Moments are becoming more important in the way advertisers — and companies as a whole — think about the world. Twitter, Apple and American Express are a selection of major companies placing a priority on moments (rather than using impressions as their main metric).
At a time when consumers are becoming more obsessed with instant gratification, there is a great deal of value in being able to create loyalty in the moment, particularly on the devices they use the most.
Moments are the bridge to consumers.
If you have any doubts about whether your company should be marketing on mobile, think about the device you spend the most time using. If you’re like me, it’s not your TV, radio or laptop – it’s your phone. As advertisers become savvy to trends in mobile behavior, we begin to see a shift in focus and media budgets.
At Kiip, we’ve defined a moment as a natural pause, often an achievement, when a user has completed an action in a mobile app or game. Moments are the new currency of engagement, taking the standard impression and making it hyper-engaged and emotionally significant.
In mobile, moments are contextual, emotional and often carry intent. They can be seen in productivity apps like Any.Do when a user swipes a to-do item, or in recipe apps when a user bookmarks a dinner recipe to make later in the week.
Outside of the mobile ecosystem, moments occur continually. From reading the Sunday newspaper (traditional print), to driving on the freeway (billboard), to Tweeting about your job promotion (social media), there are many opportunities and channels for brands to latch onto.
Moments aren’t new; since the dawn of direct sales, there has been a person doing something (anything, really), and a brand trying to reach that person with a specific message. Despite their prevalence though, not all moments should be marketed to, and the personal nature of mobile adds another level of sensitivity brands must be aware of.
Moments continue to gain momentum as a medium for engagement. Here are a few tips to successfully integrate them into your company’s marketing strategy without overwhelming (and annoying) consumers:
1. Respect user behavior
Moments exist in many different contexts, such as gaming, fitness, food, sports, music, productivity and more. Understanding what the mobile user is doing, and who they are, will help you effectively create relevant campaigns that reach the right user. For example, PowerBar‘s marketing efforts might be better-spent targeting moments in RunKeeper‘s fitness app when users reach the 10K milestone, than buying millions of impressions across an ad network.
2. Add relevant value
Moments are one of the most attentive opportunities a brand has to reach a consumer, engage them with content, and create a reciprocal connection that lasts beyond the moment. Rewards are an effective way to recognize users in the moments that matter most to your brand, while adding value in a delightful, respectful way.
3. Invoke serendipity
An unexpected gift is greater than an unexpected disruption. Rewarding users on a variable schedule is much more effective than rewarding users on a fixed schedule. Consumers will respond stronger to your brand when a relevant reward is given to them at a moment they least expected it. When done right, the reward feels earned, it feels natural and complementary to the experience.
At Kiip, our algorithms don’t reward every moment by design. Instead, we analyze billions of moments and find exactly which combination of users, apps and brands yield the highest engagement rates. This creates a win-win-win across the entire ecosystem, and a positive experience for consumers, brands and developers.
Moments are how we measure our lives. Harnessing these moments is a powerful way to reach your consumers and for them to connect with your brand.