Entering 2024, the increasingly competitive world of mobile app marketing requires effective advertising games campaigns.
In this context, advertising games stands out as a strategic revenue approach. Developers cleverly monetize their mobile games by selling ad space, seamlessly integrating promotional content without disrupting the immersive player experience.
Advertising games is one of the most implemented monetization strategies, being profitable and advantageous both for those selling ad space within their own mobile game, and for those that, on the contrary, buy ad space to promote their game. Indeed, nowadays mobile developers have the possibility of advertising games, optimizing them towards metrics such as ROI.
This innovative strategy has become a cornerstone for app developers, allowing them to offer free gaming experiences while creating the content users love.
Embracing a spectrum of formats such as playable ads, video ads, interstitial ads, and banner ads, each advertising games’ facet plays a crucial role in captivating audiences and driving engagement.
As we delve into the world of mobile games advertising, exploring the value of these creatives and the main ad formats becomes essential for navigating the highly competitive mobile app marketing arena.
- Advertising Games
- Playable Ads & My Perfect Hotel
- Video Ads & Royal Match
- Banner Ads & Angry Birds 2
- Interstitial Ads & Gaminator
Advertisers have been seeking new and innovative ways to reach their target audiences without disrupting the user experience, and in-game advertising is proving to be a successful channel.
Blending and integrating ad content into the games allows for a non-interruptive and seamless gaming experience which can leave users with a positive and long-lasting impression of the game.
The effectiveness of advertising games is evident in its ability to deliver substantial results. Recent studies indicate that it can yield a remarkable 12% uplift in purchase intent, making it a compelling choice for advertisers seeking impactful campaigns.
With the global in-game advertising industry projected to reach $13,990 million in revenue by 2028, the popularity of in-game advertising is set to rise even further.
Therefore, it’s important to optimize your ads for the gaming environment in order to maximize exposure and capture the attention of users. Creatives should be tailored to an in-game environment, so that the messaging fits within an in-game context.
Playable ads are a type of advertising games that offer users the opportunity to experience a sample of the app before installing it, providing a preview of the app's features before granting access to the complete immersive experience.
They are dynamic, innovative, and interactive ad creatives, among the most successfully implemented for advertising games as they prove to be particularly efficient.
The implementation of playable ads for advertising games not only offers potential users a transparent preview of what to expect, but also diminishes the likelihood of churn and uninstall rates among those who choose to install the app, and they drive extremely high engagement from users.
This strategy for advertising games that includes to showcase gameplay highlights before the download commitment further enhances user retention through playable ads. Attracting users with a higher probability of long-term retention ultimately boosts the LTV of your audience, ensuring a more favorable ROI.
An example among many truly successful advertising games is given by the playable ad implemented by SayGames to advertise one of their most popular mobile games - My Perfect Hotel.
My Perfect Hotel belongs to the simulation and arcade idle categories. The concept driving the game is straightforward: players assume the role of a hotel manager and handle all aspects of its operations, including cleaning, front-office tasks, and business responsibilities. The simplicity of the mechanics undoubtedly contributes to the game's current success.
It is clear, therefore, how My Perfect Hotel represents one of the most successful examples of advertising games.
Video ads are another type of ad format widely used by developers for advertising games, bringing the gaming experience to users' screens, aiming to engage users and encourage them to become active participants and download the full game.
For advertising games, developers usually show users highly-engaging videos, with action-packed sequences, spectacular visual effects, and other unique features in order to capture the attention of potential players.
They are one of the most implemented ad formats in advertising games that publishers use to promote their games and increase revenues. Indeed, studies indicate that mobile video ads boast a click-through rate twice as high and are three times more effective compared to conventional banners and interstitial ads.
The objective of video ads lies in optimizing installations. When user acquisition occurs at a reasonable cost per install (CPI), it signifies the efficiency and effectiveness of your advertising games strategy.
Compared to banners, video ads are more expensive in terms of buying ad placement, but at the same time they are more profitable, as they tend to bring higher quality users.
Dream Games, for example, for their advertising games strategy has used video ads, particularly implemented to promote one of their most successful mobile games: Royal Match.
Royal Match is a match-3 puzzle game with increasing difficulty as players progress, where the main objective is to solve challenging levels and receive coins and rewards in order to help King Robert restore his castel’s former glory.
The most common ad formats in app marketing that can be effectively used in advertising games are banner ads. They are rectangular system-initiated ad units that can be static or animated and displayed on the top and bottom of the screen.
While less dynamic and interactive than other ad formats, banners are still highly popular for advertising games, as they are easy to implement, they take less space compared to other creatives, requiring just a small portion of the screen, and also have the great advantage of being very cheap.
In addition, developers can set a refresh schedule for banners, giving them the ability to present a variety of advertisements at specified intervals. Despite being less interactive than other ad formats, banner ads guarantee a subtle but constant presence on users’ screens, proving to be very efficient for advertising games.
An example is provided by Rovio Entertainment Oyj that has decided to use banner ads - among the other creatives - to advertise their game Angry Birds 2.
Angry Birds 2 is a physics-based puzzle mobile game where the main objective is to pop all the pigs in the levels, who are sheltered inside of structures made of glass, wood and stone, alongside other objects. To pop said pigs, the player has to launch a limited group of birds using a slingshot.
Interstitial Ads are another effective creative that can be implemented in advertising games. They are a kind of full-screen ad that pops out during natural break points in the game.
As they require more attention than other types of ads, for advertising games through interstitial ads it’s crucial to have an audience willing to interact with them. Interstitial ads can include different formats, encompassing video, visuals, textual content, and others.
As a consequence for advertising games in this way, users can either take action determined by the ad (visit a page, install an app, etc.) or close the ad after a set time and return to the app. Typically, static interstitials allow for immediate closure, whereas dynamic variants introduce a minimum 5-second delay before closure.
Interstitial ads contribute to building brand awareness, attracting potential players, and encouraging downloads. They are a visually impactful element within the world of mobile games ads and advertising games.
An example of banner ad is shown in the picture below, wIth Funstage GmbH advertising their mobile game Gaminator.
Gaminator is a free-to-play casino game with quality slot machines and other casino games: from modern online slots with mini-games, bonus, and gamble features, to classic, old school slots. On Gaminator users can do it all: relax on their favorite slot machine, compete at the card tables or practice their strategies and train their knowledge against the game’s simulation AIs.
Final Thoughts
In summary, advertising games have become a crucial revenue strategy for game developers, seamlessly integrating ads to enhance user experience.
The smooth incorporation of ads into mobile games has not just enabled developers to provide free gaming experiences but has also become a fundamental element in crafting compelling content that resonates with users.
Embracing diverse ad formats, including playable ads, video ads, banner ads, and interstitial ads, empowers advertisers to capture audiences and foster substantial engagement; but while the ads come in various formats, the goal for each remains the same: draw attention to the ad without interrupting the player’s gaming experience.
In this article we have offered you a comprehensive explanation of the main ad creatives implemented by advertisers, also including practical examples in order to show you the potential great power they can have if implemented properly.
