Executive Interview: Jack Hallahan Global Vice President, Mobile Innovations at Mojiva

Jack Hallahan is the Global Vice President of Mobile Innovations at Mojiva. Droid Report recently interviewed Jack Hallahan about his current role at Mojiva, taking a further look at insights into mobile innovations and strategy within his industry, Mojiva’s newest partnership with Retailigence and the upcoming company plans for FY 2014.

As the Global VP, Innovation, Jack drives Mobile Advertising thought leadership. Leveraging Mobile Rich Media, Data, Social and Local platforms, he guides Brand Strategies to enrich user experiences and drive ad effectiveness. Since launching The Mojiva Creative Alliance for Rich Media (www.mojivamca.com) in 2010, this Collective of Mobile's Top Integrators and Creative Platforms has set new benchmarks for mobile advertising, offering unique insights in mobile marketing strategy, branding, social, and rich media best practices.

Mojiva provides ad agencies limitless mobile media execution across smartphones and tablets. Founded in May 2008 and based in New York City, Mojiva is an independent mobile ad network operating under parent company Mojiva Inc., privately held backed by Pelion Venture Partners, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and Shamrock Capital.

Jack Hallahan Global Vice President, Mobile Innovations at Mojiva

Droid Report: Mojiva is a premium mobile ad network that reaches more monthly mobile devices than any other network, represents over 8K mobile publishers and apps, and is built on the Mocean Mobile platform. Can you tell us more about your role and some insight on Mojiva’s upcoming mobile initiatives?

Jack Hallahan: My role is to seek innovative solutions matched to defined client needs. I am constantly surveying the landscape for emerging players building mobile creative, tech, data-driven, social, local, native, connected device, and mobile to store offerings…and next generation innovations. As with our Retailigence Partnership, vetted and certified offerings become mobile ad products represented exclusively by Mojiva’s Ad Sales Team. Upcoming mobile initiatives include TV Sync tests designed to close the gap between 1st and 2nd Screens. Also experimenting with retargeting technologies across mobile and online devices.

Droid Report: Recently Mojiva announced a partnership with Retailigence to offer Mobile-to-Store Advertising solution for Brands and Retailers. In the press release you had stated, “Improving mobile advertising experiences is Mojiva's highest priority, and partnering with Retailigence offers outstanding product, brand and store locator technologies for considered purchases and impulse buys.” “Retailigence’s extensive retail store integrations ensure products are in stock at each store, which in turn drives confidence and higher conversion at point of sale. Retailigence helps brands and agencies localize their creative and build hooks to move upper funnel brand messages to lower funnel transaction opportunities, elevating mobile advertising as a key strategic consideration going forward. We are pleased to offer Retailigence to our growing roster of unique, relevant mobile innovations." What key importances and effectiveness do you see in leveraging creative partners with Mojiva Mobile Creative Alliance?

Jack Hallahan: Retail Brands must deliver on consumer expectations in ways that are unique to mobile: location awareness, maps, and driving directions are expected. Finding products in stock at stores is also expected, and this is frequently where mobile breaks down. Being directed to a nearby store only to find a product out of stock is frustrating. Retailigence real-time inventory lookup ensures only locations with product in stock appear in store locators. Creative Alliance Partners have integrated Retailigence to enhance successful completion rates and improve campaign effectiveness measures.

Droid Report: Why is Mojiva an innovative competitor in mobile advertising?

Jack Hallahan: We believe smart ads belong on smart phones. Competing on innovation offers tremendous advantages to our sales force, especially when featured on our Mocean Mobile Ad Serving Technology. These are key differentiators in a crowded and often confusing market space.

Droid Report: What are some lessons brands can learn from this year in developing a strategy for mobility?

Jack Hallahan: Mobile cannot be planned in a similar fashion to online. Tablets underscore some of the big differences: screen size variations, significant video consumption, gaming, app usage vs web, etc. We developed MojivaTab to help brands plan and buy Tablet advertising based these factors, recognizing Tablets as unique from smartphones on several levels.

Perhaps the biggest lesson is to plan mobile through point of sale. That's the key to our Retailigence Partnership: capture more considered and impulse purchase opportunities through better performing campaigns.

Droid Report: Jack, as a veteran advertising executive what is your style like introducing innovation in the market?

Jack Hallahan: I like to approach innovation from a need state. Partnerships like Retailigence arise from prior consultations with major brands and agencies. Advising brands and agencies on mobile strategies frequently points to innovative needs in the market. Rather than product push innovation, I prefer layering in solutions based on feedback and expressed needs, such as better conversion at retail. Delivering innovation brands can readily understand and implement is the goal.

Droid Report: Mobile continues to rapidly evolve at outstanding rates. Innovation within the advertising sector is being driven by mobile networks and improvements in various areas of technologies. The changes expected to be driven in 2014 are quite exciting. How are you recognizing mobile at this point and for the future?

Jack Hallahan: Mobile will rapidly evolve to garner a bigger chunk of media spend. We see connected devices offering sequential ad experiences.

For Example:

• Learn about a new car from a TV Spot

• Compare models and build your dream car online

• Share it via social to get feedback from friends

• Find a dealer, set a calendar reminder, and map directions via mobile

Synchronizing between creative units (TV, Online, Mobile to Store) will offer exciting challenges in 2014. As TV viewers continue to ignore broadcast commercials while engaged in 2nd Screen, advancements in Television technology synced to nearby devices will begin to drive mobile commerce.

