Let’s face it: if you’re a mobile publisher, there is a good chance that you rely on ads to monetise your apps.
Sure, in-app purchases, subscriptions, and paid installs are coveted, but they are typically only part of your total overall revenue.
According to a recent survey of our top 100 publishers, advertising drives 56% to 68% of all revenue for mobile games and other app categories, respectively.
So you have ads, but are they the right ads for your app? Does the format or placement make sense? Simply put, do they fit? And what impact does this have on your ability to make money?
To maximise revenue potential, publishers must consider how ads can best fit into their app, from orientation and format to enhancing the core loop of the game through integration choices.
Ad fit
At a basic level, the format of ads need to match the orientation of the app that they are in, and 70% of the top mobile publishers would tell you this is a top concern. For one third of publishers, that means vertical ads are a must.
Why does it matter? In addition to offering a better user experience, advertisers are clamouring over the proven performance of edge-to-edge vertical video ads, which is already translating into better revenue for publishers.
Of course, ad fit isn’t just about orientation, and video isn’t always the appropriate fit within the flow of an app, which brings us to the second pillar of monetising with ads that fit: flow.
Ad flow
Whenever there’s an opportunity to monetise within an app, an important consideration is how the format of the ad will affect the user flow.
Do robust content blocks or rewards substantiate a 15 to 30 second intermission, or does the rapid-fire nature of the app call for something shorter?
In some instances, an interstitial display ad may be the perfect solution to monetise without disrupting user flow.
Historically, options for monetising these moments have been limited – often to laggy or ill-fitting experiences for which users have no patience and advertisers have meager eCPMs. But publishers deserve better, advertisers deserve better, and most importantly, users deserve better.
In order for interstitial ad monetisation to work and contribute positively to both the user experience and the publisher’s monetisation efforts, it needs to be elevated.
This is why we decided to go beyond video in our 3.1 SDK and introduce support for Aurora™ HD Cards, a high quality & interactive unit designed to deliver the best user experience possible. It’s display, elevated.
Ad function
Finally, we cannot discuss ad monetisation fit without covering a critical aspect of the user experience: how the integration type functions to create a meaningful and positive value exchange.
Done well, ads can enhance the core loop of a game to drive improved engagement and retention. As users are enticed to view an ad to gain a reward or unlock other premium content, so their engagement deepens, retention strengthens, and lifetime value increases.
After all, users like to be rewarded for their time and effort, and 87% of our top publishers reported that rewarded placements provide a positive experience for their users.
Of course, offering in-game items isn’t the only way to reward users. When the ad functions as a commercial break, the reward becomes access to additional content. In these instances, our surveyed publishers noted a preference for the user experience provided by interstitial display (32%), playable (24%), and interstitial video (21%) ads.
That’s why version 3.1 of our SDK also supports Aurora™ HD video, a new generation of interactive video that functions well and provides a positive user experience in both interstitial and rewarded ad zones.
The TL;DR
To make the most out of an app’s monetisation potential, ads need to fit, flow, and function. To do that, SDKs must offer flexibility without sacrificing quality or performance.
That’s why the AdColony 3.1 SDK supports three new ad formats: Instant-Play™ Vertical Video, Aurora™ HD Video, and Aurora™ HD Cards. Learn more about the SDK here.
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by Guest Author
source: POCKETGAMER
