The drastic upturn in mobile usage has left publishers scrambling to find advertising revenue. Contrary to earlier expectations, Americans have warmed to mobile, leaving laptops in the dust. Between 2013 and 2015, total time spent on the mobile-adjusted versions of newspapers and magazines jumped from 25 billion minutes to 49 billion minutes.
This rapid change poses a serious challenge to publishers who depend on digital advertising revenue to compensate for deteriorating print ad revenue. Regrettably, smartphones and tablets do not take easily to advertisements. On the small screen, it’s difficult to fit in the same number of ads that appear on publishers’ pages when displayed on a desktop or laptop. Furthermore, banner ads that run across larger screens are irrelevant to mobile screens. Continue reading