Google mobile ad chief to app makers: Stop concentrating so much on installs

SAN FRANCISCO — Google ad man Jason Spero says mobile marketers are too focused on getting customers to download and install apps, and not focused enough helping them actually do stuff.

As the head of performance media at Google, Spero leads the search giant’s strategy on mobile advertising.

“My fear is that we as an industry have over-indexed on app installs as the goal, when what we need to focus on is the mobile consumer who wants to solve real-world problems like booking a flight or buying makeup,” Spero said.

He spoke to a crowd of 400 at the Mobile First Summit today.

Spero says Google is trying to help its merchant partners reach customers at that magic — and increasingly, mobile — moment when they make a decision on how to buy a certain product or service, or when they decide between one app and another.

“It’s about recognizing that moment and recognizing what they want and need in that moment,” Spero said.

He gave as an example a person who wants to get into fitness and wants to quickly research and choose an app to track workouts. Spero says app developers need to be visible during that process.

Want to make sure your app shows up first?
Get our free report on seven proven tactics to boost your apps rankings.

Spero says app developers should focus on enabling offline purchasing decisions, not just online ones. The example he gave for this was a mobile app that helps car buyers get the best deal while they are negotiating on the dealer’s lot.

Spero was a key member of the AdMob team that Google acquired in 2009 to put it in front-runner status on mobile app monetization.

AdMob technology has been woven into Google’s Display offerings and has also accelerated other offerings, including Google Analytics, ad-serving, and exchanges. More than 650,000 apps use AdMob to monetize across iOS and Android, and the AdMob network reaches 900 million unique devices a month.