Mobile advertising company Millennial Media debuted what it described as “a new solution for advertisers to drive usage and engagement with their branded apps.”

Called App Engagement Program, advertisers can anonymously identify consumers who have already downloaded their app, and use mobile display ads to deep-link back into it. Millennial said that this will drive usage, and brands can “leverage the initial interest that led to the app download to re-engage users and drive further interaction.”

As users are driven to different locations inside the app, advertisers will also gain intelligence on consumer behaviour and will be able to track in-app transactions. It said they will be provided with “unique conversion metrics.”

Jamie Fellows, SVP of product for the company, said:  “Consumers now expect brand name companies to have a mobile app, yet it still takes a concerted effort from the brands to drive adoption. Brands need to make sure the experience is good, they need to make sure users are finding the app, and perhaps most importantly, they need to take steps to drive sustained consumer usage.”