When compared to smartphones, tablets show higher ad click-through rates (CTRs) in direct response campaigns and even more so in branding campaigns, according to [pdf] a new report from Adfonic, which notes that tablets win out despite these campaign types typically involving different types of user engagement. Analyzing 11 different verticals, tablet performance proved better in 7, with the biggest gaps seen in style and fashion (106%), lifestyle and health (99%), and entertainment and media (81%). Notably, though, tablets trailed smartphones in CTRs in a few key verticals, including FMCG and retail (-61%) and social and dating (-65%).
The Adfonic report also reveals that tablet ad requests spike at 6PM, while smartphones see a high share at midnight. The researchers note that not only does smartphone usage tend to rise later in the evening, but so does the propensity for users to click on ads.
Finally, while smartphones dominate in share of mobile ad requests, there is a definite trend in both Android and iOS for tablet share to increase alongside age. That is, iOS tablets account for about 1 in 3 ad requests in the 70-79 age group, compared to roughly 1 in 10 requests in the 20-29 age group. That could be a function of the older groups preferring the larger screen offered by a tablet, or simply a reflection of tech adoption patterns, with recent research showing that tablet adoption is less age-dependent than smartphone ownership in developed markets.
About the Data: Adfonic AdSnaps are snapshots of performance, insight and analysis across Adfonic’s smarter buying platform, with access to more than 100 billion global ad impressions each month.
