Pandora has introduced a new native mobile ad experience that aims to improve impact and effectiveness for marketers. The new format relies on rich media and works to coincide with the natural behavior of the audio company’s mobile audience. Express and the Lexus Dealer Association are the first brands to beta test the new format.
The ads, which will appear in the space usually dedicated to album art, feature a responsive mobile display that adjusts to the size of a phone screen and introduce an option for muted video that a viewer can tap to un-mute and watch in full screen. The muted video requires attention from the viewer, which is the first step in creating a strong brand interaction. Other updates include refined ad interactions for viewers to get further content or dismiss the ad. On the technical side, display ads will be pre-rendered for optimal load times.
Pandora’s Chief Product Officer Chris Phillips wrote a blog post announcing the ad format and explaining why impressions are still a key metric for mobile marketers. He also shared some stats for the initial tests of the visual ads. “After interacting with our new Responsive Mobile Display Unit, we’ve seen time spent on brand’s landing pages increase by 11%, and we’ve doubled the number of listeners who engage with a brand’s landing page for more than 30 seconds,” he said.
The new visual ads will have a full rollout later this year.