Rewarded video ads are universally popular among advertisers, publishers, and mobile game players, alike. Read our latest blog post to learn more about the most loved in-app ad format, rewarded video.
Understand different types of in-app advertisements
Discover why in-game advertising is gaining traction among non-gaming companies
Find out which in-app ad formats bring in high-value users
Most Loved In-App Ad Format?
Rewarded Video
In-game advertising among non-gaming companies is gaining notable traction among marketers. According to MarketingDive, major brands such as Unilever and American Eagle are “using gaming to support commerce goals and court favor with hard-to-reach audiences.” Setting aside “gamer” stereotypes, mobile games appeal to hugely diverse audiences and offer marketers an increasingly flexible environment to reach them.
In-game ads have great benefits for advertisers seeking contextual placement, brand-safe environments, and captive audiences. And the market is only growing. By 2027, the in-game advertising market is expected to grow by a healthy 19.5% up from $5.29 billion in 2020, according to Report Ocean. “As marketers contend with the deprecation of cookies and changes to other identifiers, an embedded approach in gaming could have greater appeal. Gamers, after all, are held at rapt attention given the interactive nature of the medium,” says MarketingDive.
As users playing a mobile game are actively participating in something they enjoy, they tend to accept ads in exchange for a free-to-play (F2P) experience. When interviewed, 82% of users said they’d much rather play free games than purchase paid ones and the higher volume of F2P users makes measurement and tracking at scale more efficiently. Users are accustomed to ad monetization models and generally understand how ads factor into the free-to-play mobile game experience. In fact, players often actively seek out opportunities to view ads if they unlock a reward within the game.
“For media buyers running in-app campaigns, I recommend maxing out rewarded video before anything else. Prioritize SDK networks like IronSource, Unity, and Applovin. Then run banners, interstitials, and rewarded video on Facebook audience network, Google display, YouTube for mobile and TikTok’s Pangle.”
– Bo Jacks, Director of UA, Consumer Acquisition by Brainlabs
REWARDED VIDEO ADS
Players served rewarded video ads receive an in-game benefit for watching, such as hard currency or extra lives. This format is a win-win situation for all parties involved. Because advertisers get high CTRs while developers enjoy the ad revenue. No matter what kind of rewards or apps are being advertised, the opt-in nature of rewarded ads means players are very likely to stick around for the duration of the ad after starting. If a player quits early, they forfeit the reward. Users are generally supportive of this kind of ad, with 77% of them willing to sit through a 30-second ad if it means getting retail discounts. According to eMarketer, rewarded video ads are the most prevalent format, given their high completion rates. Unity Ads calls rewarded video as the “hottest revenue generator” in in-game advertising.
INTERSTITIAL ADS
Interstitial ads have been around since the early days of F2P. They take up the viewer’s full screen for a certain period of time, after which the viewer can skip the ad or elect to install the app. While both static images and video can be used in this format, it’s highly recommended to use video content as it provides a more entertaining experience for the user. Compared to rewarded video, players typically don’t get anything out of the experience so they tend to be neutral about interstitials. From a developer perspective, the key to successful interstitials lies in making them as unobtrusive as possible, ensuring the ads are placed within natural gameplay pauses and at predictable locations.
BANNER ADS
Unlike interstitial ads, banner ads do not interrupt gameplay or app activity since they are designed within the user interface. When executed well, banner ads can even feel like a part of the game’s universe. Portrait-mode apps tend to favor these ads since they are usually discrete and do not take much space. Banner ads benefit advertisers with their cheaper costs and simple production process. This format tends to be less favored by developers and publishers due to lower revenue. So it’s usually better to employ them as part of a comprehensive advertising strategy, rather than as standalone performers.
OFFER WALLS
Similar to rewarded video ads, offer walls allow users to claim a reward for completing a specific activity. For example, engaging with another app or filling out a survey. Offerwalls are often located within an app’s store and provide many options to users. Although offer walls are less popular than they used to be, there are still plenty of reasons to use them. With the promise of high-quality users, advertisers only pay publishers when the target goal is reached. So there’s little risk of wasting an investment.
