Advertising Technology Blog

AppLovin CEO Adam Foroughi refutes a short report questioning its e-commerce ad business and pixel practices. He highlights rapid growth to a billion-dollar run rate, noting 80% of sales occur within 24 hours, proving incrementality. The pixel is standard, comparable to Meta and Google, and Shopify auto-appends data similarly. Foroughi emphasizes that the ad models are young but improving fast, and the web ad market offers massive opportunity. He urges investors to dig deeper and use AI tools to verify claims. The response underscores AppLovin's commitment to innovation and execution.

Mintegral launches Hybrid ROAS optimization model, combining IAA and IAP monetization to maximize revenue. Using AI, it targets users for both ad views and purchases, adjusting bids via oCPI. Developers set Day 0 or Day 7 ROAS targets. Requires data postback for IAA, IAP, and installs. Algorithm stabilizes in 5-7 days (Day 0) or 15-20 days (Day 7). Best results with minimal adjustments (≤2 changes/week, ≤10% per change). Testimonial from ONESOFT highlights flexibility and steady performance.

Generative AI apps on mobile earned nearly $1.3B in global IAP revenue in 2024 (+180% YoY), with downloads approaching 1.5B (+92% YoY). AI Chatbots drove growth, led by ChatGPT at 40% revenue share, while tech giants like Google and ByteDance entered the space. AI is expanding beyond chatbots into 15+ app categories, with AI-related apps downloaded 17B times (~13% of all downloads). For ad ops, this signals massive growth in user engagement and monetization opportunities across diverse verticals.

Dynamic Impression Pacing uses ML to optimize ad timing, replacing static rules like one-hour intervals. It evaluates conversion likelihood in real-time, adjusting bids to avoid wasted spend on low-value impressions while prioritizing high-intent users. A/B tests showed a 10% reduction in impressions with higher install rates and maintained ROAS, offering efficient budget allocation and smarter pacing for high-volume campaigns.

Retail app downloads and time spent grew globally in 2024, but US saw declines due to inflation and market correction. Chinese e-tailers like Temu now account for 8.3% of global downloads. Top retailers like Walmart (20M MAU, 50B impressions) and Target (10M MAU, 25B impressions) lead in both mobile and retail media. Key drivers: low prices, fast fulfillment, pre-loaded payments. Actionable takeaway: prioritize omnichannel strategies and mobile innovation to counter global competition.

Meta's latest AI innovations in ads ranking—GEM, Lattice, Andromeda, and Sequence Learning—significantly enhance ad performance by processing vast data for personalized targeting, unifying models for efficiency, increasing model complexity for better retrieval, and understanding user purchase journeys. These technologies improve conversion rates, ad quality, and relevance, offering advertisers more effective and efficient campaigns.

Celebrating Women’s History Month, the Elevate Brunch at GDC united women leaders in gaming and tech. Three themes emerged: building supportive communities, turning adversity into opportunity, and imagining better versions of ourselves. The event highlighted the power of collaboration and resilience, emphasizing that when women advocate for each other, they drive industry-wide change. A special thanks to the inspiring speakers who contributed to this empowering discussion.

Meta launches AI-powered creator discovery and content recommendations for Instagram's Creator Marketplace. Key updates include AI-driven suggestions for top-performing branded content in Ads Manager's Partnership Ads Hub, improved creator matching via affinity-based recommendations and keyword search, and new insights like playable Reels, email contact, partnership badges, and active ad visibility. These tools aim to simplify creator partnerships, enhance ad performance, and drive sales, with 53% of consumers more likely to purchase after creator promotion on Reels and US influencer spend projected over $10B by 2025.

Mintegral appoints Phoena Pang as VP of Sales & Operations for the Americas. With experience at Google, Moloco, Vungle, and Chartboost, she will lead go-to-market strategy and partnerships. The article also covers insights on early metrics, entertainment app growth, and CPI vs ROAS optimization.

Meta is investing in AI models like Andromeda to optimize ad performance. New omnichannel ads drive online and in-store sales, showing 15% lower CPA and 12% higher ROAS. Updates include simplified checkout for Shops ads, ads in Facebook notifications, and generative AI for virtual try-ons and text generation. Advertisers can request emails before promo codes and use site links on Instagram. These tools help capture demand and improve margins.

Scaling a gaming app to 1 million users requires AI-driven user acquisition with personalized creatives and playable ads, cross-platform storytelling, and influencer collaborations. Retention relies on adaptive content, community building, localization, and deep linking for seamless re-engagement. Hybrid monetization combining IAP, subscriptions, and ads with dynamic pricing optimizes revenue. Advanced analytics and predictive insights enable real-time campaign optimization. Decision-makers should prioritize AI and machine learning for UA and retention, implement deep linking for frictionless user journeys, and leverage data-driven monetization strategies to sustainably scale and retain a large player base.

User acquisition on a budget is achievable through a mix of organic and low-cost paid strategies. Key tactics include optimizing app store presence, leveraging AI tools, content marketing, partnering with micro-influencers, implementing referral programs, and focusing on retention. Data-driven decisions using free analytics tools help allocate resources efficiently. These approaches enable app businesses to drive quality users and engagement without a large UA budget.

Performance issues like crashes and slow load times directly reduce user retention and LTV. With 60% of users uninstalling after such issues, app teams must use AI-driven observability tools to proactively detect and resolve problems. Marketers and developers need to collaborate closely, as technical failures often masquerade as marketing problems. Real-time analytics and cross-functional growth teams are essential to minimize churn and maximize LTV.

YouTube BrandConnect helps brands leverage creator trust for effective campaigns. Partnership ads amplify reach, with MAC Cosmetics achieving 2.5x better view-through rate and 66% lower cost per view using creator content on YouTube Shorts.

Mobile gaming installs grew 4% YoY in 2024, led by LATAM and MENA. Strategy games saw 83% install growth. AI personalization and hybrid monetization drive engagement. CPI rises in key markets, but CTR improves to 9%.

Apple's ATT framework shifted user data consent from opt-out to opt-in, reducing user-level data availability. AppsFlyer develops a precise opt-in measurement methodology, finding a true opt-in rate of 40% among users who see the prompt, and 30% when including restricted users. Higher opt-in occurs when prompts appear after user engagement (45% vs 36%). Accurate measurement is crucial for attribution modeling and budget decisions.

Connected TV (CTV) offers a new channel for mobile app UA with high CPMs ($35-$65) but lower conversion rates. It's best for mid-to-large studios with high LTV apps targeting US audiences. Measurement challenges persist due to cross-device attribution gaps. CTV can complement mature mobile strategies but requires significant budget ($30-50K) to test effectively.

Retargeting boosts app engagement by 152% and revenue events by 37% over 30 days compared to new user acquisition. Despite iOS ATT challenges, Android (70% of handsets) remains effective. Key partner selection criteria: pay-per-outcome, efficiency plus scale, flexible service levels, and creative freedom. A test budget can reveal significant conversion lifts.

Hybrid monetization combining IAA and IAP maximizes revenue but faces a revenue measurement misalignment: IAA is reported net while IAP is gross, leading to flawed ROAS, UA budgets, and strategy. Standardizing net revenue across streams prevents overestimated profitability, improves bidding and financial forecasting, and ensures fair evaluation of ad vs. purchase revenue. Actionable steps include unified net revenue tracking, cross-team alignment, and stakeholder education.

Meta updates verification for Singapore advertisers by early-April, requiring beneficiary and payer details. Advertisers must verify by end-June 2025. Transparency info will appear on ad infosheets and Ad Library.