Ad engagement is one of the great challenges for digital magazines – and brands in general – but signs point to positive trends taking shape
Despite the proliferation of platforms, channels, and technology, ad engagement hasn’t exactly gotten easier for publishers and brands. Whether it’s the ad blocking craze that seems to be taking over the Web or cross-device targeting concerns, viewability issues or unreliable metrics, connecting consumers with meaningful ad experiences that can sustain digital magazines and satisfy marketers is becoming more complex even as access levels are as high as they’ve ever been.
However, things are looking up, according to a few recent articles from Digiday. Mobile advertising in particular, which has so flummoxed publishers, is showing indications of finding a rhythm, while the Atlantic, always a leader, is showing publishers how it’s done when it comes to maximizing time spent on native advertising content. On top of it, LinkedIn has found a way to parlay its event marketing into digital ad revenue.
Read on for some encouraging news!
Are Digital Publishers Starting to Master Mobile Ad Engagement?
A new study from PubMatic shows that publishers are making more headway when it comes to mobile advertising, Digiday reports, with rates growing and opening up a lead on desktop.
“The publishers are doing a better job improving their mobile Web designs and building responsive websites,” PubMatic CEO Rajeev Goel told Garett Sloane. “We’re getting a version of the Web that is built to the expectation of mobile devices, and the ads and ad engagement are higher.”
According to PubMatic data, CPMs in the last quarter were 34% higher on mobile than desktop, while mobile ad growth is up 12% year over year. While social channels like Facebook are pushing a significant portion of this success, mobile web and app performance is up also.
Publishers’ efforts to provide better user data, private marketplaces, and a gradual move away from quantity (in the form of banners) toward quality (in the form of native ads) are cited as drivers as mobile ad engagement matures.
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The Atlantic’s Native Ad Engagement Success
Speaking of native advertising, Atlantic readers are averaging more than four minutes per native ad, which is outperforming BuzzFeed and Mashable, Digiday reports. In addition, the content is getting shared widely across social media. How are they doing it?
“It’s a lot of things at once,” Atlantic Publisher and Vice President Hayley Romer told Lucia Moses. “The redesign was focused on the reader; that’s paid off. We also rethought how we integrated native into the site. We’ve absolutely increased our emphasis on utility, making it something they do want to engage with.”
Can Events Drive Digital Advertising Revenue? LinkedIn Says Yes
Meanwhile, LinkedIn’s 16 events this year are aimed at an unlikely revenue stream – advertising, as opposed to ticket sales and sponsorships, according to Digiday.
“The model is to invest in our customer in the most efficient way possible,” said Alison Engel, vp of global marketing for Marketing Solutions. “There’s a power and opportunity to bringing people together in the same sector. It gets them thinking about how to work with LinkedIn differently.”
How important is ad engagement to your multiplatform publishing success? Share your story in the comments!
To read more about ad engagement in the news, visit Digiday.