PLAYABLE ADS
Playable ads are the most production-intensive type of ad and are specifically for mobile games. They introduce a mini-game that showcases the core features of the app being advertised. Upon completing it, players are prompted to install the application. Users generally perceive playable ads as the most enjoyable of all ad types. Advertisers should note that the CPI for playable ads is at an all-time low ($1.98), making them a highly competitive option even when compared to rewarded ads. This is especially true on Android as the CPI is at $1.41 over there, much lower than the iOS average at $3.66. Playables also tend to acquire high-quality users since players who have tested a game are far less likely to quit after installing it.
HOW WE CAN HELP
Our Creative Studio provides clients with bespoke ad creative driven by Hollywood storytelling and quantitative analysis. Mobile app marketers and web-based performance advertisers come to us for end-to-end, outcome-oriented creative, integrated user acquisition, and creative optimization. Through our proprietary technology AdRules, we make creative and media buying decisions based on our clients’ real-time financial performance.
Our creative expertise comes from managing $150m in monthly ad spend across Facebook, Google, TikTok, Snap, and Apple Search Ads. Creating and testing 100K videos and images each year for clients provides us unparalleled insights into the evolving mobile advertising ecosystem. From our strategic analyses of IDFA loss and media buying automation to tactical guidance for A/B testing, we ensure our clients can adapt and thrive. Contact us at sales@consumeracquisition.com to work with our team.
This month we celebrated our 9-year anniversary as a company and are thrilled to enter our tenth year with the support of Brainlabs. Want to discuss our full suite of mobile app marketing services? Let’s talk!
Every game genre can drive viral installs with episodic ads and deliver the promise of “to be continued…” Discover the pitfalls and pointers from our team of Hollywood storytellers and animators.
TikTok, Snapchat, and Reels are increasingly popular channels for contextual video ads, particularly for mobile games. But testing new channels and mastering their respective formats can be daunting, especially for a UA team with limited creative resources. Check out the infographic to maximize your efficiency with video assets that work across channels without extra revisions.
Leveraging video assets across TikTok, Snapchat, and Reels
Influencer advertising creative trends
Motivational triggers for UGC ads
The growing influencer market
From micro-influencers and reaction videos to captions and meta-commentary, UGC ads across social networks— and on TikTok in particular— are a critical part of any successful growth marketing strategy. Bring your questions!
In today’s post, we explain how to make the best episodic ads for your mobile game. If you are considering a series of narrative ads to drive new players and profit, read on to hear about the following pitfalls and pointers from our team of Hollywood storytellers, animators, editors, and producers:
Appeal to specific gaming motivations
Build out your main characters
Use a three-act structure
Don’t skip the storyboard
Establish a memorable visual style
Leverage an agile production process for live action
How to Make the Best Episodic Ads for your Mobile Game
Virality. Profit. Suspense. Scandal. Mobile games Lily’s Garden and Merge Mansion reached international meme status through provocative episodic ads for their match-3 and merge games, respectively. More often associated with AAA console games, sophisticated narrative-based commercials are increasingly popular for mobile game user acquisition. As app marketers diversify their portfolios to YouTube pre-rolls and connected TVs, high-quality video is critical. (Interestingly, this trend stands in stark contrast to the massive popularity of ads with scrappier user-generated content, which we’ve reported on as well.) Just as cinematic mobile game trailers gain momentum and attract spenders, ads that tell a story over several “episodes” are proving to be successful for app marketers. Every game genre can drive viral installs with episodic ads and the promise of “to be continued…”
If you’re considering a series of narrative ads to drive new players and profit, read on for pitfalls and pointers from our team of Hollywood storytellers, animators, editors, and producers.
Appeal to Specific Gaming Motivations
To attract high-quality top-of-funnel users, persona-driven creative is critical. Ad creative tailored to users’ motivations, behaviors, interests, and preferences ensure media buyers can understand what is working and how to do more of it. This insight is crucial in light of aggressive privacy regulations.
