Playable Ads: How it is a Game Changer for Android Apps?

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For some time now video ads are becoming increasingly popular as a marketing tool as they can quickly convey the message. But the only deterrent for the video ads in spite of being highly engaging is that it offers a rather passive experience to the users. There is also a complaint that video ads within app offer a larger than reality picture of the app leading to frustration after the installation.

While mobile advertisers were seeking a conclusive way to address this concern, playable ads came as a godsend solution from Google and an Android app development company can chuckle seeing this as an opportunity. Playable ads allow the users are interacting with the app before downloading and installing it. With Playable ads it is no longer the passive viewing dictates the impression but it is the user experience ensued from an interaction that offers a better idea about the app in question.

How Playable Ads Work?

Ads for a majority of users are always frustrating, and advertisers know about it. To circumvent this frustration and annoyance ads need to embrace creative and inventive elements. While in-app ads cannot be avoided as a great monetisation tool, one always needs to be always circumspect about the toll it takes on the user experience. This is where playable ads play a significant role in bringing the making the advertisement work sans annoyance for the users.

How playable ads work? Well, basically it offers a free trial of the app before the user installs it. Just when the user while using an app reaches the pick point of engagement, an ad pop-up can appear, and within seconds it can allow the user is getting a first-hand feel of using this new app in an interactive manner. Many mobile game apps successfully used this type of ad to boost download numbers for other apps, but just do not have an impression that playable ads are only fit for mobile games. From social, e-commerce, travel to entertainment, all sorts of apps can benefit from them.

Types of Playable Ads

As of now, a vast majority of playable ads are used basically in two distinct formats as explained below:

Branded Mini-Games: Hugely popular in mobile gaming ads, mini games are embedded mini versions of another game app that can offer a first-hand feel of the app in question and motivate the player to download it.

PlayAndy: With this ad, only a part of the app is displayed streaming as an advertisement inside another app. This is a scalable solution as one can offer a smaller or bigger portion of the advertised app for streaming.

What promise do Playable Ads have?

As of now, we have discussed how playable ads differ from other in-app ad formats and how it can add value to the mobile marketing without undermining the user experience. Let us explain some of the main advantages of playable ads.

Boosting conversion

Unlike other types of ads that mostly allow passive watching, playable ads allow experiencing the exact look and feel of the app. This undoubtedly raises conversion in terms of new user acquisition.

User experience not compromised

Instead of intruding within a gameplay or use of an app, Playable Ads just allow users engage with the ad actively having always the option to skip. Thus unlike regular ads with the playable user experience are never compromised.

Better lifetime value

Only when the users are convinced of the app through interaction with the playable they can decide to download it. Naturally, this leads to better retention and consequently higher lifetime value. (Lifetime value) of the users of the app.

Higher engagement

Since users deciding to download an app by using playable ads are convinced of the app’s usability, they remain more engaged than the apps they download without a clear idea of them before downloading.

Higher brand awareness

Obviously, the playable ads by their interactive elements make a better impression on the users which consequently ensures higher brand awareness.

Marketers can track results better

Mobile marketers who are always on the lookout to track results of their ads can find playable ads helpful. In real time it shows how users are interacting with the ad and what precise moment they decided to click the download link or leave the ad without clicking on anything.

It's not just about gaming

Marketers, who always regarded playable ads as a monetisation phenomenon for gaming apps in particular time and again, were proved wrong. There are several awesome apps from various other niches that utilised playable ads to their benefits. So, this ad format is not just about mobile games. To tell it more accurately, thanks to playable ads non-gaming apps can incorporate gaming attributes in their ads and drive more interaction, acquisition and engagement. Non-gaming apps can gamify their ad content to grab attention and drive engagement more quickly.

For instance, a choice quiz to interact within a travel app ad or an interactive shopping experience within a web store app or a puzzle with dish names within a food delivery app, all these can be helpful examples of playable ads in non-gaming apps. From the marketer's perspective, playable ads also furnish useful insights about the users and their activities while responding to an ad. Furthermore, by unleashing playable ads on the spur of certain events, can help marketers to create buzz and boost more engagement for the event.

To conclude, we must consider Playable ads as an opportunity for marketers to address the problems of garnering more views, more downloads and monetising the apps more rigorously. While the competition in app marketplace is continuing to be stifling and choking at times, with playable ads marketers can increase the conversion rate to a whole new level. If in-app ads are a monetisation tool no mobile marketers can underplay, playable ads are the next looming horizon for them.