Large and small advertisers around the globe have begun leveraging the potential of tablet devices. Be it top grossing apps like Candy Crush Saga, or highly popular apps like WeChat, they have all extended their mobile presence to tablet devices and are doing extremely well. So what are these advertisers doing differently that is making them so successful?
The answer is simple - they treat smartphones and tablets differently. Greater screen size, better display, unique usage patterns; all these features are different for tablets and smartphones. Optimal tablet usage generates 3x higher CTRs and conversion rates than smartphones.
However, as both smartphones and tablets are mobile devices, a common mistake that advertisers make is treating them identically when forming an advertising strategy. Since tablet advertising is still in its infancy, advertisers are oblivious to its do and don'ts.
1) Create ads specifically for your tablet audience: The major advantage tablets have over smartphones is the screen size. With up to 4x more real estate available on tablets, advertisers have the opportunity of showing bigger ads that attract more attention thereby generating more clicks. Reusing the smaller smartphone creative on the much larger tablet not only misses the advantage but also creates a negative impact by ruining the user experience. Here is how a smartphone ad looks on a tablet:
The rational thing to do is to create tablet-optimized ads suitable for display on larger screens to achieve 100% space utilization. Shifting from smartphone sizes to tablet-optimized ad sizes has been proven to give a 3x higher ROI.
Of the following tablet-optimized ad slot sizes, InMobi recommends using the 728—90 px, 300—250 px, and 468—60 px slot sizes in the app for best results.
2) Use ad formats that work best on tablets: High definition ad formats match perfectly with the high-resolution display of tablets, creating a deeply engaging experience for users. Due to the device display quality and powerful processers, the following three Rich Media ad formats work best on tablets:
A mix of banner and rich media ads can boost performance and increase the scale of the campaign by providing users with multiple options to engage with the ad.
3) Optimal pricing for quality and scale: Tablet users tend to have higher LTV, and are on an average, better spenders as well. Due to this, there is a high demand for tablet advertising, that is, advertisers are bidding more. In turn, ad publishers on these devices are beginning to expect higher eCPMs as well. So, by finding the right price points for these devices, you will be able to cut through the competition and reach users interested in your ad.
The pricing varies according to device, region, and other targeting parameters, and you should work with your ad network to arrive at the best cost. But typically, it has been observed that pricing this inventory at 1.5 2x more than smartphones helps find the right scale of quality users. 
That said, the most obvious and impactful strategy would be to ensure that your app itself is tablet optimized. Once your app works well on tablets, you could work with your ad network in trying out various combinations and best practices to fully leverage the potential of these amazing devices.
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