first month of the campaign, up to 6 times the benchmark for comparable click-to-expand ads on the desktop. In addition, 67% of users who viewed a video component of the ad in the app watched it all the way through, compared to 53% completion rate for desktop.
Their bottom line message: "The iPad can be a successful supplement to a 360-degree campaign across devices to strengthen and further lift audience engagement."
That's all interesting stuff but I can't help but raise a red flag - albeit a small one - about these "iPad is Great for Advertising" press releases. Watching Jobs demo the ads on screen at press events, I'll admit that the ads are creative, engaging and fun to watch or interact with. But I suspect that's largely because they're new - and people are curious about what they have to offer.
Are the e-commerce elements of these ads paying off, as well? Are users "clicking through" to engage with the Web sites or the advertiser itself after watching the iPad. Maybe they are - but it's those sort of questions that keep me from jumping up and down and cheering what's being sold as an overnight sensation form of advertising.