Financial institution Bank of America is using a mobile advertising campaign to catapult downloads of its mobile banking iPhone application.

The ads walk users through the app’s features and educates consumers on Bank of America’s mobile banking. The ad campaign is running inside Apple’s iAd network.

“Mobile provides us with a targetable channel to reach on-the-go consumers with relevant products, and iAd allows for a richer mobile ad experience, offering more opportunity for brand interaction,” said T.J. Crawford, senior vice president of media relations at Bank of America, New York.

Bank on mobile
The Bank of America banner ads promote the iPhone app as being accessible wherever consumers are. Copy for the ad encourages consumers to manage and check bank accounts while on the couch or watching a movie.

The ads expand into a scene of a town with the tagline, “Get more done with mobile banking.”

Users can then explore each building in the town to learn about a particular feature of the mobile banking app.

The ads use the mobile device’s movement to slide across the screen and show the different buildings.

The goal of the ad is to show users how easy mobile banking is.

The ad shows how easy mobile banking is

For example, users who tap on the town’s local coffee shop to learn how to pay bills via the iPhone app.

The ads also show how users can locate ATMs, transfer funds and learn about the app’s security.

For each feature, the ad shows users an animated video of how the feature works.

Banner ads display along the bottom of the screen with a link that users can tap on to download the app.

Unlike many ad campaigns, users are not redirected to Apple’s App Store to download the app. Instead, users tap a button to confirm the app download.

Instant apps
Using mobile ads to drive app downloads is nothing new to the mobile industry.

For instance, Walgreens recently used an iAd campaign that let users download the company’s prescription app directly from the ad (see story).

However, up until now ads that drive app downloads have been fairly plain with a simple call to action.

For Bank of America, the company is able to promote its app in a new, rich way that lets users explore the brand in a deeper way.

Additionally, mobile banking is increasingly becoming an essential part of a financial institution’s strategy. However, some consumers are still not aware of mobile banking and how it works.

With setting up a scene that walks users through each process of mobile banking and visually shows them what to do on the app, Bank of America is able to spread its services to consumers who might not know about the company’s mobile work.

“With more than nine million active mobile banking customers, Bank of America is the market leader with more mobile customers than any other U.S. bank,” Mr. Crawford said.

“We expect to see continued growth in response to consumer desire for greater convenience,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York