Advertising Technology Blog

This article debunks four mobile measurement myths, emphasizing that last-click attribution remains valuable when combined with multi-touch and next-gen methodologies like incrementality testing. It stresses that data quality trumps quantity, and integrating fragmented data sources yields better insights. View-through attribution is not inherently inflationary if paired with incrementality testing, and cross-channel optimization is achievable through deep linking. For ad ops, the key takeaway is to adopt a holistic measurement framework that balances signals from various attribution methods to accurately assess campaign performance and allocate budgets effectively.

Goodroid, a Japanese game developer known for casual hits like Snow Race!!!, shares strategies for user growth and monetization in an interview with Mintegral. The article highlights Mintegral's Target ROAS update supporting IAA and IAP, and offers insights on early metrics vs. long-term performance, global trends for entertainment apps, and optimizing CPI vs. ROAS campaigns.

Retargeting drives revenue for mobile apps by re-engaging inactive users at lower cost than acquisition, enabling upselling and cross-selling to existing users, optimizing ad spend toward higher-conversion audiences, and using personalized messaging to boost engagement and loyalty. Effective strategies include offering incentives, highlighting app updates, and leveraging user behavior data for dynamic ads. Mintegral's solutions help implement these tactics for maximum ROI.

2025 is the year of scaling mobile app growth. Marketers are leveraging AI tools, expanding to CTV channels, and refining measurement strategies. Key trends include rising mobile ad spend, e-commerce app growth, and strong gaming app performance.

AI revolutionizes ad creative production by accelerating ideation, asset creation, and optimization. Unity's Ad Design Studio leverages AI to generate diverse concepts, animate static images into videos, quickly update creatives for seasonal campaigns, and produce audio elements like music and voiceovers without external resources. This efficiency enables higher creative output, more testing options, and ultimately better-performing ads that boost user acquisition and UA growth.

Retail media networks (RMNs) are poised for major growth in 2025, with personalized, AI-driven onsite ads becoming top priority. Advertisers demand performance-based outcomes like CPO and tROAS, while retailers invest in self-serve platforms and go-to-market teams. Key shifts include mid-funnel formats, regional variations (US in-store, EU onsite), and tech partnerships to scale. RMNs that combine ML personalization with streamlined operations will dominate.

Google's ad update emphasizes relevant, easy-to-navigate landing pages to improve search experience. Advertisers should enhance site navigation for better user access and long-term value.

The global app industry in 2025 offers opportunities and challenges. Key trends include AI maturation, privacy-centric measurement, and e-commerce growth. ATT opt-in rates reached 35%. Installs grew 11% with sessions up 4%. E-commerce app installs jumped 17%, gaming 4%, and finance 27%.

Health & Fitness apps hit record downloads (3.6B, +6% YoY) and IAP revenue ($385M in Jan 2025, +10% YoY). Medical Tracking subgenre surged 43% in downloads. US accounts for >50% of global revenue; UK second at 8%. Fitness rewards apps (Sweatcoin, CashWalk, WeWard) see strong MAU growth and retention. Strava, OnX Hunt, Runna, AllTrails led revenue growth. Total IAP revenue expected to exceed $4B in 2025, over 100% growth in 5 years.

Playable ads are interactive ad formats that let users demo an app or game before downloading, leading to 20x higher conversion rates than banners and 3x that of video ads. They capture attention 47% longer than video and are 32% more memorable. Adoption doubled from 2023 to 2024, expanding beyond gaming into retail and finance. Key design principles include showcasing core features, providing instant gratification, and balancing difficulty. Rewarded playables boost conversions and user satisfaction. With near 3 billion mobile gamers, in-game playables reach a vast, engaged audience. Ad ops should test playables for high engagement and measurable ROI.

Google's Demand Gen campaigns now offer expanded channel controls, allowing precise ad placement across YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Google Display inventory, including YouTube Shorts. New creative tools include 9:16 vertical image ads for Shorts, video enhancements for aspect ratio variations, and an improved ad creation flow. Retailers gain product feeds with local availability and omnichannel bidding to drive online and offline sales. Google also introduces reporting columns for cross-platform performance comparison and provides upgrade milestones for Video Action Campaigns to Demand Gen, which has shown 58% higher ROAS on average.

iGaming advertisers face creative restrictions, mobile web conversion gaps, attribution complexities, and fraud risks in programmatic advertising. Solutions include responsible gaming messaging, advanced attribution tools, and AI-driven platforms like Liftoff.

Google launched Meridian, an open-source marketing mix model (MMM) designed for modern privacy-centric measurement. It solves traditional MMM limitations by accurately measuring performance media (e.g., Search) and AI-powered campaigns using Bayesian causal inference. Key features include reach/frequency metrics for video, customizable code, and integration with incrementality experiments. A partner program with over 20 certified agencies assists implementation. Brands like Finder gained actionable insights, improving budget allocation and recognizing YouTube's incremental value beyond standard tracking.

Mobile measurement is evolving with AI-driven solutions like predictive analytics, incrementality analysis, and marketing mix modeling (MMM). These tools help marketers forecast user value, measure true campaign ROI, and holistically optimize budget allocation. Predictive analytics identifies high-value users early; incrementality isolates causal impact; MMM provides a 360-degree view of marketing performance. Adopting these methods enables data-driven decisions, improves campaign efficiency, and future-proofs strategies in a privacy-first era. The article key takeaway: next-gen measurement is accessible and essential for competitive advantage.

Adjust Growth Copilot is an AI tool that transforms complex data into actionable insights via plain-language queries, helping marketers make fast, smart decisions and uncover hidden trends.

Retailers building retail media networks (RMNs) can learn from Google, Meta, and Amazon by leveraging first-party data, machine learning, self-service automation, and outcomes-based performance. Key insights include using purchase intent signals and loyalty data for personalization, investing in AI for targeting and optimization, automating campaign management to scale advertiser participation, and moving to outcome-based pricing like closed-loop attribution. These strategies transform RMNs into high-margin ad platforms that deliver value for brands and shoppers.

Steam wishlists let users track desired games, with notifications on launches and discounts. Friends can gift them. However, fake wishlists and forced additions question their value as strong purchase intent indicators.

Performance Max introduces key controls: campaign-level negative keywords (GA), high-value new customer mode (GA), separate brand exclusions for Search vs Shopping ads, URL contains rules for feeds, and betas for age-based exclusions and device targeting. Enhanced reporting includes search terms insights distinguishing keywordless vs search theme traffic, usefulness indicators, and downloadable asset group performance. These features give advertisers more steering capability over AI and deeper transparency, enabling better optimization for customer acquisition, brand suitability, and granular performance analysis.

Mobile gaming growth is driven by newcomers, hybridization of casual and IAP games, and consumer apps adopting gaming UA tactics. AI automation shifts focus from manual UA to creative strategy and data. Playable ads and personalized mechanics improve engagement. Key takeaway: build great products and leverage algorithms for efficient UA.

Retargeting and remarketing are distinct strategies for re-engaging users. Retargeting uses paid ads on external platforms to target users who left without converting, requiring tracking pixels or cookies. Remarketing leverages owned channels like email or push notifications to re-engage users who have given permission, such as subscribers or lapsed customers. Decision-makers should align strategy with user permission and channel: retargeting for high-intent but untracked users, remarketing for nurturing existing relationships.