As part of our creative process using our Ad Concept Model, we identify different user motivations within an app category to target users based on their emotional drivers. Below are typical user motivations for playing games. It’s easy to stereotype how certain game genres map to user motivations. But critical to the success of Lily’s Garden and Merge Mansion ads was the excitement of a narrative-driven scandal inside of these otherwise calm and casual mobile games. Irrespective of game genre, test ad creative targeting different motivations and you might be surprised with what actually works.
Build Out Your Main Character
After analyzing target users and their motivations to play your game, consider what type of character will appeal to those motivations. A relatable main character is foundational for a viewer to connect with your content. Remember that relatable doesn’t have to mean likable. The main driver of your story could be a protagonist, antagonist, or a morally ambiguous mysterious other. Even if your game doesn’t have one main character or even a narrative, creating one for this type of ad is a proven tactic. The main character should be recognizable and idiosyncratic enough to be memorable throughout a series of ads. And they must be interesting enough to lead a three-act drama.
Three-Act Structure of Episodic Ads
Before attempting a thirty-episode arc, work the tried-and-true three-act structure: introduce the conflict, build to the climax, then offer a resolution. The main character should embody the user motivation you’re trying to trigger and the story will bring the audience along. With typical episodic ads running from 10 to 30 seconds, the full story arc needs to be tight and punchy and each individual episode needs a clear focus.
Don’t Skip the Storyboard
You’ve thought about what you want to happen, who it’s happening with, and now it’s time to visualize it. A storyboard ensures the whole production team understands the expectations and acts as a tool for collaboration. It also reveals inconsistencies or missed opportunities, and ultimately helps keep everyone focused on the same goal. Our storyboard for Wooga’s Switchcraft is below and you can read the full case study here.
A critical part of making episodic ads work is that each ad on its own is instantly recognizable as part of the larger narrative arc. Art-heavy games like RPGs can use their best in-game assets for their paid social advertising. This includes cutscenes animated in 2D and 3D, resting-state 2D character sprites, and open-world third-person exploration. Other examples include game footage battles and rigged character illustrations. But what if your game has no 3D assets or lacks truly cinematic cutscenes? Then you may need a little help to tell the story.
Casual games studio, Wooga, was seeking compelling ad creative for the soft launch of their first story-driven puzzle match-3 game, Switchcraft. They were striving for market differentiation among competitors such as Gardenscapes, Lily’s Garden, and Small Town Murders. Wooga wanted to highlight their dramatic relationship-driven storyline, diverse characters, and magical gameplay. In-game assets had a unique painterly art style. But Wooga wanted to bring the story to life with 3D cinematics that combined realism and comic-book aesthetics.
Through our creative partnership with Wooga, Consumer Acquisition developed a 30-second CGI game trailer, 50 original concepts, and over 150 videos. We created entirely original 3D computer animation along with motion graphics. We also created 2D animation and FX, text animations, lighting effects, character rigging, illustrations, and character design.
Agile Production Process for Live Action
An agile production approach to live action will ensure UA and creative teams have multiple variations of an ad to test, while efficiently capturing hundreds of video and photo assets during the shoot. Be sure to include different character reactions, different narrative progression, and different gameplay or app features. Shoot in 4K and you can capture still photos from the digital footage for social posts and single-image or carousel ads. An agile shoot also means post-production resizes and optimizations across channels will be easier.
How We Can Help
Our Creative Studio provides clients with bespoke ad creative driven by Hollywood storytelling and quantitative analysis. Mobile app marketers and web-based performance advertisers come to us for end-to-end, outcome-oriented creative, integrated user acquisition, and creative optimization. Through our proprietary technology AdRules, we make creative and media buying decisions based on our clients’ real-time financial performance.
Our creative expertise comes from managing $150m in monthly ad spend across Facebook, Google, TikTok, Snap, and Apple Search Ads. Creating and testing 100K videos and images each year for clients provides us unparalleled insights into the evolving mobile advertising ecosystem. From our strategic analyses of IDFA loss and media buying automation to tactical guidance for A/B testing, we ensure our clients can adapt and thrive. Contact us at sales@consumeracquisition.com to work with our elite creative team.
