Newly released preliminary data by On Device Research reveals that mobile is significantly outperforming desktop when it comes to brand building online.
There are early signals from On Device Research’s cross-platform measurement database that mobile is the key driver of brand effectiveness in cross platform campaigns. An average of five campaigns tested has shown mobile to drive brand metric improvements that are between 3% to 5% points higher than desktop throughout the branding funnel: from awareness right the way through to purchase intent.
The challenge and opportunity in cross platform measurement
The world of digital and cross-platform are now virtually synonymous. Where once “digital” simply conjured up the image of a media plan consisting of a handful of desktop display impressions and some search spend, the proliferation of devices and fragmentation of media consumption across multiple platforms throughout the day, means that no digital campaign is now complete without a schedule spanning desktop, mobile and tablet web, combined with a presence in both android and IOS apps.
According to September 2016 figures from UKOM, three quarters of us now access the internet on multiple devices, with only a minority doing so on a single device. Cross platform measurement from an ad exposure perspective is a far from easy task however, with different devices employing different technologies to serve, track and measure ads. On Device Research, in collaboration with Ad Brain, has just the solution however and is able to boil down campaign exposures to a set of unique user IDs, enabling the tracking of campaign delivery, brand impact and in store visitation at an individual level: a crucial process in the analysis and optimisation of cross platform campaigns.
Time for mobile to shine
Due to its relative screen size, mobile has often been considered less of a creative platform than desktop when it comes to building engaging ads. Many consider the mobile web to offer fewer quality contextual environments in which to place branding campaigns, and that overall the mobile ad experience is so poor that clicks on mobile ads are more likely to be by accident rather than by design (60% of mobile ad clicks are accidental according to [Retale](http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/268266/60-of-all-mobile-banner-ad-clicks-are-accidents.html).)
Across an average of five cross platform campaigns tested, On Device Research can reveal that in terms of impact it is in fact mobile that is now consistently outperforming desktop however: 
Throughout the branding funnel, significant uplifts in brand metrics have on average been seen in mobile that are way in excess of those seen in desktop. Brand Awareness shifts driven by mobile ads have on average been 3% points higher than for desktop, while purchase intent has been 4% points higher.
While it should be noted that these results only relate to an average of five campaigns, they reflect the findings of nearly 2000 responses and are a body of work that will continue to be built upon and unpicked as more studies are added to ODR’s cross platform effectiveness database. Over time, the key drivers of mobile’s consistently strong performance will also be uncovered, but in the mean time the power of mobile creative should not be underestimated. Expandable ads and video creative have moved mobile beyond a world of simple banners and buttons. There have been commonalities between the mobile ads tested so far with most displaying more product shots than can be crammed into a desktop banner, and most providing geo-location services (such as “find your nearest store”) that are more relevant for those consumers on the move than those who are stuck behind a fixed desktop.
A combination of [emotionally engaging](https://ondeviceresearch.com/blog/mobile-brand-effectiveness%3A-worth-getting-emotional-about) ads which harness the full power of mobile creative real estate will likely see smartphones continue to shine when it comes to brand building. In a cross-platform world where consumer attention is scarce, the mobile opportunity should not be overlooked.
