As per Statista, there are almost 4.66 billion registered mobile internet users in 2021. That means that over 78 percent of all users go online every day, either through web browsers or in-app. Thus, unavoidably encouraging ad growth and awesome ways to generate revenue for app publishers.
Mobile ad types and formats are classified as mobile web advertising or in-app advertising based on where users engage with ads.
The primary distinction states:
- Mobile Web Advertisements are presented on mobile apps of websites and services.
- While In-App Ads are displayed within various mobile applications.
Both strategies offer immense revenue sources for publishers. Here’s a quick rundown of the ways publishers can structure their ad units.
Here is the Ultimate Guide to Mobile Ad Formats and Types
Mobile Web Advertising
As per eMarketer, users invest 13 minutes each day on mobile sites thus far. That figure is expected to fall to 12 minutes per day by 2022. Despite the fact that users are spending lesser time on mobile sites, ads on such platforms continue to offer perks to both advertisers and publishers.
Mobile web ads are ideal for cross-platform ads because they allow you to target a market across many platforms with just one ad copy. Mobile web advertisements are also a low-cost option.
In-App Advertising
The duration of time people spend with mobile apps is the most substantial benefit that in-app adverts provide to advertisers and app developers.
In-app adverts, on the other hand, improve the user experience. Even though ‘nobody likes marketing‘, certain advertising appears to be more acceptable and even appealing than others. With all that in view, app publishers can concentrate on in-app ads to develop more engaging ad experiences.
In-app advertising that is less obtrusive, highly dynamic and interesting, and better handled and monitored continues to pique the interest of marketers and companies.
Advertisers’ interest and readiness to invest in in-app ads are expanding in tandem with the swelling army of app users, which is yet another perk for app publishers.
Advertising In Video Games
Because gaming applications are among the most popular in terms of user engagement and average session duration, these formats should be discussed separately from generic in-app adverts.
In-Game Ads
Mobile advertising formats can take several forms, including rewarded videos, offer walls, and interstitial advertisements.
Rewarded video ads intend to award a user with benefits for viewing an ad; an offer wall showcases multiple offers or may have a list of products. Interstitials ads are full-screen ads and it’s benefits will be discussed further down in this article.
These ad formats are excellent for publicizing special discounts, new arrivals, forthcoming events, and other items offering an immense number of clicks and impressions.
In-Game ads are effective across a wide spectrum of industries: Game commercials can be used by brands in sports, cosmetics, e-commerce, drinks, and even property investment. The essential point here is audiences’ relevance, the game’s context, and proper ad placement.
In general, this form of advertising brings out the best of the in-app ecosystem: indulgence, engagement, and a remarkable user experience.
Types of in-game advertisements
1. Rewarded Ads
Rewarded Video is a concentual opted-in video ad that encourages viewers to watch it in exchange for an in-app reward. Typically offered rewards may include enhanced capacity or lives, virtual money, hints, and so on.
2. Playable Ads
This format depicts an engaging style of ad that allows users to check out a preview of an app or game before downloading it.
All communication takes place immediately in the ad unit. The best thing is that customers enjoy these mini-games because they provide a nice mobile phone advertising encounter and complete involvement. Playable adverts typically last 15 seconds to a minute.
There are basic mobile display ads and mobile-rich media ads in terms of interaction and aspects that urge viewers to engage with the material.
Standard Mobile Ad Formats
1. Banner Advertisements
Because of its simplicity and potential for higher eCPMs with careful placement, mobile banner advertising is by far the most popular ad format. Banner ads are often shown as static ad units at the top or bottom of the mobile screen.
Publishers can engage big brands to utilize banner ads for mobile ad campaigns aimed at growing brand awareness as well as mid-size and small businesses to display offers. Banner ads do not distract the user from the content offering an excellent user experience.
Mobile ad banner design necessitates a careful balance between being eye-catching and providing a non-intrusive ad experience. The best mobile banner advertising should emphasize key features or present an offer with a clear and appealing call to action.
2. Native Advertising
Native advertising on mobile comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. Native advertisements, as the name implies, are user-centric and naturally integrate into the environment of the area where they appear. As a result, this format is viewed as relevant beneficial information in the flow, increasing the likelihood of the ad being clicked on.
Native ads mimic the context, hence their sizing may also be inherited. Ads might appear as an icon, feed, or in-stream content to provide a fantastic user experience and look flawless.
- Native Ads in the form of icons that can be readily presented in programs with a multi-tile layout, such as media and entertainment apps.
- In a chat list, feed adverts merge well with user-generated material.
- Rich in-stream advertising matches the app’s content feed — great for social networking app’s mobile ad strategies.
Native advertising can be a mix of pictures, headlines, and descriptions that allows advertisers to simply and effectively communicate their message while also providing more information about the benefits, values, and narrative behind the service or product.
3. Mobile Video Advertising
This format is characterized by pre, mid or post-roll videos that appear in the appropriate position of the video. A typical video ad lasts 15 to 30 seconds when a user taps on the play button. With the increasing popularity of filming vertical video (primarily for social media), video advertisements have evolved to include both horizontal as well as vertical alternatives.
Mobile video advertisements are the most effective approach to connecting with users. This kind of ad works well in native environments and is formatted and styled similarly to other material on social and traditional media.
4. Mobile Rich Media Ads
Mobile rich media ad formats can include videos, GIFs, audio, and other information that allows the user to engage with the ad within the mobile ad units without having to navigate to other pages or sections.
They can feature a variety of animation effects such as expanding, unfolding, parallax, floating, and more – or they might drive user behaviors such as “scratching,” swiping, or shaking the image on the screen to increase conversion.
Because rich media advertisements are designed to attract attention and engage, they may offer an obtrusive hazard. As a result, it is critical to avoid going overboard with creativity.
5. Interstitial advertisements
A mobile interstitial ad is a full-screen advertisement that can be reactive and is presented during transition moments such as when the app is loading or ending, between game levels, while the user pauses, or when the user attempts to switch between sections of the app.
App publishers may use interstitial mobile advertising to fuel beautiful and interactive experiences with high-quality visuals and appealing language. This can lessen the number of interruptions for users. However, in order to minimize the excessive frequency of views, this form of ad must be well handled.
6. App Open Advertisements
This special ad format is designed for app publishers, who wish to monetize their app load screens or experience multiple app opening activities. The best thing about the format is that they can be closed at any point in time. In fact, these ads are exhibited as the users bring the app to the forefront. Covering a small branding space in the app, enables you to know that the users are accessing the app.
The Bottom Line
Choosing the best ad format necessitates making difficult choices about the audiences you want to reach, the channels you want to employ, and the networks you want to explore.
Enlist the assistance of a mobile monitoring partner to gain important insights into what each ad kind has to give and the uplift it may provide. You may then optimize your ads to attract and engage the best customers for your app.
