Dubai: TV commercials have every right to feel hard done by. As if losing ad dollars to smartphones and tablets were not enough, TV now has to contend with another looming threat — the always connected smartwatch. It may not even end there, with global tech majors at the recent CES mega-event in Las Vegas sounding the call for “wearable technology” that could take the form of all manner of devices.
And as devices multiply, so do the options for brand marketers to strike out with more messages. If digital was supposed to pin down print media advertising growth, TV broadcasters face risks from the scaling down of screen sizes and the mobility this offers.
According to global research consultancy Millward Brown in its forecasts, “The rise of screens in all aspects of our lives will encourage many marketers to attempt genuine marketing firsts via creative uses of digital outdoor or via the new possibilities presented by wearable screens.”
Which would translate into video budgets “continuing to shift” from TV to multi-screen, while mobile media spend will “rise dramatically, especially among youth-targeted brands. Brands will create more mobile-friendly and readily shareable content and many will experiment with micro-video platforms such as Vine.”
Experiment — that is the key word. In the local advertising market, there has, so far, been no rush of advertisers trying to put a good word in for their brands on mobile devices. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to name even a handful of eye-catching ads on these platforms.
Is cost a barrier? “I don’t think it is to do with the cost element; it’s more with understanding about how people communicate, engage and share today,” said Julio Romo, head of digital for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Grayling. “We need to move from broadcasting to audiences to engagement with them and responding to them on their terms.
“Mobile and tablet devices have changed the business landscape — they have connected and empowered people. They have a very public voice and, as you would expect, they are happy to share their delights as well as their dislikes. Content and creativity are also key.”
It is an irony that brand marketers have been slow to react to the mobile ad possibilities, more so in the UAE where mobile and tablet penetration levels are way off the charts. Out of 100 mobile phones being sold now, 60 would be smartphones. And those ratios are firming up further.
“Mobile is taking over and the statistics are showing this; hence, we must focus on reaching people wherever they are and on whatever device they use,” said Romo. “The desktop has become a secondary point for engaging.”
Rakesh Kumar, chairman of the board at Firefly, part of Firefly Millward Brown, counsels patience. “There is an evident fear of the unknown as most marketers are grappling with the nuances of the digital media space,” said Kumar.
“These fears tend to be more individual than organisational. I am optimistic penetration would be higher ... mobile ad spends will continue to grow and traditional rules of marketing will change. I think it is still true that mobile ads are a bit trickier to distribute and monitor.
“The point is that you need to start investing in mobile now to build experience — with the assumption that mobile spend will rise a lot in coming years. Our quantitative data suggests that mobile campaigns are usually more effective than online ads, so that’s another reason to start investing.”
But let’s not shed a tear for TV commercials just yet. The Millward Brown forecasts suggest marketers seeking “interaction between screens via approaches such as TV ads with hashtags”, a trend which could make its presence this year.
