There was an article today in Advertising Age about the size of Facebook’s and Google’s mobile advertising that had some stunning facts (@Adage http://bit.ly/1nPCF3a). For most Food-Drug-Mass retailers, mobile advertising is a blip in their investment strategy, but many CPGs have seen religion in where the future is. The numbers bear this out as reported by Facebook:
– Facebook’s advertising grew 60% versus YAG.
– Of their total advertising revenue, 2/3 came from mobile ads, or $1.95 Billion in the third quarter alone. That is almost $8B a year!
– 1.35 Billion people checked Facebook during the third quarter and 1.12 of them did so on a mobile device.
If you want to reach your Millennial/GenY consumer today outside the four walls of your store, you cannot ignore the future and presence you need to have on mobile devices. Many retailers have a web presence today that is not there as a stimulating go-to for their shoppers, but more as a validator, and for some as an afterthought.
Those little ads that appear on your mobile device, that many Baby Boomers completely ignore and avoid, is becoming accepted and commonplace by your Gen Xers and younger. It really is time to not just count on the once/twice a week cadence of your shoppers appearing in your store out of ritual, and develop a credible digital/mobile strategy for communicating with your shoppers of the future.