Why your ad agency likes mobile apps…why that might not deliver the best ROI for you

ndustry awards tell you a lot about a business. In recent years, the trends at Cannes Lions – the biggest date in the advertising world’s calendar – show a growing appetite from ad agencies for mobile campaigns. The latest plat du jour is mobile apps for niche audiences, displacing messaging, mobile Web, mobile ads, QR codes, Bluetooth and all the other tools in mobile’s box. It seems the trend is away from campaigns that integrate mobile with other media such as outdoor or magazines, towards mobile app-only campaigns. There are exceptions, such as the Homeplus Subway Virtual Store, which notably was the only mobile campaign to win a Grand Prix Lion, but the trend is towards mobile apps. So why have ad agencies become so focused on apps? Is this new love affair a good thing for their clients? mobiThinking asks the experts.