Tiffany & Co. continues app push with banner ads

Jeweler Tiffany & Co. is maintaining the push of its “What Makes Love True” microsite and mobile application by including banner ads.

The banner ads, found in apps such as the New York Times for iPhone, direct consumers to the App Store where Tiffany’s app is available for free. The jeweler has a dedicated microsite to complement the app.

“Mobile ads in general are extremely important for luxury brands,” said Mack McKelvey, senior vice president of marketing at Millennial Media, Baltimore, MD.

“All banner types can drive value depending upon how the banner engages the consumer,” she said. “Banners can stand alone for advertisers with tremendous brand recognition, but the consumer experience post-click is critical as well.”

Ms. McKelvey is not associated with Tiffany, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

Tiffany did not respond by press deadline.

True blue

The “What Makes Love True” microsite and app was launched by Tiffany in June (see story).

Consumers browsing current news and features in the New York Times mobile app are met with a Tiffany banner ad.

Clicking on it takes consumers to a full-page ad in the traditional robin’s-egg blue shade and an invitation to view "What Makes Love True – Tiffany’s guide to matters of the heart."

Tiffany full-page ad

A push notification prompts consumers that the New York Times app will be closed, and clicking “okay” brings users to the What Makes Love True app in Apple’s App Store.

The app and site are split into four sections: Love stories, Tiffany’s New York, The art of romance and Love is everywhere.

Love stories reveals 10 real couples and Tiffany customers from around the world who share how their love grew over time and their proposal story.

The Tiffany’s New York section lists romantic places around the city that have been selected by Tiffany employees.

The Art of romance section displays romantic songs from artists such as Cat Power, Fred Astaire, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton and John Legend, and lists films such as An Affair to Remember, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Goodbye Girl and West Side Story.

The final section is called Love is everywhere. Users are given a map of New York and are able to add a heart to the location, signifying a monumental moment in their relationship.

“Tiffany’s app creates an immersive experience for the consumer to interact with the brand, therefore furthering brand affinity,” Ms. McKelvey said.

“We see an ever-increasing number of brands and developers who are utilizing mobile to drive application downloads that contain either post-purchase engagement or direct response components,” she said.

Ring of truth

Banner ads can be used in different ways to conform to a luxury brand’s individual needs.

While Tiffany is using banner ads to drive app downloads, others use rich-media ads or interactive ads depending on what they are trying to promote.

Tiffany app in Apple's App Store

For instance, American Express used an interactive mobile banner campaign to introduce the new features of its Zync card to younger members (see story).

However, banner ads can be a minefield, especially if luxury brands are navigating in an area where they have not been before.

For example, if marketers do not create a mobile-optimized landing page following a banner ad, consumers may wonder what the point of the banner ad is if they cannot even see it (see story).

Additionally, some experts believe that luxury brands are missing out on a considerable amount of consumers by only optimizing their banner ads on Apple devices (see story).

“We advise luxury brands to be cognizant of the opportunity to reach and engage target consumers across numerous sites and mobile platforms,” Ms. McKelvey said.

“We see luxury consumers accessing content across a vast array of content channels including news, sports, entertainment, finance sites and applications,” she said. “We highly recommend that all brand advertisers ensure their advertising campaign destinations are optimized for mobile.

“There is considerable consumer drop-off and even possible negative brand association if the mobile experience is not what the consumer expects.”

Final Take

Rachel Lamb, associate reporter on Luxury Daily, New York