Studies show that teenagers in the US are addicted to their smartphones. They love them so much, in fact, that according to recent research seven out of 10 teens spend more than three hours per day watching video on their mobile devices. That’s a lot of screen time. What do advertisers need to know about this tectonic shift in viewing habits? And how should it impact agency decision-making when it comes to creative production and media buying? Here are four considerations:

Consider how new, mobile-friendly ad units can complement existing campaigns
Rather than having to build ad creative exclusively for mobile, think about how and why existing campaigns might be adapted or repurposed to support mobile video. While a longer piece of ad creative may not work in mobile in its current format, an adapted version of that creative may actually perform quite well. One example of this would be new 6-second ad units from companies like YouTube, which are optimized for shorter mobile viewing sessions.

Maximize campaigns for “multi-platform,” not just mobile
Designing video ad campaigns for mobile has less to do with focusing specifically on mobile-only creative. Instead, agencies should take a second look at their media buying strategy to make sure it’s optimized for multi-platform opportunities that include mobile video as part of a broader ad buy. Thanks to a growing use of techniques like programmatic and “audience-focused” buying, it’s easier than ever to add mobile video to your next ad buy.

Evaluate the impact of social media consumption habits
The truth about the rise of mobile video is that it’s also closely linked to the growth of social media platforms. As more consumer content is viewed within the context of newsfeeds and social “streams,” it’s equally important that video is optimized not just for mobile, but also for how that video will be viewed on leading social platforms (https://extremereach.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-social-video/) like Facebook and Twitter.

Understand mobile video performance benchmarks
As we’ve noted in the past, mobile video has often outperformed formats like desktop video on metrics like click-through rate. Not everyone is sure what causes this phenomenon, so make sure to be aware of this mobile boost when analyzing the success of mobile video campaigns.

Today’s teens may not yet have the consumer clout of demographic groups like millennials. But thanks to their growing consumption of mobile video, they’re having a big impact on media buying and the advertising creative process. Today’s smartest agencies and advertisers are evolving their video approach in response.