Mobile growth acceleration platform Liftoff published its latest Mobile Ad Creative Index recently, in which it revealed its findings about the effectiveness of ads on various mobile platforms — games included. According to Liftoff’s report, playable ads are some of the biggest draws on games-based apps, and are twenty times more likely to result in an install than standard banner ads. The report also says longer video ads with better user experiences are more likely to bring in a return on investment.
As part of its data collection, Liftoff analyzed over 600 billion ad impressions and 144 million installs. In addition to types of ads, the report also looked at types of marketing, including user-generated content (UGC) and influencer marketing. They also discovered that longer ads, or ads with multiple layers — such as a playable element, a video and a call-to-action at the end — saw a 355% increase in spend year-over-year.
For games specifically, the report shows that user acquisition trends tend to follow those of the games themselves. The report shows that minigame-based playable ads are one of the most effective tools, though native and banner ads still generate the highest return-on-investment over time. Liftoff recommends adding a leaderboard to playable ads to draw a more competitive audience.
One major shake-up, according to the report, is generative AI. AI-based tools can help make ad creation more efficient, making studios able to generate images and new copy at scale while speeding up localization and adding an appealing voiceover. Aidan Quest, senior director of genAI at Liftoff, said in a statement, “When it comes to creative, the name of the game is efficiency. Leverage Gen AI for faster, more scalable creative ideation and production. On the commercial side, AI automation can help you get sales and operations teams the information they need at unprecedented speeds.”
