Reimagining Advertising for a Mobile-First World

There are moments in one’s life when a seemingly innocuous statement leads to something that shakes the very basis of one's worldview. "Is there a way to turn off these irritating ads on my phone? I don't know if anyone ever clicks on them. I wonder who spends time putting these ugly ads on my phone," my daughter asked me one day at dinner, oblivious of the business I was in.

Do CTRs have to be in the low-single digits? Even if we increased CTRs for ads by 10%, no one really seems to like these ads. Do we need to live with this reality? What needs to change?

That was my moment of epiphany. Advertising was always meant to be beautiful and useful. However, the advertising world had lost sight of the objectives along the way i.e. helping consumers make smarter choices and decisions. Even if we were to improve CTRs by 10%, it wouldn't have made a difference. Consumers were just not interested - advertising wasn't helping them; they had lost trust in advertising.

We had to reimagine advertising. We had to change the way people looked at mobile advertising in the future. The path was unclear, but the destination was vividly clear; and the choice clearer. That was nearly 24 months ago.

Today - 14th July, 2015 - is a historic day not only for us, but for the mobile advertising world at large; a monumental pit-stop in this fantastic journey that all of us have been a part of - one of craziness, one of ups and downs, one of imagination and one of insane growth. Today, we have taken a bold step, and showcase to the world our aspiration and attempt to reimagine advertising like never before.

I am excited to unveil Miip – the InMobi Discovery Platform that places the consumer at the center of advertising. In a world of app surfing, consumers need a companion that stays with them throughout their journey. In a world filled with choices, they need a companion that understands them through conversations and helps them discover products that are relevant and timely. Advertising can and should help consumers in their journey. Miip is that companion who consumers can trust as he listens to them and learns from their emotional response to discovery experiences.

The question is no longer “which ad will deliver the highest ROI for the advertiser and yield for the publisher”. Instead, it is “which product or service is right for the consumer at this moment in his consumption journey”. This means letting go of conventionally held beliefs in mobile advertising – that advertising is solely an algorithmic engine. With Miip, we want to bring the soul back into advertising.

This is only the beginning as we have merely scratched the surface. Much needs to be done. And we will like you to join us on this journey of reimagination. #InMobiReimagine.