United Press International Turns To Firstly Mobile’s Device-Based Content Discovery To Dramatically Boost Engagement

Firstly Mobile Increases Time On Site And Raises Click-Through Rate By 86 Percent


ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mobile Posse, the technology innovator that turns telecom companies into mobile media leaders, today announced that United Press International (UPI) has leveraged Firstly Mobile, Mobile Posse’s next-gen content discovery platform distributed through wireless carriers and smartphone OEMs, to drive higher mobile user engagement. UPI, a leading provider of news and photos to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com, saw dramatic results with a 2x increase in mobile RPMs and overall mobile revenue, as well as a spike in engagement from Firstly Mobile as compared to other referral traffic, including:

  • Average 30-second increase in time on site
  • 86 percent increase in click-through rate (CTR)
  • 26 percent decrease in bounce rate
  • 2x increase in mobile CPMs

"Firstly Mobile continues to be a key partner for driving quality traffic to UPI.com with a higher level of engagement than users coming from other referral and organic sources," said Charlene Pacenti, Chief Content Officer, UPI. “Firstly Mobile has helped UPI engage with new consumers, who are looking for trustworthy information that cuts through the noise, and has helped bring UPI’s long legacy of credible journalism to new audiences.”

Over the past few months, Facebook has been prioritizing user posts and sending less and less traffic to publisher’s sites - add that to the fact that audiences coming from social sites are less likely to engage with publisher content because they’re already busy, and you see publishers needing to get increasingly savvy on working to diversify their sources of traffic. Firstly Mobile has been a key partner for UPI in helping them reach their KPIs in terms of both audience development and digital revenue, and found that device-based mobile content discovery creates superior engagement for UPI’s readers.

Firstly Mobile creates native device experiences that are driving the next era of mobile content discovery. By engaging consumers in user-friendly ways, device-based mobile content discovery creates engagement superior to that of social or web-based traffic. The platform enables a user’s phone to conveniently deliver the content a user loves when transitioning between mobile activities -- such as when the user opens a new browser tab to start a new search, swipes to find recent apps or at times when the phone is unlocked to fill idle moments.

“Firstly Mobile frictionlessly presents content to consumers as they begin their discovery. The results the platform delivered for UPI show the power of our device-centric solutions,” said Greg Wester, CMO, Mobile Posse. “Device-centric mobile content discovery makes finding what you like a lot easier and creates big opportunities.”

About Mobile Posse
Mobile Posse's Firstly Mobile™ platform uses native-device content discovery to turn telecom companies into mobile media leaders. Firstly Mobile is a suite of services carriers and OEMs build into their smartphones to create engaging experiences--without users having to open...load...search...or wait for content. With billions of frictionless content experiences delivered each month, Firstly Mobile drives greater consumer engagement and boosts advertising revenues for carriers and OEMs - all while presenting a proven and brand-safe mobile media opportunity for advertisers. Mobile Posse, the pioneer of frictionless mobile media solutions, is based in Arlington, VA. The company’s posse of trailblazers is passionate about making the smartphone even smarter. Every day.

About UPI
UPI is a digital news and photo provider with a legacy of over 100 years of objective global reporting. UPI photos are made available to digital and print publications all over the world through our participation in various press pools, including the White House and U.S. Capitol, and through relationships with partner distribution networks. Our news feeds are carried by a variety of publishers, research databases, mobile providers and more. UPI.com reaches millions of readers a month, with continuously updated coverage of the most important news of the day, as well as in-depth reporting, and developments in entertainment, science, health, sports and key industries like defense. The company is based in Boca Raton, Fla., and Washington, D.C. Founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press news agency, it became known as UPI after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst.

Media Contact
Brook Terran
805-570-3309

Franco Fernandez
Dir. of Digital Business, UPI
561-210-8463