Mobile advertising is still often more of an annoyance than anything else for many consumers. But increasingly, mobile advertising companies are turning small ad real estate into showcases for some really immersive 3D ads that stand a better chance than static banners of really engaging their audience.
Amobee is launching a new initiative, incorporating technology from Cooliris’ new standalone immersive 3D ads business unit called AdJitsu. The partnership will allow brands to create 3D display ads that actually rotate and move as a user tilts their mobile device. Users can then tap on the and interact with 3D models of products, spinning them around and seeing them from all angles.
Cooliris first launched the 3D rendering technology in mobile ads with advertising network InMobi in June ,and is now expanding to more mobile advertising companies. The technology is a good fit with Amobee’s big brand customers, who are looking for a way to get into mobile.
Amobee CEO Trevor Healy, the former Chief Innovation Officer of Telefónica, said that creating ads that are more akin to interactive visual artwork is the future of mobile advertising. That, he said, keeps consumers interested and allows brands to drive their message home.
“These ad are much more educational and more immersive,” he said. “You don’t feel you’re being advertised to, it feels like someone sharing information with you.”
Rich media mobile ads are indeed some of the most promising tools for marketers, especially when they use some of the sensors unique to mobile devices. Healy said Amobee has built its own graphics engine to accelerate and improve the graphics, which he said outshines products from competitors like Apple’s iAd.
For Healy, the former CEO of Jajah, the launch of 3D ads is his first big step since taking the helm at Amobee last month. Healy said many people asked him why he left a huge carrier like Telefonica to join a start-up. He said it’s because he sees huge potential in mobile advertising and replicating the success of online ads in mobile. In ten years, Healy expects mobile advertising to eclipse the revenues of online ads.
“I think you’re seeing an inflection point,” said Healy. “We’re like in 2003, when the big brands came online and you saw big online acceleration. That time in mobile is now. It really has only taken off in the last 4-5 months.”
Mobile advertising is small compared to online ads, but is expected to grow from $ 491 million in 2009 to $ 2.9 billion in 2014, according to BIA/Kelsey, a 43 percent compound annual growth rate. But if rich media ads like Amobee’s start to click and really bring in big name advertisers, that growth rate could be much higher.
Take a look at an ad by Samsung using Cooliris’ technology.
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