GreedyGame CEO on the importance of native ads for in-app monetisation

“User experience protection should be the utmost priority for any app publisher/ developer. Too many intrusions and you will begin losing your valuable users that you have spent time with and money to acquire. The best ad formats that can be used for in-app monetisation are native, interstitial, and incentivised ads,” says Arpit Jain, Founder & CEO, GreedyGame. According to him, app monetisation is all about striking the right balance between revenue generation strategies and improving the UX. In an interview with Adgully, he talks about native ads, in-app monetisation, non-intrusive ads, GreedyGame’s plans for 2022, and much more. Excerpts:

How important are native ads for in-app monetisation?

Native ads are quite important when it comes to in-app monetisation. These are highly flexible formats that complement your application design, so they look less like traditional ads which are shown to the user. Instead of that, it looks like an engaging piece of content or a part of the app which doesn’t disrupt the app’s user experience.

Native ads feel organic to the experience and are more likely to get noticed by the users. This increases engagement and maximises the ad revenue for app publishers. Along with monetisation, retaining users is of primary importance for any app publishers/ developers. Obtrusive ad formats that don’t complement the user experience are generally cited as the main reason for the poor retention rate for any app. Since native ads provide a streamlined, non-disruptive experience, users are more likely to engage with the app.

What are GreedyGame’s plans for 2022 in terms of partnerships, foraying into markets, and other plans?

In 2022 or in the coming years, we will be expanding our reach to different countries. Since we are already working with tons of foreign app publishers, we are just looking to go global with all our products and services. We have already started our expansion in the United States where we have started working with a good number of app publishers/ developers.

How to monetise your app effectively without disrupting the user experience?

A better app monetisation strategy is what an app publisher looks for. It not only improves the UX of app users but also provides an effective and long-lasting revenue-generation stream. App monetisation is all about striking the right balance between revenue generation strategies and improving the UX.

If you ask me, I would say that user experience protection should be the utmost priority for any app publisher/ developer. Too many intrusions and you will begin losing your valuable users that you’ve spent time with and money to acquire. The best ad formats that can be used for in-app monetisation are native, interstitial, and incentivised ads. If you want to make ad revenue as well as improve UX, ads must adapt the look and feel of the app, not be forced in at every opportunity.

Which all less intrusive ad formats are present in the market that gaming app developers can make use of?

All the ad formats give optimum results when used in a balanced manner. For example, banners, if placed between sessions of the game, can help app publishers scale their app revenue. Same with interstitial ads; these work best when placed at natural breaks and transitions within the app. It can be placed once a user has completed a level or during loading screens. Above all, rewarded ads are something that game app developers love. It not only increases retention but also gives a good user experience. For example, a user can watch a video or complete a survey to earn in-app rewards such as extra coins or lives.

How app developers are using software for non-intrusive ads?

App publishers, meanwhile, are working hard to maximise their ad revenues. But as they try to "get creative" with monetisation strategies, they have to be careful to balance value for advertisers against user experience, never sacrificing one for the other.

The solution for both parties – as well as end-users – may lie in mobile-native advertising. Non-intrusive native ads yield high engagement and dramatically higher conversion rates than other widely-used formats. Since native ads are in-feed, or at least match the look and feel of the platforms on which they appear, they do not create an unpleasant experience – and they’re frequently overlooked by ad blocking technologies as a result.

This forceful shove away from screen-stealing, intrusive ads will almost certainly drive native’s growth in the years ahead.

Is it important to choose ad formats according to the app? How does it affects the ad revenue?

Every single app is unique, so it is important to have some checks before starting the app monetisation journey. The ad formats should be chosen based on the app category. The ad formats should be tested extensively before implementation. This will give a clear picture as to which ad format will give enough ad revenue: whether it is banner, interstitial, rewarded, or native. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the chosen ad format should complement the user experience of the user and not disrupt it.

Which kind of ads produce more user-friendly content? How they could be brought upfront?

I would say the ad formats and user-friendly content that shows up as an ad are two different things. Companies like Google and Facebook have some strict guidelines and policies that app publishers have to adhere to in order to show ads on their apps. In the case of AdMob (Google’s company), if any app publisher fails to comply with all the guidelines, then Google reserves the right to disable ad serving to the app and/or disable AdMob account at any time.

Having said that, a lot of things take place in the background, be it the ad request, list of criteria on what ads are suitable, the size of the ad slot, the date and time of day, and the geographic location that helps fetch the right ad to the right audience. Everything in milliseconds!

What are the trends in the in-app advertising segment in 2021 and what are your predictions and projections in 2022?

Trends in the in-app advertising 2021:

• According to Statista, mobile ad spending amounted to $190 billion in 2019 — and that figure is expected to increase to more than $280 billion in 2022.
• An eMarketer report focused on in-game advertising shows that rewarded video advertising is the most prevalent format. Report Ocean found the global in-game advertising market was valued at approximately $5.29 billion in 2020 and will grow more than 19.5 % over the forecast period 2021-2027. Moreover, Unity Ads describes them as the “hottest revenue generator” in in-game advertising.
• Native ads for mobile sold programmatically represent 84 percent of all native ad spend, amounting to over $18 billion. Because native ads must match your app’s design and functionality, this can also lead to a more creative approach to advertising.

Predictions and projections in 2022:

The number of mobile users has increased worldwide to 7.1 billion (A Statista research from 2021). In the coming years, this number will increase exponentially. This opens a door for both advertisers and publishers. Not only will the number of apps rise, but also the number of advertisers will also increase. We work with thousands of app publishers who churn out apps frequently. This will surely encourage them to create a seamless mobile experience for users. In coming years, there will be no room for large buttons/ CTAs, overlapping text on ad creatives, or difficult-to-scroll content. Having said that, native ads will continue to evolve to be more fragile and responsive to cater to mobile users in a better way.