For the Love of Auto Advertising

Whether it's a sign of the economy or mobile usage in general, the fact is the number of "automotive intenders" on the Jumptap network reached 25 million, an increase of 47 percent, in the last five months. 

With 5-10 million vehicles being sold every year in the United States, this audience is clearly a critical segment for advertisers to reach. 

Jumptap's September MobileSTAT report provides insights into the mobile behaviors of consumers who are in the market for cars and its report's highlights include:

First interaction rates of tablet automotive ads are 6 percent higher than the same creative displayed on a smartphone. Consumers interact 180 percent more with automotive rich media ads when they offer multiple features versus a single feature.

Consumers in the market for trucks are more likely to use an Android device, while consumers in the market for SUVs are more likely to use an Apple device. Jumptap recommends that no matter what type of vehicle an advertiser is promoting on mobile, it's essential they run their campaigns across iOS and Android platforms. That said, advertisers should heavy up on certain platforms or devices based on the vehicle they're marketing.

Wyoming is 70.9 percent more likely than the average state to have truck 'intenders' on mobile devices, while New York is 40.6 percent more likely to have luxury sedan intenders. See a state-by-state breakdown at the end of this article. 

Consumption of automotive content on a PC is higher in the early morning (7 a.m. - 10 a.m.), while consumption on tablets spikes significantly in the early evening (5 p.m. - 8 p.m.). Jumptap recommends that auto advertisers leverage tablet advertising during prime time as the perfect companion for TV advertising.

Thirty-eight percent of auto advertisers are using video in their mobile campaigns, and they're seeing an impressive 28.6 percent average engagement rate. Jumptap recommends that auto advertisers that have video content (which is all of them), should be leveraging that content in mobile.

When it comes to catching the auto intender's eye, Jumptap's research team shows that consumers are 124 percent more likely to expand a banner that has clear product shots, limited text and simple color scheme. Plus, photo gallery and "colorizer" options in rich media see engagement rates that are 580 percent higher than units without these visual elements.