As consumers, we use our mobile phones for everything. We make the obvious phone calls, send text messages and emails, listen to music, surf the Web, play games, track our caloric intake all on our smartphones. We can even manage our finances with our phones as seen by Bank of America’s mobile app that allows us to track our spending and even deposit a check with an image scan. The beauty of it all is that four-letter word that resounds in consumers’ minds – FREE. We surf Safari for free, download apps for free and listen to music on Pandora for free. The paradox at hand is what exactly makes all this free – and that, friends, is digital media advertisements.
Imagine trying to quickly look up a recipe on Safari, switch to the next song or look for an address and then be interrupted by an ad that completely gets in the way. Without these ads, that four-letter word would be lost. So are ads annoying or tolerable considering the price?
Advertising and marketing agencies know that these free amenities have to be paid for somehow and that consumers are more than willing to download apps onto their mobile devices simply because they are free. It’s kind of a vicious cycle. Marketers pay for what consumers love to have but consumers hate how marketers pay for it – ad revenue.
It’s the classic case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too. We want to know what you think. Are ads on free mobile apps annoying or tolerable?
Tell us how much you value the convenience of having the world at your finger tips at no cost with ads versus the amount you might pay to remove advertisements when you’re in the middle of searching the Web, listening to music or checking your bank statement?
Comment below and contact our Atlanta advertising agency today about your digital strategy questions.