The company is running the expandable, full page and audio ads within Pandora. The ads not only aim to increase foot traffic, but also traffic to its mobile commerce-enabled site.

“More and more companies are realizing the benefit of running mobile ads on news sites, music sites, and other highly trafficked sites, as a way to promote a new product, a hot deal, or a holiday special – with these ads going live, Old Navy and other retailers will need to ensure that the click through experience is one that drives ROI and covers the cost of the mobile advertising,” said Marci Troutman, CEO of Siteminis, Atlanta.

Ms. Troutman is not affiliated with Old Navy. She commented based on her expertise on the subject.

Old Navy did not respond to press inquiries.

Deal of the day
The mobile and audio ads promote Old Navy’s graphic tees.

When consumers tap on the ads they are redirected to the company’s mobile site where they can browse the tees, as well as other holiday products.

In addition, consumers can search for other items if they are not interested in the graphic tees.

The mobile site lets users shop by category such as women’s, men’s, kids and maternity.

Consumers can also find the nearest store to see the products in person.

“The best way we have found to ensure a productive experience for products and promotions, while also allowing a click-through to drive consumers into their stores, is to create a specific landing page that answers both of the consumers needs, the information about the promotion, and a link or button to find a store,” Ms. Troutman said.

Mobile efforts
This is not Old Navy’s first foray into mobile.

The company has been increasingly dipping its toes in the mobile space this past year.

Earlier this year, Old Navy used mobile as a means to simplify the male shopping experience and address consumer needs via an interactive mobile campaign (see story).

Most recently, the company used mobile to reward shoppers with deals and offers just by walking into store locations across the United States.

The company partnered with shopkick on the mobile initiative (see story).

“There are also additional ways to use these promotional mini sites to capture data about the consumers clicking through the ads by adding a form for contest signups and social media like buttons,” Ms. Troutman said.

“It’s very important not to lead consumers to a dead end or a homepage where they will need to work to find the deals and locator pieces from the ads,” she said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York