With the huge number of mobile applications that appear every day, not to mention the other apps which are already on the market, more than 4.5 million, it is just so difficult to convince people to download your app. There is literally an app for everything. What can marketers and developers do in this situation? They have to come up with new ways to attract users to download the app. In this case a great opportunity is offered by Playable Ads.
What Are Playable Ads?
Playable Ads offer a trial of the app where possible users can interact with it and decide if they like it or not. Users are allowed to familiarize themselves with the way the app works and to determine if they enjoy the UI. Playable Ads drive awareness and increase the chances of convincing users about the quality of the app.
What Should Advertisers And Publishers Know About Playable Ads?
Playable Ads are used mainly for games since it is easier to engage users in a short period of time. There are many attributes of Playable Ads that offer reasons for publishers and advertisers to opt for this kind of ads to increase the number of downloads.
– Non-intrusive. Users can choose if they want to open the ad or not. For this advantage, these ads are better seen by users than banner ads.
– Relevant. Marketers have an improved control on measurements, understanding and tracking users’ behavior.
– Attractive. Colors and play button invite users in the middle of the action.
– Interactive. Users have a taste of the adventure so they will be engaged more.
– Realistic. It offers a rich experience helping people to see the quality of the application. Nobody refuses a pleasant break to entertain with a little game or useful app. After they enjoy playing it they become high quality users.
– Awareness. Because they already interacted with the app, users know exactly what they will download. In the same time it reduces the number of uninstalls.
How Do They Work?
Playable Ad is a preview of the real app without downloading it. It is like a demo that can be played to help potential users to establish if they want to use it further. If user chooses to play the ad then he understands how it works and after 30 or 60 seconds he will be asked if he wants to download it. Promoters use virtualization techniques to stream portions of an app through the cloud. Other ways for providing this service are HTML5 and JavaScript. It depends on the platform chosen for this marketing strategy.
How Can They Be Used For Increasing App Downloads?
Because of their nature, Playable Ads remove some big disadvantages of other ads. They eliminate the possibility of disappointing the user who has other vision about the app if he guides himself by app descriptions or by simple images. By testing it, he gets the opportunity to make his own opinion about the app even without reading the reviews. Moreover, the call to action in the right moment of engagement increases the chances that user won’t change his mind regarding his decision to install the app. Now, think about a jacket you want to buy. If you see it only in a magazine or on a website, you can be on the fence. Maybe it isn’t the right color for you or it doesn’t fit your needs. You don’t know if you should buy it or not. But, when you are in a store trying that jacket and you discover how you enjoy wearing it, the next step is to take it home. The same thing happens with Playable Ads. It is not enough to see an ad to be convinced if that is the app you need, but when you try it you will see how much you like it and in the next second you will have it on your device pleased by your new acquisition.
Successful Examples
A success story of using this type of ads is presented by Miniclip, a top provider of mobile games who doubled its CPMs through Playable Ads for one of their mobile app, Agar.io.
A better form of Playable Ads is Rewarded Playable Ads which offers bonuses like coins or lives for players. Party in My Dorm, a game from A Thinking Ape, was the first that promised users incentives if they keep playing games. That is a good option to convince users to download the apps.
Another example of brand that saw huge improvements after using Playable Ads is PuzzleSocial, with its Daily Celebrity Crossword, which cumulated a user acquisition rate with 20% higher after the campaign.
Final Thoughts
Mobile ads evolved until they became ingenious methods for encouraging users to interact with the app before they download it. This strategy that allows users to test before choosing is a great solution to convince them about the value of the app. This way your app gains visibility and you increase the app downloads with high quality users.
