Mobile Madness

The other day I was asked a pretty important question: "What makes a good advertisement?"

Simple question right?  Well, not really.  Especially when we're talking about mobile game advertisements. There's no such thing as a formulaic approach when it comes to advertising.  

Sure you've got a checklist of points you want to hit: "Does the ad cater to the target demographic?", "Is the message clear and concise?", "Does it actually advertise the product/ service?", "Is the app it's being advertised on make sense?" all that jazz.
If you’re ready for some mobile madness and some good app monetization strategies, strap yourself in and keep reading.

With this in mind, I guess the most important thing to be aware of is current trends and how they apply to your target audience/ demographic/ customer base/ zombie swarm.  The big one to watch out for is obviously internet and technological trends as they have the most impact when it comes to advertising and even every day life these days.  Namely: smartphone’s and tablets.

Mobile game advertisements are a growing trend as smartphone and tablet use grow. To put it in perspective, the MSM Designz Blog really drives home that you're going to want to keep an eye on social media advertising/ marketing as well as mobile platforms, especially when everyone and their second cousin has a Droid or iPhone by now.

Pictured: Everyone you know
image from arstechnica

This is especially critical when you stop and consider how often you and other people use their smartphone’s to burn time at a red light or other ‘breather’ moments in life.

The most common way we see mobile advertisements is on free apps, specifically games.  Just about everyone I know with a smartphone (which IS everyone I know) whips out their phone to play a rousing game of Angry Birds, or Jewels or whatever.  Low and behold, you'd barely notice it sometimes, but there are in fact advertisements on those games.

You know, those annoying little banner ads that always seem to appear at the worst possible times when you're playing?  Even advertisements for the merchandise for the game you're playing are found to be aggravating.

Well THERE'S a problem. How do you tap into and advertise on the mobile market without causing a ruckus?  Simple; you give free in-game rewards to players who answer an ads call to action.  "LUDICROUS" and "POPPYCOCK" are all things I'm going to imagine you shouting at this remark as you spill your tea and pop your molecules.

Think of it like this: The advertiser wants their product to be purchased, used, talked about; whatever.  The game developer wants cash from you to keep the game free so more people will play; more people, more exposure (for you).  AND the gamer wants free 'swag' for the game in order to have more fun and just might end up buying into or using the advertised product.  Everyone wins. There’s that app monetization strategy I was talking about earlier for ya.

Except the minotaur
image from androidfreeware

There's even a game out there already implementing a system like this known as Eternity Warriors.  It's a free game (and a darn good one) that features advertisements in the game.

These advertisements are usually for other free mobile games and when a user clicks the ad, follows the instructions, and downloads the game, they are awarded 'gems'.  These are used as a form of alternate currency in the Eternity Warriors game to buy items the player wouldn't have had access to normally, which can give them much more powerful gear quicker than they would have been able to by simply leveling up and earning gold in the game. This ‘me first’ attitude resonates even further when you realize the game is compatible with Facebook as friends race to grab the best gear and net the highest score.

 (It's important to note that gems can only ever be purchased with micro transactions using real money, or by following their advertisements and some of the best weaponry and armor in the game can only be purchased using gems)

So I hear yourselves asking now: "Ok, so the gamer gets free stuff, and developer gets funding from people buying ad space, and we (the ad folks) got money from our clients for the ad, but what about our clients?"

Well that's where things get tricky.  Statistics show that money spent on mobile game advertisements is on the rise, but actual conversion rates for mobile game advertising reveals a sour truth:  It's just not that good.  At least for now.

That same survey reveals however that advertising in other free smartphone apps, specifically utility apps, has a much higher turn over rate.  Mobile game advertisements aren’t a lost cause though; it's just that advertising with a mobile game might not the best way to go about it right now so for an app monetization strategy, there are better options.

For what it's worth, I do believe that the current model that Eternity Warriors has set up is certainly a step in the right direction.


If you enjoyed that read, check out these other posts:
A Brief Breakdown on QR Codes
Tips and Tricks of Social Media Marketing

Posted in: advertising, mobile, smart phone