dentsu

thought leadership

Written by Megan Knaggs, App Performance & Gaming Executive 

The misconception: “Mobile is not incremental.” This is one of the few objections I’ve heard when talking about mobile as a channel with clients. It is a very underrated and understated channel; and after over a year immersed in mobile marketing, I can confidently say: mobile should be a priority and not an afterthought. 

This isn’t a marketing fad. It’s where attention is, where creativity meets precision, and where growth lives. Here’s just three of the many reasons mobile is winning for dentsu. 

1. Attention Meets Opportunity: Mobile Commands the Screen 

In today’s digital universe, mobile drives the majority of the conversation, and the results. Over 64% of global internet traffic (Tech Spot, 2025) flows through mobile devices. This isn’t just audience: it’s influence, intent, and opportunity building at your fingertips. We live in a multi-screen age. When TV adverts come on, audiences often shift their eyes and attention to their mobiles – our job is to capture them at that very moment, when their attention is at its peak. Moreover, mobile provides us with better quality users, than other digital channels: mobile often delivers stronger conversion rates (CVRs) and higher return on ad spend (ROAS) compared to desktop channels (Linked In, 2022). This matters. A lot. 

Simply put: mobile isn’t just another touchpoint, it’s the primary stage and brand which act with a “mobile first” approach are winning.

2. Creativity Meets Precision: Full-Funnel Impact

Mobile gives us the ability to engage users across their entire journey, from first awareness through to in-app performance. It’s not just a channel; it’s a full funnel ecosystem. 

Upper funnel – Awareness: Rich, high impact formats (rewarded video, interactive ads, mobile web takeovers) capture attention at scale and build brand presence. In our team we found success in running rewarded video in game campaigns which led to a 19% increase in organic installs: https://kayzen.io/blog/dentsu-enhances-coop-branding-with-video

Mid-funnel – Consideration: In-app messaging, push notifications, and personalised mobile web activations drive exploration and keep the brand at the top of users’ minds, while ensuring consistency in messaging throughout the whole user journey.

Lower funnel – Performance: Granular targeting and in-app metrics enable precision optimisation of conversions, retention, and lifetime value in real time. We have integrated a full media mix across our client accounts in order to maximise on scale and take advantage of the full mobile inventory and transparency our programmatic mobile DSPs offer.

In a landscape where attention is the most valuable currency, mobile allows us to balance emotional resonance with strategic control. It ensures brands are seen, remembered and chosen at every step of the funnel.

3. Mobile Is Unique: Unlocking Channels Others Can’t

What makes mobile stand apart is the unique solutions only this channel can offer: opportunities that don’t exist anywhere else.

  • Unique Gaming Solutions: Partners like Unity and Digital Turbine (DT) give us access to powerful formats such as offer wall solutions, where users engage deeply in exchange for in-app rewards, focusing on those high attention in-game environments where users are proven to have attention competitive to social e.g. users have 99% viewability in games vs 79% for social platforms(Digi day ,2024). We’ve seen real success with clients using these mechanics to acquire loyal, high-value users.
  • Preloads innovation: Preloads is another example of the unique solutions we have the power to use, Digital Turbine also offers preload solutions, which involves putting apps directly on devices before they’re even activated. We were among the first in the UK to test this with Co Op and imported the app onto 2000 devices a week, giving our clients a true first mover advantage.

https://www.dentsu.com/uk/en/media-and-investors/dentsu-and-coop-launch-preload-initiative-to-bring-coop-app-to-all-samsung-o2-devices-

  • High value gaming environments:  Mobile gaming has evolved into one of the most valuable and overlooked attention channels. No longer confined to stereotypes of hardcore gamers, it now engages a wide pool of society: more than 80% of Gen Z and 70% of Boomers play, with nearly half of all mobile gamers coming from Gen X and Boomers, and a majority identifying as female (Knezovic, 2024). This breadth of audience, from parents unwinding with Candy Crush to Gen Z immersed in Block Blast, demonstrates how mobile gaming has become a mainstream cultural space where brands can build meaningful connections, drive engagement, and unlock new pathways to growth.

Mobile is a category full of exclusive pathways to growth, powered by unique environments and formats you won’t find anywhere else. And when it comes to gaming in mobile… we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible.

Sources & Thought Partners