Jan 9, 2025
There are many types of mobile ad formats, but one leads the pack one it comes to interactivity: The not-so-humble playable ad.
What are playable ads, and why are they so special? Playables are interactive ads that allow users to interact with—or play with—the core functionality of an app or game, like a free demo. Users get to experience an app, product, or game before they commit to downloading or purchasing it. This is a much more entertaining and engaging experience than passively viewing a static or video ad.
Playables have proven to be effective at increasing conversions: A recent study shows that they’re more than 20X more likely to result in conversion than a mobile banner. They’re so successful that their adoption more than doubled between 2023 and 2024, extending beyond gaming apps into verticals including retail and finance. How well do they work? According to a recent study on playables:
- Playable ads are 32% more memorable than video and static ads and hold a user’s attention 47% longer than video ads.
- They convert at three times the rate of traditional video ads and are 46% more effective than other mobile ad formats.
- These ads also offer better measurability along with a more affordable cost per install (CPI).
Playable ads placed in rewarded inventory are even more successful. Rewarded playable ads, as their name suggests, reward users with in-app benefits — like extra lives in games, access to premium content, or other rewards — in exchange for engaging with the ad. Business of Apps wrote, “Rewarded ad inventory creates an enticing user experience — boosting conversions, retention, and LTV in the process. In fact, 50% of users reported they were more satisfied with their app experience because of rewarded inventory.”
Designing high-converting playable ads
It takes a balance of art, science, and creativity to craft an effective playable ad. When designing a playable, it’s important to keep a clear focus and showcase the most compelling feature of your app, product, or game. Even though many games are focused on long-term rewards, their corresponding playable ads need to provide instant gratification in the minimal time the ad allows for gameplay. This rule holds for playable ads promoting other apps or products. Take, for example, an ad for a popular fast fashion marketplace app that leans into gamifying the shopping experience. The ad allows users to create an outfit, highlighting the ease of shopping in-app and the variety of clothing and accessories it offers.
Finding the ‘just-right’ difficulty level is also important. If the playable makes gameplay seem too easy, users won’t be interested enough to download the app. If it’s too difficult, it’s likely to discourage users. The key is to keep the playable experience inviting and rewarding. For example, you can show an animation of a hand dragging a tile in a match-three game that results in a colorful starburst, as in the ad below.
In-game advertising reaches a huge and engaged global audience
Playable ads are ideal for in-app advertising, and they’re particularly effective within gaming apps. With a broader population — including seniors — multiple times per week, advertisers can reach and engage target audiences easily with in-game ads. And that audience is enormous and growing: 87.89 billion games were downloaded in 2023, according to the State of Mobile Gaming 2024. There were nearly 3 billion mobile gamers globally in 2024, and while the majority are younger adults, a growing percentage are GenX and Boomers. By placing an interactive ad within a game, advertisers can reach a huge audience of users who are ready and willing to engage.
Although playable ads are tailored toward mobile games, the format is growing in popularity for both non-gaming apps and even retail products. The challenge for advertisers is to “gamify” a product or app that doesn’t have intrinsic gaming elements. There are hundreds of ways to make this work, with mechanics as simple as the outfit-building idea featured above, or creating a trivia or survey-style ad to entice engagement.
Playables are just one of many mobile ad formats that can drive engagement and conversion effectively for businesses beyond gaming. Along with other mobile formats, including video and interstitial, they can work well in a variety of placements. Why not consider testing one for your next campaign?
