Smartphones vs. Feature Phones: Which Are Better for Show Promotion?

Millennial Media, a third party U.S. mobile advertising network, featured findings in their  December 2010 SMART Report [pdf] from a recent InsightExpress Mobile InsightNorms study on campaign effectiveness by device over the last three years. The results may surprise you!

Here is what they had to say: “Compared to Feature Phone users, Smartphone users are most impacted by mobile campaigns, likely due to larger screen sizes and rich media offerings. However, the small discrepancy between the two types of devices across metrics indicates that mobile advertising can be effective, regardless of device (Chart A).”

Consider this study while developing your mobile strategy. Sure, smartphones offer much richer advertising opportunities but by not at least considering feature phone campaigns, you may be leaving money on the table so to speak.  Whether a smartphone-only, feature phone-only or hybrid strategy is most effective for your show will of course depend on show-specific factors such as device penetration of your audience, their mobile media habits, your objectives, etc.

The main thing to take away here is: Don’t discount feature phones. Regardless of how fast smartphone penetration is growing and all of the exciting things they can do, feature phone penetration is still more than double smartphone penetration in the U.S., and marketing on these devices is delivering results for many advertisers.

Posted on February 17, 2011