Author: Julie Campbell

Mobile ads made of short videos are reaching Millennials

Equally, when it comes to GenX consumers, longer video advertising seems to make a connection.

The results of the “Multiscreen Video Best Practices” research report have now been released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) following its research into mobile ads in conjunction with Tremor Video and Millward Brown Digital.

They determined that 10 second mobile video advertisements have the greatest effect on Millennial viewers.

These shorter videos as mobile ads were most effective for that generation in terms of their persuasion potential and overall brand appeal. On the other hand, when it comes to appealing to people between the ages of 35 and 54, thirty second videos appeared to have a much greater impact in those two areas. According to the report “Our research shows that for some demographics and some adverting goals this doesn’t hold up. These findings are critical in creating the next generation of multiscreen video advertising.”Mobile short videos

As a whole among mobile ads, it was the 30 second videos that had the greatest advantage over all audiences.

Despite the fact that 10 second spots were most effective among Millennials, audiences of all ages did agree that the mobile video ads that were 30 seconds long had a very important advantage of being better for being able to communicate new or complex messages. Among the respondents of a survey who were asked about the amount of new information an ad had provided, 73 percent said the thirty second ads were most effective (versus 68 percent who said the same about the 10 second ads).

The respondents also indicated that larger screens assisted in effectively sharing a message of moderate complexity. Seventy three percent of those polled said that the mobile video advertising they saw on tablet screens were good at sharing new info with them. Comparatively, only 65 percent said the same thing about smartphones.

Moreover, the research determined that tablet video mobile ads are especially engaging among consumers within the 35 to 54 year old age group. Respondents in that category indicated that the advertising they viewed over those larger screens was more “unique”, “interesting” and “involving” than what they saw on other device screens.

Did mobile games being played by rail dispatcher cause German train crash?

An investigation has revealed that before the collision that killed 11 people, a smartphone game was played.

An investigation is currently underway regarding the head-on rail collision in Germany in which 11 people were killed, and prosecutors have stated that a dispatcher had been playing mobile games on a smartphone shortly before the crash.

The dispatcher has remained unnamed at the time of the writing of this article but has been arrested.

The dispatcher was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide as it is believed that mobile games may have been distracting the individual who was required to pay attention in order to avoid the collision and the deaths of nearly a dozen people. The crash occurred on February 9, close to the town of Aibling. Both trains had been crowded with commuters when they collided, making this one of the worst railway accidents that have occurred in the history of the country.

Prosecutors assert that the male dispatcher was playing mobile games on his smartphone for “an extended period of time.”

Mobile Games - Image of Train CrashThey stated that this occurred until shortly before the crash occurred. Regulations for rail dispatchers prohibit the use of personal cell phones while on the job. The statement said that “Due to the close timing it must be assumed that the accused was distracted from controlling the cross-traffic of the trains.”

The suggestion is that the mobile game apps were distracting to the dispatcher and led him to send the wrong signals to the trains. Once the dispatcher realized what had happened, he pressed the wrong combination of buttons in order to make the emergency call, failing to properly alert the train drivers.

When questioned, the dispatcher admitted that he had been playing mobile games, but he denied that this caused him to be distracted. So far, investigators have not been able to discover any technical problems that could have either contributed or caused the collision between the two trains, according to the statement from the prosecution. This is only the latest in a growing number of cases accumulating worldwide which have associated mobile gaming with situations of dangerous distraction.