successful in-game ads: the secret sauce for monetization | tammy levy
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TA M M Y L E V Y D I R E C T O R O F P R O D U C T, M O B I L E
K O N G R E G A T E
S U C C E S S F U L I N - G A M E A D ST H E S E C R E T S A U C E F O R M O N E T I Z A T I O N
S A N F R A N C I S C O 2 0 1 6
OVERVIEWWho is Kongregate?
4 Case Studies
Epic Skater
Adventure Capitalist
Pocket Politics
Bullet Boy
Key Takeaways
KONGREGATE
30 games launched [77.5 M Installs]
Latest Game: Pocket Politics, Peaked #3 Games US
18 games with ads [55 M Installs]
KONGREGATE
30 games launched [77.5 M Installs]
Latest Game: Pocket Politics, Peaked #3 Games US
18 games with ads [55 M Installs]
26% of mobile revenue in 2016 from ads
AD REVENUE“Quality” of your traffic
(clicks and installs)
Payout set by the apps
Impressions (number of ad views)
AD REVENUE“Quality” of your traffic
(clicks and installs)
Payout set by the apps
Impressions (number of ad views)
we can influence this!
LAUNCHGreat Launch
2.5 M Installs
#4 Best New Games
Ads, Not So Great CTA wasn’t great
Watch for coins
Coins were not valuable
No custom stats tracking
AR P D AU
INCREASED
IN- APP PU RC H AS ES
CONSTANT
AD S ARP DAU
QUADRUPLED
REVENUE FROM ADS
Ads 1.5
Ads 2.0
LESSONSIntegrate ads into gameplay
Prominent surfacing
Meaningful rewards
Integrate before launch! Don’t miss DAU peak
LAUNCHLaunch Installs: 2.7 M
#3 Best New Games
Excellent ad design Video ad for 2x bonus on all investments
Boost lasts 4hrs
Max 5 ads per day
Added custom stats tracking Measure performance
Implement and track improvements
STATS
E N G A G E M E N T W I T H A D S
> 4 0 % O F D A U 3 A D S / P L AY E R / D AY
R E V E N U E F R O M A D S
4 0 %
D E L I G H T F U L F I C T I O N “ A D V E R T I S I N G I S T H E L I F E B L O O D O F C A P I TA L I S M ”
LESSONSIntegrated
Part of the core-loop
Boost Players happily watch ads that help them
Good fiction
Better UX → more interaction
LAUNCHCharted last weekend
#10 US Overall
#3 US Free Games
Ads followed best practices Integrated into the core loop
Help you progress
RESULTS
E N G A G E M E N T W I T H A D S
> 6 0 % O F D A U 7 A D S / P L AY E R / D AY
R E V E N U E F R O M A D S
3 5 %
LAUNCHWith interstitials too
Multiple opportunities to watch ads Integrated into the core loop
Help you progress
Standardized custom stats tracking Optimize each title
Compare stats across games
INTERSTITIAL
P O P - U P E V E R Y 4 D E AT H S W A S T H I S H U R T I N G R E T E N T I O N ?
L O W E R E D F R E Q U E N C Y ( T O 6 D E AT H S )
N O C H A N G E I N R E T E N T I O N
lowered frequency
STATS
L A U N C H E D I T O R ’ S C H O I C E I N L ATA M C O U N T R I E S
1 . 8 M I N S TA L L S
E N G A G E M E N T W I T H A D S
3 0 - 4 0 % O F D A U 5 A D S / P L AY E R / D AY
R E V E N U E F R O M A D S
9 0 %
LESSONSGet Creative
More ad opportunities are good
Interstitials Don’t necessarily hurt retention
Beware of poor UX (you do want to keep an eye on this)
KEY TAKEAWAYS
% of players engaging with ads
# of ads watched per day
Ad option per session
MAXIMIZE
KEY TAKEAWAYS
% of players engaging with ads
# of ads watched per day
Ad option per session
Integrated to the core-loop
MAXIMIZE DESIGN ADS INTO YOUR GAME
KEY TAKEAWAYS
% of players engaging with ads
# of ads watched per day
Ad option per session
Integrated to the core-loop
Meaningful rewards
MAXIMIZE DESIGN ADS INTO YOUR GAME
KEY TAKEAWAYS
% of players engaging with ads
# of ads watched per day
Ad option per session
Integrated to the core-loop
Meaningful rewards
Placement matters
MAXIMIZE DESIGN ADS INTO YOUR GAME
KEY TAKEAWAYS
% of players engaging with ads
# of ads watched per day
Ad option per session
Integrated to the core-loop
Meaningful rewards
Placement matters
Positive experience
MAXIMIZE DESIGN ADS INTO YOUR GAME
KEY TAKEAWAYS
% of players engaging with ads
# of ads watched per day
Ad option per session
Integrated to the core-loop
Meaningful rewards
Placement matters
Positive experience
Delightful fiction!
MAXIMIZE DESIGN ADS INTO YOUR GAME
THAN YOU!W A N T M O R E D ATA ?
V I S I T D E V E L O P E R S . K O N G R E G AT E . C O M / B L O G
W A N T T O W O R K W I T H U S ?
V I S I T D E V E L O P E R S . K O N G R E G AT E . C O M
F O L L O W U S O N T W I T T E R
@ K O N G R E G AT E D E V S
TA M M Y @ K O N G R E G AT E . C O M