High rollers are attracted to finance ads, Average Joes have a preference for entertainment offers, while Savvy Shoppers would rather stay clear of both.

That’s according to new research from Opera Mediaworks UK, which has identified ten different mobile user profiles based on the apps they have as well as their acceptance of the advertisements that lie within.  

The mobile ad solution provider claims that 70% of its three billion UK ad impressions come via these programs and has stressed the need for advertisers to segment their audiences for the best results.

While some brands may already have a set of rules for targeting app users, the study has laid out a small selection of mobile user personalities as well as advice for targeting these individuals.

The usual suspects

Opera Mediaworks’ started its tests by examining 9.6 million ad interactions from 2.3 million iPhone users in the UK.

The company believes most mobile users can be placed into a category based on the apps they own. These include the Cultured Elite (known for ownership of music, photo and social media apps), the High Roller (fans of gaming, sports and entertainment) and the Smart Explorer (collections suggest preference for navigation and utility apps).

Opera Mediaworks’ revealed a number of interesting tips for targeting these groups, with finance, lifestyle and entertainment ads coming under the looking glass.

User tests

Overall, entertainment ads achieved the highest interaction rates across all three categories, with Average Joes the most likely audience for these placements. However, when it came to finance advertisements, the same users were near the bottom of the table for interaction.

A similar rule applied to the Culture Elite and Intelligent Producers, who boasted high levels of interaction with entertainment ads but were 44% and 42% respectively less likely to click on anything relating to finance.

Money-focused ads gained their audience later on, as High Rollers were found to be interacting with these ads at 43% above the study average.

Lifestyle ads, meanwhile, found an audience in Average Joes, who were 32% more likely to expand these ads than any other user group. The same couldn’t be said for the Health Aware and Savvy Shoppers, who despite their preference for downloading these apps, all returned low levels of engagement.

According to Mark Slade, Opera Mediaworks managing director EMEA, having a preference towards certain apps can reflect someone’s personality, and applying user profiles to ad targeting can lead to better engagement.

Why not see which mobile user category you fit into? Judging by preferences for app downloads, they are:

  • Career Minded (business and jobs)
  • Intelligent Producer (educational, news and productivity)
  • Health Aware (medical and weather)
  • Cultured Elite (music, photo and video)
  • Average Joe (photo, video and social media)
  • High Roller (gaming, sports and entertainment)
  • Smart Explorer (navigation and utilities)
  • Intrepid Explorer (travel and productivity)
  • Fact Finder (reference)
  • Savvy Shopper (lifestyle, food & drink)