It’s no secret that mobile users have become more perceptive and more willing to scrutinize the types of in-app advertising experiences they’re exposed to. Across 2023 and Q1 of 2024, studies have shown a growing shift in consumer behavior, primarily their reduced tolerance for disruptive interstitial ads.
In fact, the folks at Google also recently updated their policy around in-app advertising, placing stricter limitations on how and when full-screen interstitial ads (video, images, or GIFs) can be delivered to users. So it’s safe to say that disruptive ads are being politely shown the door, with more emphasis being placed on creating better user experiences.
At Audiomob, we’re committed to using digital audio to create more effective, safer, and non-intrusive ways of advertising across mobile apps. Just like with other types of ads, audio ads come in different flavors, so we’ve put together this article to provide more insight into one of our most versatile ad formats, Rewarded ads.
What is a Rewarded Ad?
In short, Rewarded ads are all about giving back. They’re in-app incentives that users earn by listening to or watching an ad in its entirety. Rewarded ads are also ‘opt-in’ by default, meaning that users can choose to watch an ad to receive a reward.
Our rewarded ad format has the added benefit of being audio-only; our users can hear ads and earn in-app rewards without any pauses to their app experience. Rewarded ads are the perfect win-win format where users are rewarded for their time, incentivizing them to play for longer and invest in the experiences they enjoy.
Why use Rewarded Ads over other formats?
Rewarded ads give developers a more versatile ad solution for engaging with users, one that can be ingrained deeper into the fabric of the app itself. For example, a developer can design ads in such a way that they meld seamlessly into the app experience. For example, ads that appear as optional power-ups that users can trigger for an extra in-game boost.
Rewarded ads have surged in popularity among users, with research showing that 76% of mobile game players in the US prefer rewarded ads over interstitial ones. In an interview with Forbes, Mark Avidan, Media Developer Lead at Playtika, emphasized the direct positive impact using rewarded ads has had on their games.
“Our metrics reveal that some of our most engaged users are those who enter our games through rewarded ads,” he stated. “Integrating ads within the game enhances the user experience, leading to increased engagement.”
Rewarded ads work with all apps & games
At Audiomob, our Developer Relations team provides comprehensive support for integrating our audio ad formats, including rewarded ads. This includes helping developers determine the optimal moments to trigger ads in their apps and games, as well as designing an optional on-screen banner for their ads.
Rewarded audio ads are perfect for creating truly immersive user experiences that fit organically into the in-game environment in ways that interstitial ads simply cannot. Integrating Rewarded ads fully into your gaming library takes on average six weeks.
Rewarded ads in action: Avakin Life
In 2023, we integrated our audio ad format into Lockwood Publishing’s popular mobile metaverse platform, Avakin Life. We assisted Lockwood in designing their rewarded ad banners and locating the most effective way to trigger rewarded ads for users.
Prior to integrating Rewarded ads, our research uncovered that Avakin’s player base already expressed a strong interest in incorporating rewarded ads into the game, further demonstrating the popularity and acceptance of the format among mobile gamers.
Given Avakin Life’s nature as a metaverse app, we opted to set rewarded ads to trigger at natural moments in the user’s journey. For example, users could listen to an ad and earn gems (the in-game currency) by engaging with in-game objects such as radios.
Once our ad integration went live, we saw a 5% increase in conversion and spend with significant overall revenue uplift of 10% for Lockwood. Data from the campaign also showed that users were more willing to listen to an entire ad in the rewarded format, with listen-through rates reaching 99.31%.
If you would like to learn more about how rewarded ads can support apps and enhance user experiences, check out our ad formats page or book a demo with us today!
