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Tapjoy launches in-app incentivised video ads service

Filling the incentivised download gap on iOS

Tapjoy launches in-app incentivised video ads service
The addition of video ads to Tapjoy's SDK is not only a sign of the continued march of technology, but also a dedicated effort to expand mobile advertising's remit. 

As Tapjoy reports, the nature of on-demand television means audiences can choose to avoid ads at will, while hundreds of channels have also led to audience fragmentation in the living room.

Tapjoy Videos, as named, will look to tempt those brand currently spending their budgets on TV to the somewhat smaller screen, deploying video ads within apps and games that can be fully tracked and traced.

Video killed the TV star

"Video ads are expected to be one of the fastest growing segments of the mobile advertising industry, which according to Gartner is predicted to balloon to more than $20 billion by 2015," said president and CEO Mihir Shah.

"Clearly, advertisers are bullish on mobile video ads, and we help them reach more than 50 million people per day in a way that allows them to engage with their audiences in much deeper and more meaningful ways than TV ads ever could."

Video, of course, already has a place in many mobile ad networks, but Tapjoy's model keeps the user within the app in question, monitoring whether the entire ad is viewed, or if it's closed down half way.

As a result, Tapjoy has been able to adopt a pricing strategy that relates charges to engagement, and the company has also unveiled an incentivisation scheme that will allow companies to sponsor content within titles.

Watch to win

In return for watching specific video ads, users will unlock additional content, such as exclusive items or virtual currency.

It's exactly the brand of incentivised model rival Flurry spoke of back in June, and is being used by most ad networks to replace the incentivised download model popularised by Tapjoy that Apple banned on iOS in April.

"This sponsorship establishes a unique value exchange in which the user gets a premium application content experience for viewing a video ad in its entirety and the advertiser receives the user's attention for the duration of its message," Shah adds.

"With Tapjoy Videos, consumers choose which ad they want to watch, and this self-selection process helps ensure the viewer is more interested and engaged in the video than when viewing an automatically generated pre-roll ad or similarly disruptive video ad."

Developers looking to integrate Tapjoy Videos in their apps can download the latest SDK from the firm's website.

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.