Despite the rapid rise of mobile devices based on Google’s Android operating system, marketers are still getting better results from their advertising on Apple‘s iPhone and iPad.
Ads that run on Apple’s iPhone command significantly higher prices than Android, and way higher prices than any other mobile platform, according to a new report from mobile browser maker Opera Software, which also operates a mobile ad network. The iPad in particular, thanks to its large touchscreen and ease of use, gets the highest effective cost per 1,000 impressions (eCPM) of all devices–$3.96 to the iPhone’s $2.85 and Android’s $2.10. All the other platforms are far behind.
That gives Apple’s iOS platform an outsized lead in actual ad revenues compared relative to its market share in traffic: Together, the iPhone and iPad capture more than 61% of revenues to Android’s nearly 27%. Again, all the others bring up a distant rear.
Another tidbit: Demand for advertising on tablets has risen 140% since last year.
From the report:
The iPhone leads the smartphone OS pack with an average eCPM of $2.85. Though it is closely followed by Android devices (at $2.10). The rest of the mobile phone field is significantly behind.
This indicates that devices with better usability (i.e., larger screen size, touchscreen) and those with features that allow more interaction between the advertisement and the device’s functionality (e.g., click to call, expand, play video) have better monetization potential than less capable and less user-friendly devices. For example, HTML5 Canvas, the mobile-friendly browser feature that specialist developers use to build stunning animations and full-screen rich-media overlays, relies on iOS Safari 3.2 and Android 2.1 or above to run. We also see the importance of device market share in encouraging advertisers to target particular devices. Windows phones have most if not all of the advanced features of Android and iPhones, but low levels of user adoption stifle its performance.
Source: Forbes
