Magazines, Movie Trivia and Other Diversions – Beware!

04.07.2016 Dan Glicksman

Precision Mobile Advertising Rocks the Waiting Game

 

 

If you’re like me, when you go to the movies you try to get there a little early to secure that perfect seat (my strategy – sit behind a little kid so that “Marge Simpson” doesn’t surprise me with a late arrival, leaving limited options for me to move to another seat with an unobstructed view). So, with time to spare before the previews roll, you can watch the trivia scroll through on the big screen with the occasional advertisement injected after the mind-blowing “Did you know?” questions. Or, you can do what just about everyone else in the theater is doing – perusing anything and everything on their mobile device.

New forms of mobile advertising give advertisers the ability to draw a line on a map and target specific places at specific times, and then successfully deliver their message. This is the stuff that advertising dreams are made of, for businesses of all sizes! And whether in business meetings, during face-to-face conversations, or just prior to walking straight into walls/streetlights/open manholes, people are always glancing at their phones.  The opportunities for your brand to be seen on a mobile device are endless, but a somewhat hidden gem is the waiting game.

 

Mobile Advertising is a Perfect Way to Target Moments of Waiting

There you are, in that specialty doctor’s office, with piles of often horribly outdated magazines surrounding you (I’ve seen “person of the year” type issues laying around from 3+ years ago!). You may notice that today, those magazines are becoming a little less grimy and torn apart. Why? Because engagement while waiting is now happening more and more on the smartphone.

You certainly don’t need me to tell you the average wait time in the waiting room is about 20 minutes, and you don’t need me to quote stats to tell you that others are dominantly using their smartphones during this wait room time – because you know you do it too. All you need to do is look up from your own smart phone the next time you are there. Texting, emailing, watching videos, getting in a game of Candy Crush or making an attack in Clash of Clans – we are all filling in the time gaps with our handy dandy mobile time-dissolving pal.

So you as an advertiser – Are you are putting all your eggs in that print basket when you could potentially have your ad appear on the screen people are looking at, during a time when they can probably relate to what you have to offer? In other words, while at the healthcare provider:

  • You may be a plastic surgeon – why not target folks waiting for their free consultation in your competitor’s waiting rooms? Or at health clubs? Or to people who have shown a tendency to have a healthy lifestyle in an upscale zip code?
  • Perhaps you are a medical supply company – go for the medical offices of people who would most likely buy what you have to offer.
  • As for hospital waiting rooms (I can think of countless possibilities) – are you a candidate to display your ads here (ok, yeah, hello personal injury lawyers!)?

When you really start thinking of all the places that may be included in the “waiting game” for mobile advertising, the possibilities expand even further:

  • In between plays at a sporting event.
  • Awaiting order to arrive at a restaurant.
  • Salesperson at the car dealership makes that looooonngggg walk to grab their manager to come by and offer that deal it seems only they can offer.
  • At a motor vehicle office?
  • Waiting your turn on a bank line?

Don’t get me wrong, magazines certainly have their place and we keep them around in our homes for good reason – typically because of some interest we have, especially when you’ve placed an order for one to be delivered. And in the waiting room – sure, people still read them. I’m not saying to abandon your full page ads in the local magazines. What I am saying is, either find some money in the couch cushions – or trim back the “all the eggs in one basket” approach  and maybe take your full-page print ad down a size to allow for a more targeted, mobile addition to your advertising strategy and budget.

The next time someone walks into your competitor’s office – they may pick up a magazine, but they will definitely pick up their smartphone (we all do over 150 times a day on average!). And when they do, perhaps your ad will pop up with a fantastic offer, just enough to put your business in a seat at their decision-making table.

After all, isn’t that what we are all after –  the chance to make our case as to why we should be the most viable choice to fit consumers’ needs?

“Waiting” has never been so profitable for smart businesses!

Happy hunting!

Want to learn more about the magic of mobile advertising and its latest and greatest trends? Check out my other blog posts in this mobile series here and here.

 

 

 

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Dan Glicksman

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