When talking about ads monetization in the past few years rewarded video ads have become an extremely hot topic. Everyone from Google, SmartyAds and in between have been posting articles about rewarded video ads and for good reason. The data on rewarded video ads has been overwhelmingly positive for players, developers and advertisers.
Rewarded video ads are now a fixture in the app monetization world. As players have shown a willingness to convert their time into in-game currency or specific items through watching rewarded video ads, developers have had to adjust their own monetization schemes. Moving forward, developers who plan ahead to incorporate rewarded videos into their app’s in-game economy will be at clear advantage over competitors. Rewarded video ads also help improve player stickiness keeping players more engaged and invested in every aspect of the app.
If you’re still not convinced let’s take a look at the numbers before we dive into how best to use Rewarded Video ads in your game. According to data gathered by Instapage the success of Rewarded Videos is undeniable.
Instapage says that:
- 71% of players prefer in-game video ads more than paid apps or in-app purchases
- 54% of players specify that rewarded video ads are their in-game video ad of choice
- 62% of players regularly chose to voluntarily engage with rewarded video apps
- 62% of developers saw user retention maintain or increase upon the introduction of rewarded video ads
- 52% of mobile game developers said that rewarded video apps served as their most lucrative type of in-game advertising, per user
After examining the numbers and how both players and developers have benefited from the use of Rewarded Videos let’s talk about some best use cases for Rewarded Video ads.
Unlocking items!
Does your game have cool, powerful items that players could otherwise purchase with in-game currency? Consider putting a few of these items behind Rewarded Video ads that players can watch to unlock the necessary amount of in-game currency or the item itself. In fact having this option alongside a strictly “use currency to pay for the item” may increase the number of players who pay to unlock the item either through the ads channel or the in-game currency route.
Extra lives!
Does your game have particularly hard levels or bosses that might kill lots of players? Give players a second chance to beat the “baddy” by prompting them with a rewarded video ad upon their first death. Players are more likely to watch the ad if it means another shot at beating the boss or level that they were so close to beating before they died.
New Game Modes!
Perhaps your game has multiple ways for players to play. While playing using all the modes might be capped with a player’s experience points or some other method, a fun way to encourage players to try out all the different game modes is to allow players to unlock the other modes, perhaps briefly, through rewarded video ads. Once a player watches an ad they may unlock one of the more advanced game modes for 24 hours until they reach either the level cap to permanently unlock the game mode or whatever else you’ve set as the parameters for players to access the additional game modes.
While these are just a few suggestions for how rewarded video ads could be used to increase player engagement and stickiness we’re sure that the only real limit is your imagination. Players are more willing to accept rewarded video ads these days as they become less willing to spend real money on in app purchases. Giving players these kinds of options means that your game’s economy will be able to accommodate the needs of more players and will have ways to keep players engaged without needing them to spend their money in your app to keep the fun going.
https://www.pocketgamer.biz/feature/75261/90-of-your-players-prefer-ads-over-paying-now-what/
