Agency view: The (few) publishers that get mobile ads right
Publishers are to blame, too, for ads that intrude on (or, worse, confuse) the reader. And many still hold out out on optimizing their sites for mobile, forcing readers to pinch and zoom.
Still, it’s not all bad news. We asked agencies to tell us which content publishers are actually doing mobile ads well. Here’s what they said:
Selina Petosa, founding principal and executive creative director, Rational Interaction
With the limited real estate on mobile, it’s important for publishers to leverage shareable video and images rather than making the site too text-heavy. BuzzFeed is video- and image-driven — and so are its ads. As users scroll through BuzzFeed’s content, they’re served sponsored posts that mirror BuzzFeed’s highly shareable editorial content. The integration of ads on BuzzFeed’s mobile site feels natural for users and adds value to their experience since the sponsored posts have great content.
Mashable, too, does an excellent job of incorporating ads that feel natural to the user. On Mashable, the ad unit size is the same as the content, so it doesn’t create a jarring experience for the visitor. If BuzzFeed’s and Mashable’s mobile platforms serve as a model for other publishers, gone are the days of the banner ad.
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