Is the mobile web more profitable?
Yes. As the social media industry looks for more and better ad rates, the mobile web may be the next target. There is one key reason that got me thinking about the potential impact on advertising and why it may actually work for consumers -the action oriented context of mobile social networking.
Reading Stephen Wildstrom’s column on mobile search this week and he talks about using mobile to do something as opposed to simply find something out. The same is turning out to be true for the social mobile web. People are already starting to use the mobile social web for action oriented purposes – meeting people, finding places, scheduling – as opposed to simply getting updates on friends’ activities (though that will also happens). This means an opportunity to insert action oriented ads when people actually want them. So instead of advertising for a chain of restaurants when people happen to talk about food online (and thus be ignored), you can advertise for a chain of restaurants when people are actually walking and looking to eat. It may be a smaller screen, but that action context makes the mobile ad more valuable.
Recommended reading:
(disclosure: I do work for a mobile advertising technology company)
