The Kindle Fire has been released to great fanfare, mixed reviews and millions of devices sold. The device’s growth trajectory has already outpaced that of any other tablet introduced to the market. Secondary statistics show that the growth of the Kindle Fire rivals even that of the original iPad when it was unleashed on the world in the beginning of 2010.
Advertising network Millennial Media notes in its monthly report MobileMix device index report that ad impressions on the Fire have grown at a daily rate of 19% since its launch in the middle of November. Millennial is seeing run rates of hundreds of millions of impressions from the Fire, putting it in the upper echelon of devices on the market.
Millennial notes that the growth in impressions outpaces that of the original iPad. It has been spurred by maturation in the tablet market and the fact that it is a desirable device at an advantageous price point at $199. In short, this is the type of device that people have been waiting for. It does not replace the iPad but the Fire has become the de facto No. 2 tablet on the market in less than a month.
MobileMix shows that smartphones are talking up 70% of connected device impressions, ahead of feature phones (14%) and “connected devices” (tablets, television etc.) at 16%. Of the major mobile platforms, Android gobbles up 50% of impressions, followed by iOS with 30% and Research In Motion at 17%. Symbian, Windows Phone and “other” all had 1% of impressions, respectively.
For individual devices in November 2011, the iPhone had the most ad impressions. The MobileMix report has not historically broken down the iPhone by different devices, like the 3GS, 4 or 4S. The iPhone had 13.5% of impressions followed by the BlackBerry Curve at 5.8%, Motorola DroidX at 5.2%. All 20 devices listed in the top impressions column were smartphones with 14 Android devices and five using BlackBerry OS.
While it is interesting to note how many ad impressions were served, the mobile advertising market is still up to debate as to its usefulness. There are a variety of ways that advertisers can use mobile strategies to break through the clutter and drive users to brands. Apps and the mobile Web can add a social layer that engage users with ads, try gamification tactics, use “re-engagement” methods to track users across apps and lure them towards apps or favorable ads.
British company YouGov pointed out earlier this year, 86% of people are ignoring mobile ads in the first place. The click-through rate in mobile is nearly as atrocious as it is on the Web. The Web solved this problem by pure volume of ads an increasing the relevancy of such ads. If ad networks and app publishers want to make money from the explosion of mobile use, a similar strategy will have to unfold.
