A consumer’s mental state may affect how receptive they are to content, as a new study by Aki Technologies has found that subjective feelings play a bigger role in levels of engagement than factors such as physical surroundings and location.
The survey of 1,500 adults in the US looked specifically at mobile ads and how context feeds into how they are viewed and digested by consumers. The ad experience can be more positive when a respondent is in a relaxed mindset, for example, and supported by a pleasing physical environment and mobile app theme.
Mental state trumps environmental context by 39% according to the findings, with app content the least relevant factor overall. While brands generally focus on paid app media, respondents said that they see no difference in quality, impact or relevance between free and paid apps.
Making sure that audiences are receptive to ads is important though. Three quarters say that they are more likely to recall ads when they align with their own interests, which is much higher than for ads that match mood (33%) or physical location (19%).
“This study shows that consumer receptivity to mobile advertising varies greatly depending on where they are and what they are doing,” Aki Technologies’ CEO Scott Swanson revealed in a statement.
He added: “Identifying and understanding the variables that shape the mobile ad experience and impact are key to unlocking the power of mobile messaging. Brands can use this insight to optimize the consumer’s ad experience which, in turn, translates to more value from mobile advertising.”
