Phonecontent.com

The world's first trial of personalized mobile TV advertising has proven its effectiveness with a positive consumer response. The trial was conducted by Ericsson and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK).

The results of the three-month trial, which have been processed by M:Metrics, show that the average click-through rate reached an amazing 13 percent, and the average viewing time of each mobile TV user more than doubled - to seven minutes per session - when users interacted with customized ads.

The trial also showed this behavior was sustainable in terms of the click-through rate and session times because usage was consistent throughout the trial. Almost half of the users were 30 to 44 years old, followed by those 18 to 29 years old. Participants identified entertainment and music as their most common interests when starting in the trial.

Advertisements in the trial were interactive, customized to ensure their relevance to individual users, and tailored to the user's age, gender, location, and personal interests. Advertising content also spanned an array of formats, including videos, banners, ticker texts, and branded downloadable content.

Gunnar Garfors, Director of Development at NRK, says: "We aim to provide our viewers and listeners with content that is relevant and of interest to different target groups. The same should apply to advertisements. New functionalities such as fast channel-switching between seven TV and radio channels make content, ads and services as accessible as users expect."