According to Google's benchmark, the average click-through rate for mobile media advertisements is only 0.6%. 

Why is that important? 

It's more complex than ever for marketers to engage a viewer and keep their attention throughout the purchase journey, from that initial impression through purchasing a product. However, immersive and personalized creatives have proven more effective in driving engagement rates, reaching over 19% (32x the industry benchmark).  

For marketers looking to break through the noise, here are four of the biggest opportunities in the mobile marketing space to drive massive 2024 results:

1. Decoding Immersive Experiences for Brands of All Sizes

You don't need to launch a branded world like Slivingland or Oreoverse in VR to land an immersive creative effectively. From TikTok shops to global CPG companies, any brand can leverage engaging elements of immersive experiences to elevate ad units.

Understanding the power of immersive experiences, we launched our first immersive ad units earlier this year. Incorporating gamified elements, vibrant imagery, and animations, brands like Bob Evans Farms and STIHL can create engaging and innovative ad campaigns that shatter industry benchmarks, reaching engagement rates up to 8.72% (over 14.4x the industry average).

Notably, Bob Evans Farms partnered with InMarket to promote the launch of its newest side dish, Mashed Cauliflower. In the immersive creative, Bob Evans highlighted a variety of its side dishes by encouraging viewers to swipe through table settings to see various meal options. Combining the mouth-watering imagery with accessible product links allowing shoppers to easily add items to their virtual shopping cart, the immersive ad drove significant increases of 6.3% in sales lift, $966k in incremental sales, and $6.44 in ROAS per customer, as well as campaign click-through rates of 5.95%, which is 9.8x higher than the industry benchmark*.

2. 2D Product Images are so Y2K, How 3D-esque Creatives Elevate Ads

We've all been burned by an online shopping experience where you buy a product based on a picture and feel catfished by the package on your doorstep. Over the past two years, retail trends have debunked the myth that physical stores are approaching extinction because many shoppers prefer getting an authentic feel for the product before purchasing. 

Creatives with a 3D effect provide a happy medium.

Before even viewing the website, shoppers get a 3D view and feel for the product while driving exceptional click-through rates and awareness for the brand.

These innovative ad units can be particularly helpful for higher ticket items like luxury goods, clothing, or furniture, where shoppers have more at stake. For example, adding depth and perspective to images of an expensive running sneaker, creating a 3D effect, enables viewers to turn the sneaker and get a better look at the product's composition and textures. In early case studies, InMarket's brand partners have seen engagement rates up to 1.03%, 2x the industry benchmark.

Not only do these 3D-style ads improve the online shopping experience for consumers, they also provide critical insights for marketers that can be used to optimize the campaign and inform future marketing efforts. 

3. Bringing Our Chat-Based World into Mobile Ads

A study from Statista found that Americans spend over 4.6 hours a day on their mobile phones. From texts to DMs to work chats on Slack and even messaging on Hinge, virtual conversations make up the majority of our day-to-day communication across every facet of our lives.

Mimicking that experience in an ad creates a comfortable, personal experience while providing helpful product insights and messaging in a concise way. 

Whether it's creating a mock conversation between two friends chatting about bringing the girls' trip out of the group chat or the new canned mocktail they tried during Dry January, conversational ad units are a unique way to articulate key messages while keeping viewers actively engaged. Across beta campaigns with this type of ad units, brands see up to 2.32% click-through rates, over 3.8x the industry average.

Conversational ad units also enable brands to cultivate a unique voice and personality. We've seen the viral impact of companies like Duolingo creating a dynamic personality on TikTok, along with Wendy's, Denny's, and JetBlue adopting the tactic on Twitter—a similar effect can be developed by strategically incorporating conversational ads in your campaigns. 

4. If Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It… Just Digitize It

Print circulars were the crux of advertising for grocery stores, highlighting deals and promotions while giving shoppers the chance to plan their hauls in advance.

In a market riddled with rising food prices and inflation, the concept is still critical for the industry; however, mailing printed circulars weekly is no longer the most effective medium for reaching younger demographics and measuring ROAS. (You can think of print circulars like OG influencer mailers—great intention and helpful touchpoint, but often lead to wasted ad dollars unless it's mailed to the perfect customer.) 

While the printed circulars are valuable for older shoppers, Millennials, Gen Z, and even Baby Boomers want to quickly add items to digital carts or their family's shared 'Notes' Shopping List on the go.

Unlike print circulars, we're dynamically serving the digital circulars, allowing pricing and availability information to be updated based on location and date, which is critical for creating personalized experiences that drive store visits and sales. So far, InMarket's digital circulars have boasted engagement rates up to 10.5%, over 17.4x the industry average, for brands including Stop & Shop.

Digital circulars also ensure marketers can actively track the performance of their ads, gaining valuable insights into who is shopping at their stores, when they're visiting, and what products pique their interest.

If 2023 has taught marketers anything, it's that creativity drives better results. When crafting your creative strategy heading into the holiday season, push yourself to consider new and innovative tactics that could expand your marketing mix and optimize ROAS.

*Wordstream US Google Display Benchmarks for Mobile Media