According to a recent report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), consumers want mobile marketing outreach efforts to be relevant to their particular shopping habits, but at the same time they continue to have privacy concerns, meaning they are reluctant to give up the personal data that would help marketers to provide that relevance. Here are some of the main takeaways from the study.

Demographic Differences in Clicking Mobile Ads

The reasons for clicking on a mobile ad and the frequency with which consumers reported doing so, varied depending on the specific age group. Here are the survey results.

Ages 18 to 24

  • 59 percent reported clicking on an ad by accident
  • 31 percent reported they had not clicked on a mobile ad
  • 6 percent clicked intentionally but didn’t view the whole ad
  • 4 percent clicked intentionally and interacted with the brand

Ages 25 to 34

  • 53 percent reported clicking on an ad by accident
  • 37 percent reported they had not clicked on a mobile ad
  • 6 percent clicked intentionally but didn’t view the whole ad
  • 5 percent clicked intentionally and interacted with the brand

Ages 35 to 49

  • 49 percent reported clicking on an ad by accident
  • 35 percent reported they had not clicked on a mobile ad
  • 10 percent clicked intentionally but didn’t view the whole ad
  • 6 percent clicked intentionally and interacted with the brand

Ages 50+

  • 34 percent reported clicking on an ad by accident
  • 45 percent reported they had not clicked on a mobile ad
  • 13 percent clicked intentionally but didn’t view the whole ad
  • 8 percent clicked intentionally and interacted with the brand

Total Respondents

  • 49 percent reported clicking on an ad by accident
  • 37 percent reported they had not clicked on a mobile ad
  • 9 percent clicked intentionally but didn’t view the whole ad
  • 6 percent clicked intentionally and interacted with the brand

Top 5 Most Important Ad Elements to Consumers

So what do consumers look for in a mobile ad? Relevancy is a major priority for consumers in this area.

  1. Of those surveyed, 57 percent cited their most important priority being the duration and size of the ad.
  2. Interestingly, 56 percent looked most for relevant content.
  3. Location specificity was of top importance for 51 percent of respondents.
  4. Around 40 percent of those surveyed looked for freebies and rewards.
  5. Approximately 23 percent of those surveyed considered limited-time offers most important.

Preferred Ad Formats

Most consumers in the survey reported that they expected to receive something of value when they took the time to view an ad. Respondents also had opinions concerning what format the ad should be sent in.

  • 27 percent preferred mobile coupons
  • 25 percent preferred banner ads
  • 12 percent liked video ads best
  • And 10 percent like text and search ads respectively.

Top Consumer Concerns about Privacy

In the PwC survey, respondents overwhelming agreed that they would never feel comfortable with marketers tracking keywords in texts or emails in order to better target them.

  • Around 30 percent felt that this crossed the line into their personal space.
  • About 24 percent of respondents were concerned they wouldn’t be able to shut the keyword tracking off.
  • And 18 percent found this practice too intrusive.

Those surveyed also had other privacy concerned.

  • Among respondents, 18 percent were concerned about being served ads too frequently.
  • And 6 percent of those surveyed were worried about the ads they were sent being irrelevant.

The PwC study surveyed 1003 respondents 18 years of age or older (40 percent male and 60 percent female). Of those surveyed, 57 percent had an Apple smartphone, 39 percent had an Android, 2 percent had a Windows phone, and 1 percent had a BlackBerry. Of these consumers, 97 percent reported checking news, weather, and sports on their phone; 87 percent accessing a social network (this is 95 percent for those ages 25 to 34); 79 percent accessing a video site; 77 percent playing a game; 73 percent using GPS; and 67 percent banking or paying bills.

Reference:

Essany, Michael. “Marketers Walk Thin Line between Relevancy Demand and Privacy Concerns.” Mobile Marketing Watch. 11/12/14.