What's next for rewarded video ads?
The format has swept all other forms of indirect monetisation before it over the past 12 months, but as we all know, where there's an edge, someone's always trying to lead (or bleed) it better.
And that's what streaming app ad tech outfit mNectar is hoping to do.
It's hooked up with Vancouver developer A Thinking Ape (it's hiring - find out more here), to launch its rewarded playable adverts.
Instead of watching an ad and getting in-game rewards, the technology asks players to play a game advert and then get rewarded.
"Rewarded playable ads represent a quantum leap above rewarded video ads in that they keep gamers playing, whether it's their current game or a new one they discover," said mNectar's CEO Wally Nguyen.
More win-win
The thinking behind the technology is that getting people to play a game makes them more engaged and hence more likely to download the advertised game.
This also makes the ads more valuable so A Thinking Ape should generate more cash than if it was running standard video ads in its games.
Rewarded playable ads represent a quantum leap above rewarded video ads.Wally Nguyen
Of course, the converse is that players might be more likely to churn out of A Thinking Ape's games and focus their attention on the new games. Presumably that's a risk the developer is happy to taken given the potential to generate more revenue.
"From day one, A Thinking Ape has created social mobile games that build a loyal fanbase around them. Our users love mNectar's rewarded playables because they are fun, easy to use, and highly interactive, and it shows in that rewarded playables have significantly higher eCPMs, generating up to four times more revenue than video ads," commented the developer's product lead Tayber Voyer.
You can find out more information at the mNectar website.
