Here’s a company with a cool new alternative to boring old mobile display ads.
The San Diego-based startup Adtile provides a platform that lets advertisers create mobile ads that viewers will want to play with. An example includes a Shake Shack ad which places an empty milkshake cup on the screen and asks users to fill it up by shaking their phones. Or a coffee shop advertisement which asks you to virtually “pour” out the coffee from a displayed cup to reveal hidden discounts. Here’s a video that shows a couple of examples of the motion ads technology at work:
It’s exciting stuff, and Adtile has been able to raise a bunch of cash to back its efforts. The startup announced yesterday that it had raised $4.5 million in Series A funding, from a group of investors whose names it didn’t disclose.
However, as Anthony Ha reports in TechCrunch, it’s been difficult to get advertisers on board the platform, simply because it takes a while to get the hang of its editing tools. As you might expect, creating a motion ad experience isn’t the easiest thing for non-engineers.
To combat that, Adtile is now launcing a “store” where marketers can simply buy pre-coded motion ad templates, which can be customized according to their needs. Speaking to TechCrunch, Adtile CEO Nils Forsblom said:
In essence, it lets Adtile developers create unique Motion Ad interactions, that can later be used by brands and agencies by just incorporating design and storytelling to the flow. So instead of spending a lot of money and time on developing new HTML5 sensor enabled ads, they can simply get them from the store. Adtile has created very specific human interface design and developer guidelines for quality and constraint purposes.
Despite the hiccups in the onboarding process, Adtile is definitely on to something. Much like Kiip, it’s offering a novel take on mobile advertising, and at first glance looks to be a lot more engaging than current mobile marketing efforts. If it can simplify the creation process for marketers, or strike a few deals with large advertising groups, it’s technology has the potential to become the default way we view mobile ads, and not just be the novelty act.
