Do you ever get the feeling that your mobile ads aren’t clicking with consumers? You’re in good company. Two-thirds of advertisers believe that at least half of their mobile efforts are unsuccessful, yet mobile spend in the US is expected to top $72 billion in 2020. That’s a lot of advertising without a lot of return. This disappointing ROI is met with a silver lining, however. Brands that figure out how to harness the power of great mobile advertising will have an enormous competitive advantage and rise above the noise.

Mobile users have zero tolerance for disruptive, non-engaging, irrelevant ads, as proven by the rise in ad blocking. Creative drives ad success, but only when it connects with consumers. So, what makes creative “great” and what should we as marketers focus on to drive performance?  A study from On Device Research offers five tangible tips to improve ad recall and effectiveness:

1.) Logo presence on every frame is crucial. Given that you’re unlikely to hold your user’s attention for more than eight seconds, it’s imperative that those seconds include frames containing your logo. Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Yet surprisingly, many mobile ad creators sacrifice logo presence for messaging or sensational images, which may be clever, witty and eye catching, but don’t result in ad recall. Include branding throughout the ad and while we’re on the topic…

2.) Place branding at the top of the creative to boost recall. 61% of top performing ads in terms of recall contain a logo at the top of the creative. It may be tempting to stick your logo on the bottom and use the top space for catchy content, but that content may be the only thing your users remember. Prominent branding can have a positive impact on potential to purchase. In addition, a single, clear message beats text-heavy ads overloaded with information. This, along with proper logo placement, virtually guarantees users will not only remember your ad, but remember your brand.

3.) Video also grabs the user's attention. The power of video advertising is unmatched, but only when done right. Ads that obscure screens, don’t load well and hold no relevance for the user have given video advertising a bad rap. There is, however, a significant opportunity to generate higher response rates and better brand recognition for those advertisers who implement video correctly. Getting it right means selecting minimally disruptive formats, presenting relevant video ads to the right users at the right time, and making the ads engaging—richly visual, original and moving. Attention-grabbing video ads can be the best storytelling assets in your advertising arsenal.

4.) Inject a little humor into your creative. Not only does humor encourage users to pay attention and remember your ad, it also inspires them to talk about (and share) it! Word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful type according to 74% of consumers. And with 70% of consumers on social media, humorous ads can spread like wildfire as we’ve seen with examples like Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World and Geico’s Hump Day camel. When users share content, they subconsciously show that they’re on top of the latest trends. Consumers associate positive feelings with ads they find funny, which also aids in ad recall and optimizes effectiveness.

5.) A bit of interactivity holds their attention. Engage and wow your consumers with interactive campaigns that go beyond clicking banner ads. Use polls, games, count-down boxes and unboxing experiences to entertain. One of my favorite examples is Tootsie Roll’s Tootsie Pop campaign. By allowing users to swipe for Tootsie Pop licks and then play “Match the Flavors,” consumers are rewarded with fun and a sense of nostalgia. Although interactive campaigns may be more difficult to create, payoff when it comes to ad recall is well worth the effort.

Though these five tips are a valuable checklist, they don’t equate to mobile ad effectiveness on their own. You need to marry quality creative with data-driven placement, scale campaigns across all devices, and measure and analyze results to create high-performing ads. Brands have all the tools they need to turn their consumers’ smartphones into the most effective marketing channel ever created. With a little extra time and focus on your mobile assets, you can connect with consumers to inspire action.

Celtra provides an advanced SaaS platform for creative production, management, distribution and optimization of display, video and native ads For a copy of the full report from On Device Research, download here.