You've got to rethink mobile advertising and look at mobile RIAs

In what should be a shock to absolutely no one, people don't like annoying text messages sent to their phone. According to a survey from Nielsen/NetRatings and WebVisible, 92% of those surveyed said that receiving advertising on their mobile phones is irritating. A more telling number is the percentage that they only get advertising their interested in on the web and TV (56% and 53% respectively). The mobile space is huge and the monetization potential is just as huge. But the old advertising models aren't going to work. Part of that is that the web experience on phones sucks. But even though the iPhone and Mozilla are looking to make that better, the old advertising ideas aren't going to work. So if you want to advertise on devices you need to make it more like the web and TV; brand oriented and engaging.

That's where rich Internet applications for mobile devices can be a huge help. Mobile RIAs let you tailor the experience to the phone. You're not shoehorning web advertising or web experiences onto a device they aren't fit for. We're creating a truly mobile experience that adjusts to the phone's environment and engages the user while providing a well-designed UI. Once you're in that context it opens up new avenues for mobile advertising. You can deliver a video add, brand aspects of the phone, allow users to self-select the UI/advertising elements and present deals in a way that makes good design sense.

Mobile devices are becoming as rich as the web and using antiquated text based advertising is annoying and won't cut it. Mobile RIAs offer a better way as long as you can keep it targeted and well designed.

Photo by m@burpee (blog)