As mobile app marketers diversify their media buying, UA budgets are splitting out across channels. TikTok, Snapchat, and Reels, on both Facebook and Instagram, are increasingly popular for contextual video ads, particularly for mobile games. However, testing new channels and mastering their respective formats can be daunting, especially for a UA team with limited creative resources. In this infographic, we’ve summarized video ad specs and recommendations across channels so you can get the most traction out of your best video assets.
We create and test 100K videos and images each year for clients so we know it takes 20-30 new concepts to find your next winning creative. Resizing, localizing, and scaling across channels before you have a winner simply multiplies your failure rate. However, if you want to try a new channel or test across channels, you can maximize your efficiency by making video assets that work on TikTok, Snapchat, and Reels without extra revisions. Here are the video ad specs that will work across these channels.
Want better results from video ads for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or Snap?
Our industry expertise comes from managing over $3.5 billion in creative and paid social spend for the world’s largest mobile apps and performance advertisers, including Glu, Roblox, Wooga, Zynga, and Skillz. Our proprietary full-stack marketing platform AdRules provides real-time business intelligence and creative research from 3.5 million video ads across social channels.
As the mobile advertising ecosystem has evolved, we have focused on being a reliable source of mobile app industry insights and trends. Our strategic analyses of IDFA loss and media buying automation, along with tactical guidance for user acquisition and creative teams, has helped advertisers remain profitable during an unprecedented era of change. Our industry expertise has earned coverage from CNBC, Forbes, SeekingAlpha, Business Insider, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, Mobile Marketing Magazine, and many more.
Working with a knowledgeable marketing partner that can provide extensive quantitative creative testing ensures you get the best performance from your UGC ads. Email us at sales@consumeracquisition.com to discuss your user acquisition goals.
Mobile RPG Genshin Impact attracts U.S. spenders through Instagram at record rates. Read our newest report on Genshin’s ad creative used to acquire these high-value players. Get expert analysis on:
The Explosive Growth of Genshin Impact
Genshin’s Monetization Structure and Gameplay Mechanics
Growing the Playerbase through Cinematic Ads on Instagram
Analyzing Genshin’s UA Ad Creative
How to Leverage Assets Without Cinematics
How Genshin Impact Attracts US Spenders With Cinematic Ads
Mobile RPG and Open World UA Creative Trends
In an app industry shakeup, U.S. consumer spending in mobile action games rose 69% in 2021 largely driven by one open-world RPG: Genshin Impact. This report analyzes how Genshin Impact attracts high-value users in the United States and how RPG games can leverage that proven success in their own user acquisition.
Genshin Impact
Launched in September 2020, Genshin Impact quickly became a major contender in the mobile game market. The innovative gameplay combines an alluring open world with long-term RPG progression mechanics, proving to be a very successful formula. As of January 2022, Genshin Impact had earned over $3 billion in revenue from mobile players, while enjoying very high user retention rates by gradually releasing new characters and areas to explore.
Genshin’s main genre competitors in the US are Raid: Shadow Legends and RPGs built on strong IPs such as Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Dragon Ball. Genshin remains the most profitable anime-based game by far, as its main competitors are mostly Western releases. By revenue, Genshin is bested only by Western app giants PUBG and Honor of Kings, reaching a comfortable third place in top-grossing App Store games in February 2022.
The game has had an important influence on the mobile action genre and is largely responsible for the massive boost in mobile action game revenue in 2021, reaching $966.8 million. Player spending in the open-world adventure subgenre increased by 3.5x last year, a category in which Genshin enjoys little to no competition whatsoever.
Source: Genshin Impact gameplay
Genshin Impact is developed by miHoYo, a Chinese company that incorporated typical elements from the Japanese video game industry into the game. However, Genshin has a key advantage over most games in the Japanese market: the substantial revenue generated overseas. In 2021, Genshin’s US revenue was a whopping $400 million, nearly double its closest competitor in the US market. The New York Times said Genshin’s “success points to a shifting balance of power in the $200 billion-a-year global video game industry, which has long been dominated by Japan and the United States.”
