Advertising Technology Blog

Non-gaming apps can generate significant ad revenue by diversifying ad formats and strategically placing ads without disrupting user experience. Rewarded ads, app open ads, and interstitials work when integrated at natural user touchpoints. Testing different ad combinations and user segments is crucial. Gaming ads convert well on non-gaming traffic due to high cross-over. Avoid focusing on singular ad optimization; instead, test multiple formats for revenue gains of 2-5% or more.

Stay updated on CTV and OTT developments. Adjust offers insights on CTV ad measurement, turning CTV into a performance channel for apps, unlocking its assisting power, and proving ROI.

Streaming TV offers mobile marketers high engagement and detailed tracking, with non-skippable, full-screen ads that boost recall. Key insight: emotional alignment between ads and content reduces viewer drop-off by up to 60%. Viewer retention during ad breaks varies, but 26% of those who leave return within 30 minutes. Action steps: use contextual targeting, partner with emotion-based SSPs, track performance, and prioritize emotional storytelling.

Hybrid monetization combining in-app purchases (IAP) and in-app ads is increasingly popular, especially in mobile games. In 2024, 43% of games used a hybrid model, up from 36% in 2023. Key strategies include audience segmentation, A/B testing, and leveraging rewarded video ads, which synergize well with IAP. Interstitials should be used sparingly during natural transitions. LiveOps can enhance engagement and provide data for optimization. Ad ops decision-makers should focus on data-driven testing to balance ad frequency and user experience, ultimately maximizing revenue without increasing churn.

Brands like YouTube and Netflix are leveraging gamification to boost retention, acquisition, and revenue. With 70% of consumers playing mobile games, gamified marketing drives engagement and loyalty. QSRs, retail, and fashion verticals show strong adoption. For gaming studios, targeting these verticals with branded gamified campaigns offers lucrative opportunities. Key data: 70% mobile gamers, KFC's 'Shrimp Attack' achieved 22% redemption, CostCutter saw 340k email registrations.

UGC-style creatives can boost ROI by 3x; non-gaming advertisers saw 152% higher conversion rates. Key steps: invest in pre-production to define audience and brand guidelines, align creators on messaging while maintaining authenticity, choose creators matching target demographics, leverage social media trends, and test extensively with A/B testing over at least a few weeks to account for seasonality and platform algorithms.

Hybrid monetization (IAP + IAA) is crucial for non-gaming apps, with 45.5% of hybrid app downloads coming from subscriptions+IAP+IAA combos. IAP-driven apps, like mini-series, saw IAA revenue increase 40x by adding rewarded ads. Best practices: segment users, design incentives, and use in-app bidding for higher efficiency (up to 60% revenue lift). AI-powered platforms optimize bids and placements, balancing user experience and monetization.

Valentine's Day presents a strategic opportunity for app marketers to boost installs and engagement across categories. Despite a 13% YoY decline in dating app installs, sessions remain resilient, with longer session lengths (13.21 min) and improved ad efficiency (IPM up to 6.24). Key surges: restaurant booking app installs +156% on Feb 14, recipe app sessions +60% on Feb 12, music app installs +35% on Feb 10, and messaging sessions +31% on Valentine's Day. Actionable strategies include personalized push notifications, gamification, brand collaborations, and micro-influencer campaigns.

Amazon launches Retail Ad Service, offering contextual ads, native demand, and ad management tools for retailers. While the tech is compelling, conflicts of interest, data privacy risks, and Amazon's incentive to privilege its own ads raise concerns. Large retailers may prefer independent solutions like Moloco for ML-based automation without competitive risks.

Adjust launches Growth Copilot, an AI-powered tool for marketers to ask business questions and get insights. It enhances growth and user acquisition, starting with natural language data queries. Early access via demo or contacting Adjust.

Preload campaigns are critical for UA in 2025, offering early brand presence, higher trust, and cost-efficient growth. Key benefits include increased visibility, engagement, and LTV. Practitioners should leverage advanced segmentation, automated recommendations, predictive analytics, extended attribution windows, and incrementality testing. Partnerships with OEMs and platforms like Appnext, Aura, AVOW, Digital Turbine, and InMobi can drive significant results, as seen with Magalu's 100k+ monthly installs and 4x ROAS.

Mintegral's Pakistan Gaming Growth Program returns for 2025, offering game developers expert knowledge in user acquisition, monetization, and attribution. Eligible studios using Mintegral Monetization can join a year-long Solar Engine subscription to get a $10,000 credit line and free attribution. Applications are open until January 31, 2025.

The #SHIPPED quarterly series returns with Q2 2024 updates for MAX and AppDiscovery products, aimed at accelerating business growth. It includes video content for both Q2 and Q1 2024 releases, showcasing new features to help advertisers optimize their strategies.

Non-gaming apps are projected to surpass mobile game revenue by 2026, driven by increased in-app advertising as users spend more time in apps, creating new monetization opportunities.

The FTC's Click-to-Cancel rule, effective mid-2025, mandates that subscription cancellations be as easy as signups. To avoid fines and retain users, apps must ensure compliance, improve UX, and consider hybrid monetization (e.g., in-app ads) as a revenue diversifier. Key data: 73% of users decide app retention within two weeks; 75% of app revenue comes from advertising. Actionable steps: simplify cancellation, enhance onboarding, personalize experiences, and stay transparent.

2024 mobile gaming revenue reached $80B on App Store & Google Play (+4% YoY), with casual, casino, and strategy genres showing double-digit growth. Key 2025 trends include user-level monetization customization, IP-driven games reducing CAC, AI-powered personalized gameplay, programmatic CTV maturing with greater accountability, and puzzle game dominance in markets like Vietnam. Decision-makers should focus on live-title optimization, genre expertise, and cross-platform programmatic strategies.

The 2024 holiday season revealed distinct mobile app usage trends: finance apps peaked early December for budgeting and late December for year-end payments; shopping apps spiked on Dec 1 (installs +42%) and mid-month for last-minute deals; restaurant apps hit highs on weekends (installs +122% on Dec 14); health & fitness surged post-Christmas (+46% on Jan 1); gaming sessions peaked on New Year’s Day (racing games +124%). Marketers should time campaigns to these windows: promote budgeting early, re-engage cart abandoners mid-month, target resolution-setters after Christmas, and offer holiday-themed gaming content.

Unity's 2025 mobile gaming report highlights key trends including expansion of rewarded marketplaces beyond games and mobile, increased adoption of ad-supported models by subscription apps, resurgence of midmarket titles, hybrid-casual game dominance reshaping ad strategies, APAC developers expanding globally, and long-format playables for scaling. Ad ops decision-makers should focus on diversifying ad formats, leveraging rewarded video, and optimizing for user engagement with longer creatives.

The article outlines five key mobile app market predictions for 2025, emphasizing AI/ML maturation, consumer-driven data control, the limitations of GenAI for measurement, growth of alternative app stores, and increased M&A activity. Ad ops decision-makers should prepare for scaled AI adoption, adopt multiple measurement frameworks to navigate privacy regulations, leverage ML models for privacy-compliant insights, explore emerging app distribution channels, and consider strategic acquisitions for market expansion.

TikTok is a major advertising platform for shopping (22% of US ad spend) and CPG (18%). Uber, Coca-Cola, and DoorDash allocate significant portions of their ad budgets to TikTok. If banned, 8% of social ad spend would shift to Instagram (+3ppts), Facebook (+1ppts), YouTube (+2ppts), and Snapchat (+2ppts). During the Jan 2025 shutdown, Instagram gained 16% more time from TikTok users. ByteDance's other apps like CapCut and Lemon8 could see increased ad spend.