The Mobilizer

The mobile landscape is ever-evolving, but our core best practices have remained constant for our award-winning design team at Kargo. Follow along below for our top five mobile design principles to see how we keep our units looking as fresh as the latest Yeezys.

When I started working at Kargo three years ago, I was given one goal: to upgrade and expand the quality of our publisher inventory. The sole criteria at the time? Whether or not the title was a household name.

It’s definitely not an easy time to be a publisher. These days, pubs are getting hit from all angles. Google and Facebook (also known as the Walled Gardens) take 90% of all new ad dollars spent. At the same time, Google (via SEO) and Facebook (via their news feed algorithm) completely control the distribution of content. As these big kahunas flex their muscles, the entire industry has to react and adjust to accommodate them—or risk falling by the wayside. Recently, the punishment of publishers has been especially harsh...

Originally ran on ANA's Marketing Knowledge Center on January 14, 2018 

There was a time in our industry when traditional platforms like TV and print were our only focus. Advertisers loved this model. It was simple; find a show with a good Nielsen rating, the right audience, and a reasonable price tag, and boom—a guaranteed viewership. No bots, no fraud, no unknowns. But now we live in a world where we’re virtually glued to our mobile devices. Our smartphones are these highly personalized, task oriented devices that are extensions of ourselves. And nearly any traditional media content that’s out there—in TV, print or radio—is available on our phones.

Kargo is proud to announce that in our continued mission to support quality journalism, we’re leading the way in implementing the industry’s ads.txt initiative.

There’s a wide pool of mobile users marketers can reach with their perfect brand message. Equipped with brilliant creative and impressive campaigns, agencies prepare to seduce an audience by capturing their attention in engaging ways. Yet, amazing content isn’t enough.

Designer Stefan Sagmeister once said, “You can have an art experience in front of a Rembrandt… or in front of a piece of graphic design.” In other words, meaningful work isn’t exclusive to just fine art. When designing with intent, you can leave an artful impression on someone in the digital age, no matter the medium or creative hurdles. I know this, because as a mobile ad designer, I encounter these hurdles on a day-to-day basis.

An unfortunate reality today is that people may love certain brands, but not many are interested in their digital advertisements. They can come across as attention-hungry; a turnoff to most, so people fight back with ad blockers and other ad-averse settings. Which poses the question: is it possible for marketers to create mobile ads that compel rather than repel?

To put things into perspective, let’s remember that radio was the most important medium in 1951, representing a $210 million dollar business compared to mere 12.3 million for TV.