As the weather heats up every year, so does the summer concert season, setting off a rush of fans to ticket booths — both real and virtual — to gain admission to see their favorite bands live.
The medium many are using to connect with tickets or find out details about a show is increasingly in their hands or pockets. A whopping 90% of consumers turn to their mobile devices to get more information about a concert or live event after hearing or seeing an advertisement elsewhere, according to “Raising the Curtain on Mobile,” a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and InMobi.
With many large concerts (substitute Broadway shows for the theater fan or major sporting events for sports fan) serving as the centerpiece of a multi-stop entertainment extravaganza, those who like to attend live events are turning to their mobile devices to not only buy their tickets, but look for things to do before and after the show, places to stay, restaurants and places to shop.
“Clearly, the mobile experience at live performances has gone well beyond waving around a mobile screen with the image of a fired up lighter,” said the Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence’s Joe Laszio. “With live entertainment seekers leveraging mobile throughout all the phases of going to a show, marketers should pay keen attention to the insights offered in this research. Investing in mobile could be the difference between a full house and a flop.”
Here are some of the other highlights of the research:
- 41% of consumers purchase concert and show tickets directly through mobile devices
- Over three quarters (78%) use mobile to help plan trips to shows
- Nearly a third use mobile to make plans before or after a show
- Mobile edges past TV as the preferred media channel for getting information on live performances (60% mobile vs. 53% TV)
- 22% “check in” at a live performance via social apps
“Mobile as a medium offers brands the benefit of conducting hyper targeted, native ad campaigns that are personal, location and context-aware in addition to eliciting immediate responses,” said InMobi’s Atul Satija,
When it comes to the ads themselves, those who love live performances also show some specific preferences. They want to see mobile ads that:
- Showcase video, sound and photos (40%)
- Give them the nuts and bolts–performance dates and information (40%)
- Offer special deals or promotions (34%)
- Feature favorite stars and performers (33%)
The bottom line for marketers hoping to reach live music and performance aficionados—mobile may well be the key to a cross channel campaign that also leverages TV, internet, radio and print.