Playable Ads are gaining popularity in the mobile gaming industry and captivating consumers. Consumers are given the opportunity to try a game before having to download an app, and this ad type can boost ROI, drive conversion and higher retention.
Playable Ads are not just for mobile games anymore! With the introduction of new tools and the adoption of playable ads by many ad exchanges and social platforms, brands can now easily create and deliver playable ads to hundreds of millions of consumers, especially on mobile. Brands of all kinds are starting to take advantage of this highly interactive, engaging and consumer-first format from direct-to-consumer or legacy, entertainment or insurance company, consumer packaged good or charity.
Playable ads are the most interactive ad units we have ever tested
Advertisers worldwide focus their KPIs on acquiring high-quality users, as opposed to prioritizing scale. With interactive ad units like playable ads available, advertisers are better equipped to acquire high LTV users today than ever before.
What are Playable Ads?
Payable’s are in-app advertising units that also function as interactive minigames. Instead of presenting users with a static image or passive video, playable ads take advantage of touchscreens and other mobile device capabilities to highlight a gameplay element or aspect of interactivity.
They work as a “try before you buy” type ad unit, letting users interact with an app’s main features before installing it. They do a great job of providing an enjoyable ad experience that not only shows the user what the advertised app is really like, but also pulls them in for more and gets them fully engaged. The users who install the app after a few seconds of gameplay, become more likely to open the app later and continue engaging with it over time, creating a higher lifetime value (LTV) players.
Playable Ads can take any form but are typically used to highlight a single gameplay mechanic from the apps they advertise. Examples include a single basic challenge from a larger puzzle game or a single scene from an interactive storytelling game.
This isn’t just good for the user — it’s also good for the marketer. Since players test-drive the app before downloading it, playable ad campaigns filter out non-committed users. This drives higher intent app installs, higher quality users and higher return on ad spend (ROAS).
Mobile marketers commonly use playable ads to drive app installs. But the ad format can be used for driving sign-ups, website visits, app reengagement and retention amongst existing users, as well as brand building.
Sophisticated playable ad creators can provide advertisers with a large amount of in-ad data, giving them real-time insight into the type of users who engage with their ads.
In contrast to other ad formats that don’t tell us why a user likes the ad or why the user installed the app, playable ads give developers more transparency.
Why?
Because there are more moving parts in a playable ad — meaning there are more variables to manipulate and optimize for.