Droid Report: What challenges do you see around mobile ads, apps, Android, fragmentation, user experience...?

Jack Hallahan: Challenges for mobile ads will continue to be centered on creative innovation. Like it or not, banners are here to stay. We need to work harder to make mobile ad units meet or exceed expectations from existing ad types. Brands and agencies need to leverage device features (location, weather, calendar, map, camera, microphone, etc.)…but only to make the experience relevant and transparent.

Android holds promise in many areas, including form-fill features for direct response. Surprisingly, more brands are finding success with mobile based on Android (Google Chrome) auto-form fills. Who would have thought that small screen and tiny keys would offer better form fills than online?

Droid Report: In a post from Mojiva’s Marketing Blog: CPG's and Mobile Advertising - An Opportunity Worth Pursuing, “ Nearly half of the American population - that's almost 200 million people - own smartphones and use these “always on, always connected” devices to do a host of activities throughout the day, no matter where they may be. With the widespread adoption and usage of mobile devices, there are even more opportunities for CPG brands to leverage the benefits of mobile advertising such as immediacy, relevance, location-based targeting, cameras and sensors. “ What are your thoughts on providing the right balance of information to deliver for brands?

Jack Hallahan: As mentioned earlier, leveraging immediacy, relevance, location-based targeting, cameras and sensors, and other smartphone features is key to success in mobile. However, only when you brand is offering relevant, transparent experiences in exchange for time on device. A few minutes on a mobile phone combined with your ad experience is a lot to ask for. Keep that in mind as you look to strike the right kind of balance in delivering mobile ads for your brands.

Droid Report: There was a recent post called Big Idea 2014: Leap Year For Media -- and Me by Influencer Vivian Schiller Senior VP & Chief Digital Officer of NBC News about how digital media has changed the way content is created, distributed and consumed. How does this affect partnerships? How has mobile media changed your life?

Jack Hallahan: Mobile media has energized me more than any other aspect of my career in advertising. It holds the promise of right message, right time, right customer, and right place. We’ve never seen anything like it, with such innovation across device, content, platform, location, and social. Digital Media has made partnerships more vested, more real-time. Everyone has a stake in the future of digital, convergence, and mobility. Consumption patterns are changing at breakneck pace, with the capacity to alter how we think, share, buy, communicate, work, and play over the next 25 years. It’s the most exciting time to be in this space, no doubt about it!

Droid Report: Is there anything else you feel Android users and the Android market should know?

Jack Hallahan: Android is positioned to continually disrupt, push boundaries, and make the competitive landscape work hard to innovate. Android users will benefit from cross-innovation within the Google family, while harnessing the power of a company dedicated to technology and the platform for mobility.

We would like to thank Jack Hallahan for taking the time for this discussion and Mojiva.

Jack Hallahan is currently Vice President, Mobile Innovations at Mojiva. In this role, he collaborates with some of the world’s largest brands and digital agencies on advertising strategy, creative execution, tablet advertising and rich media. Much of his time is spent building partnerships across creative ad technology, social media, location-targeting and data-driven companies to help brands maximize the ROI and effectiveness of their mobile advertising campaigns. In 2010, Jack launched The Mojiva Creative Alliance as a collective of mobile’s top innovators and creative platforms. Since its launch, the MCA has set new benchmarks for mobile advertising, offering unique insights in mobile advertising strategy, branding, social and rich media best practices. His work involves many top-notch global brands such as BMW, AXE, Jeep, Intel, Anheuser-Busch, Sony, Visa, HP, McDonald’s, Daimler-Chrysler, Coca Cola and L’Oreal. Prior to joining Mojiva in 2010, Jack launched the first Social Media News App in the iTunes Store. Featured as the “App of the Week”, Blancspot jumped to the #2 spot behind CNN in the News Apps category. He is also well respected in the industry for developing award-winning creative for news aggregator 1Cast, including the first pre-roll ad to interact with content. In 2007, Jack won MEDIAWEEK’s "Best Use of Mobile" for his work with Lions Gate Films. He was also the 2008 MEA “Mobile Ambassador" for Entertainment Achievements, and holds an Emmy Award for Innovation: Mobile TV Interactive Advertising. Jack was twice elected to the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) Board of Directors, and Chaired MMA’s Television and Video Committee through 2008. Jack is also well known on the speaking circuit in the advertising and digital industry at notable events such as AAAA’s National Conference, ANA Brand Conference, iMedia Breakthrough Summit, Chicago Advertising Association, Digital Hollywood, MediaVest Mobile, AD:Tech, NAB, NATPE and CTIA.

Mojiva

Mojiva is the premium mobile ad network that reaches more monthly mobile devices than any other network, represents over 8K mobile publishers and apps, and is built on the Mocean Mobile platform. Through deep and open integration with all major rich media providers and ad servers, Mojiva provides ad agencies limitless mobile media execution across smartphones and tablets. Founded in May 2008 and based in New York City, Mojiva is an independent mobile ad network operating under parent company Mojiva Inc., a privately held company backed by Pelion Venture Partners, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and Shamrock Capital.