Comment & Opinion

Next generation playable ads

ZPLAY on why playable ads will become more widespread in 2018

Next generation playable ads

In present times, the marketing domain is expanding and becoming more innovative.

Ads are improving and advertisers are constantly in search of new creative solutions to attract more users. In the realm of mobile games, rewarded video ads have become the standard form of advertisement as it is an easy way to send a clear message, while maintaining a positive user experience.

Playable ads are also a great type of advertisement that enables the users to sample play of the game before they download it. It is a great way to determine whether they like the game or not and as a result tends to attract a more engaged level of new users.

These playable ads have been the talk for a few years now, but so far the transition to them has been modest.

AdColony last year reported that playables were the number one format of interest for advertisers, more than twice that of video. Unfortunately, the total campaign spend is still in the single-digit percentages relative to other options.

Here are some reasons why marketers are perhaps not yet embracing playable ads as a core strategy.

Superiority is not enough

To improve the conversion rates over video and attract new, high quality users you should probably consider playable ads. They are easy to use and when done right they can outperform all other ad formats.

To improve the conversion rates over video and attract new, high quality users you should probably consider playable ads.

Advertisers can enjoy as much as two to five times or more conversions, and gain new, well engaged users, while publishers benefit from the considerably higher eCPMs that such a capable ad can pay.

However, accessibility, convenience and scalability are the factors that have perhaps slowed advertiser migration from video. Playable ads require more effort and cost, and presently do not have the depth of market reach/scale of video.

Not keeping up with demand

The interest in playable ads has clearly arrived, but their availability is still limited to some degree. While streaming is one option, it relies on internet bandwidth and is therefore not a global solution at scale.

The more popular choice seems to be to make a playable ad in HTML5. That format is compact and runs well in many places, but it is somewhat costly and time consuming to make.

H5 ad builders also generally target to only replicate the game look and feel, often with varying degrees of success, and is especially difficult with 3D and action games. Even when built, deployment of such ads is dependent on the consistency of inventory (MRAID); hence they are not a great global solution once past tier one ad markets.

We believe that the next generation of the playable ads will overcome these limitations.

New formats available

ZPLAY and others are seeking improved technologies and formats for playables that address the challenges noted. We can generate and promote H5 ads, but are focused on new and more agile formats, and ones that can even provide an improved user experience.

Playable ads are here to stay and are proving their worth more and more every month.

With these goals in mind, ZPLAY already develops and runs ads that can be made in a few days, that use the original game UI, that cost a small fraction of H5 ads and that can service 3D and action games far better than H5. Our ads will also work in more parts of the world than the others.

Moreover, you can develop multiple playable ads for each campaign, as they are economical to produce. This enables split testing, a feature crucial for boosting ad performance to the highest levels possible.

Our tech will automatically test and promote the best ad versions to yield the most positive results for your game. Your ads will also not require MRAID inventory, making them available globally, and specifically including China.

Through our playable ad platform, ZPLAY Ads, you can find new and more engaged users cost effectively and scale around the world as well.

Playable ads are here to stay and are proving their worth more and more every month. Companies like ZPLAY are continually exploring what more can be done to make this interactive format even better, more convenient and more scalable globally.

While interest in playables may have really arrived last year, 2018 may be the year they really find a home in advertiser core budgets. If you haven’t considered them seriously, maybe this is the year that you should too.

ZPLAY will be at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2018 on January 22nd and 23rd. Its speakers include vice president Joyce Xu and ad platform and international business VP Randy Barenscott.


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