Category: Apps

Pandora has announced that it is testing out a new type of mobile advertising to better engage its users.

The streaming music platform has said that its new mobile marketing strategy is a “visual ad experience” that involves the use of interactive mobile ads that are also highly visual. According to Pandora Media, the beta version of its new mobile advertising option will feature ads from the automotive industry, including Lexus Dealer Associations, as well as ads from clothing company Express.

The company’s more than 80 million listeners will now have better control over the ads they receive.

Users of the popular streaming music platform, who already have the power to pick and choose the types of music to which they want to listen, will now also be able to have more control over the ads they receive via an intuitive swipe versus tap-to-dismiss functionality, reported The Motley Fool.

Instead of the previous closable pop-up box, ads will now automatically adjust to fit the size of the phone screen and exist only within the square space that usually displays the album art.

Additionally, the new mobile ad format gives advertisers greater control as well, providing them with the ability to measure listener engagement metrics such as viewability and time spent. Advertisers also have the ability to deliver videos within a responsive display unit. These videos are muted by default when the user is listening to music, but listeners have the option of taping on the video to un-mute it and watch it in full-screen if that is their choice.

The new visual and interactive mobile ads will become available to more advertisers later in 2016.

In a recent blog post from Chris Phillips, Chief Product Officer at Pandora, the CPO said that the company is “setting out to reinvent Pandora’s mobile display ad solution to take better advantage of screen real estate, and features native to our own platform. We’ll also be emphasizing the human need for attention on an ad, which needs to take place before meaningful interaction with brand content can happen.”

The new visual ads will be made up of a series of native, mobile ad formats, according to Pandora. These formats are what help to make rich media, display ads and video more effective and impactful for marketers, the company explained.

Pandora’s full interactive mobile ads program will roll out later this year to all advertisers.

UA Shop will provide consumers with a personalized mobile shopping experience.

Popular sports apparel maker Under Armour has announced the launch of its first mobile shopping app, which has been built on the Under Armour Connected Fitness platform and designed to improve and personalize the consumer shopping experience. Called UA Shop, the mobile commerce app will tie into the company’s digital fitness apps, integrating data from the brand’s fitness platform, which includes its own apps and websites that track diet, exercise, sleep and other activities related to health and fitness, reported The Baltimore Sun.

The UA Shop application will provide product recommendations based on fitness tracking data.

According to Under Armour, the digital fitness data will allow for UA Shop to create a personalized shopping experience for every consumer that is based on his or her previous purchase history, workout history and athlete inspiration.

The app will recommend products based on the individual user’s specific fitness tracking data. For instance, a consumer who lives in a cooler climate and who enjoys hiking may be recommended products such as an Armour outerwear or baselayer. On the other hand, a consumer in a warmer climate who has recorded several runs via the MapMyRun app may be provided with running footwear or UA CoolSwitch apparel options.

Under Armour’s mobile shopping app is one-of-a-kind.

According to the company, its UA Shop retail app is the only one on the market directly connected to the health and fitness data of over 170 million digital fitness members.

Under Armour’s senior vice president of revenue, Jason LaRose, said in a press release that “UA Shop is the next step in our connected fitness evolution as Under Armour becomes a true Math House.” LaRose added that “This app was created to maximize our digital platform and complement our existing in-store experiences by bringing consumers a way to find the products they want, when they want it.”

Presently, the mobile shopping app is available exclusively to iOS users and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store. That being said, the company has said that UA Shop will also become available to Android users and should be heading to the Google Play store soon.