Appsnack.com news

Exponential, the global provider of advertising intelligence and digital media solutions, has launched mobile advertising solution AppsnackTM, in the UK with Debenhams the first brand advertiser delivering its “Life Made Fabulous” campaign delivered on mobile and tablet.

Appsnack offers advanced, high-impact advertising that provides brand experiences that behave like bite-sized apps. Typically, brands invest in the development of native apps for multiple mobile devices and then need to convince consumers to install those apps through the device’s app marketplaces. With Appsnack, users engage with mobile and tablet ads that launch full-screen experiences which look and feel just like an installed app.

Media planning & buying specialist Carat, on behalf of Debenhams is looking to reach media savvy women aged 24-45 to promote Debenhams’ new designer range, headed up by Ben de Lisi. Exponential recommended new ways to engage their target audiences on both their mobile and tablet devices through Appsnack.

The campaign enables users to view the Debenhams designers’ video, visit the Debenhams Facebook page, email videos to their friends and click through to the Debenhams mobile site to make their purchase.

Appsnack uses Exponential’s e-X Advertising Intelligence platform to bring advanced audience targeting to mobile campaigns. Through the platform, Debenhams will be able to target the same audiences through Appsnack as through its campaigns on Exponential’s engagement video solution Firefly Video to extend the reach of the activity across multiple devices and media. 

Andrew Bailey, digital account manager, Carat said: “As audiences increase their time on both display and mobile platforms, it will be extremely helpful to have a single source of actionable intelligence to use to target in both environments. Appsnack’s solution is the kind of comprehensive approach we've come to expect from Exponential.

Mark Brennan, Head of Mobile, Carat said: “Debenham’s really understand the role mobile and media can play in driving their business growth. As well as using mobile as a sales platform via mobile app and web, this move into using rich, immersive media shows that we can use mobile to build a brand and an engage with consumers too. According to recent research by eMarketer*, the UK is expected to have 17.3million mobile internet users by the end of 2012, rising to 20.2m by 2015. As advertisers follow consumers, spending on mobile platforms in Spain, excluding messaging will top £194m in 2012 and reach nearly £751m in 2015.

Speaking on the Appsnack launch, Niki Stoker, managing director, Exponential UK, commented: “The UK is experiencing huge growth in mobile internet usage and consumer acceptance of mobile marketing is increasing across the board. Mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets provide rich, interactive experiences, and consumers respond best to ads that provide similarly rich experiences. We are proud to have Carat as our launch partner, and look forward to delivering high meaningful interactions between Debenhams and their target audience”.

Sandy Shanman, general manager of Appsnack, said: “We’re excited to be providing solutions that help brands engage with their audience where they engage the most, their mobile devices and tablets. This is a tremendous opportunity for the media community to capitalize on the high engagement levels of these rapidly growing environments in a more intelligent way. I look forward to seeing the Appsnack proposition flourish in the UK market”.

Appsnack is the latest of Exponential’s ‘audience engagement divisions’ to launch in the UK following global display advertising provider Tribal Fusion, which delivers high-impact performance and brand campaigns to over 72% (31m unique users) of the UK’s internet population, Firefly Video, Exponential’s engagement video division and AdoTube, the in-stream specialist that launched earlier this year.

Appsnack is also the latest mobile advertising company to join the Mobile Marketing Association in September 2012. The MMA's primary focus is to establish mobile as an indispensable part of the marketing mix and promote, educate, measure, guide and protect the mobile marketing industry worldwide.

Appsnack provides advanced HTML5 rich-media advertising that delivers sophisticated and engaging brand experiences that behave like bite-sized apps, hence the name Appsnack. The ads enable users to engage with video, product info, and, for example, locations of nearby retail stores.  Appsnack will use Exponential’s e-X Advertising Intelligence platform to bring advanced audience targeting to mobile ads, so brands can reach their prospective customers and engage them with relevant, high-impact campaigns. 

It has appointed Sandy Shanman as general manager, mobile, to lead this new division. Mr. Shanman was most recently senior VP, mobile solution sales, strategy and business development at cloud-based applications provider Limelight Networks. Prior to Limelight he held VP sales roles at Quattro Wireless, now Apple’s iAds, and AOL-owned advertising network Advertising.com. 

Mr. Shanman says, “Rich media and video are rapidly becoming the most effective brand vehicles in the app economy, just like on the web. There’s a tremendous opportunity for brands and their agencies to capitalize on this trend in a more intelligent way, and that’s what Appsnack will provide.”