Monetization Structure
Savvy in current mobile game trends, miHoYo takes a simplified approach to monetize its free-to-play game. The game caters to both small and large spenders alike, offering few but enticing options that cleverly blend with the game’s progression system. Genshin Impact’s core monetization mechanic is through the Japanese-inspired gacha, a random lottery where players spend virtual currency for a small chance at getting desired characters, weapons, and gear. The term derives from gachapon, the real-world vending machines that tempt buyers with limited-edition collectible toys in plastic capsules. Gacha monetization is growing in popularity among US mobile games, including those with known IP.
Genshin’s currency can be purchased directly in bulk, but small spenders can take advantage of two lower-cost deals as well:
The monthly package lets players earn small amounts of currency every day they play. Players forfeit the reward for any day they don’t log in which drives retention and DAU.
The season pass offers substantial in-game resources to facilitate progression, together with a useful amount of premium currency.
Genshin employs the tried-and-true mechanics of the stamina-based progression and the cycling of time-limited content, typical of free-to-play mobile games. With the stamina system in place, players can play the game in short bursts every day, unless they choose to pay. This leads to both higher user retention and monetization since meaningful progress can only be seen after having played for an extended period of time.
Source: Genshin Impact gameplay
Growing the Playerbase through Cinematic Ads
Genshin Impact is an award-winning mobile game that could easily pass as a AAA release. Irrespective of later-game monetization, the rich world-building and anime aesthetics on their own are striking enough to attract new players. In fact, Genshin has substantially increased its player base month-over-month since its release, reaching nearly 60 million monthly active users by March 2022. The quality of the initial open-world experience, heavily inspired by Nintendo’s beloved 2017 release “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” has allowed the game to reach communities that may not typically engage in mobile gaming.
Source: Genshin Impact in-game scene
For years, anime-style mobile RPGs have consistently included the highest quality animated cutscenes and cinematics, often resulting in longer load times than typical mobile games. However, as devices, networks, and mobility capabilities evolve (see Nintendo Switch), visually arresting storytelling on mobile will attract more and more players. A clear benefit of in-game cutscenes and cinematics is the ability to use those high-quality assets for user acquisition. And Genshin Impact does just that.
Analyzing Genshin Impact’s UA Ad Creative
Based on MobileAction data, Genshin Impact is advertising almost entirely on Instagram and Facebook. Facebook Ad Library and MobileAction show that the ads leverage the most popular creative trends for RPGs, open world, and gacha games. Some of these ad creative trends include:
Cinematic Trailer: Dramatic, high-quality story showcasing characters and action, often 3D animation
Gameplay: Game overview showcasing user experience, core objectives, and game features or mechanics
Characters: Highlighting game character personalities, powers, origins, and vignettes
Player Focused: Player types, player interviews, and PVP gameplay
Testimonial: Leveraging player experiences, influencer reviews, and user-generated content
Level Progression: Footage of mastering levels, increasing stats, or unlocking the content
Competitive: Comparing the game against other similar games or gameplay experiences
Genshin Impact uses all of its best in-game assets for its paid social advertising: cutscenes animated in 2D and 3D, resting-state 2D character sprites, open-world third-person exploration, game footage battles, and rigged character illustrations. Based on MobileAction, two of their most popular styles of ads are cinematic trailers and gameplay, with a strong focus on character vignettes.
Many of the video ads incorporate several types of assets and art styles at once. The still shots below show several art styles that were utilized in one high-performing Genshin Impact cinematic trailer on Instagram. This ad focused on one character’s personality, style, and capabilities in battle.
Source: MobileAction
Ad Concept Model
As part of our creative process using our Ad Concept Model, we identify different user motivations within an app category to target users based on their emotional drivers. Below are typical user motivations for games.
As evident even in the still shots from video ads, Genshin Impact’s creative appeals to users driven by many of these motivations.
For players seeking escape, open-world ads show an immersive fantasy land to explore; character-driven ad creative offers rich lore and story progression to live the fantasy firsthand.
Source: MobileAction
Genshin’s gameplay ads appeal to players seeking excitement by showcasing fast-paced battle action and thrilling elemental reactions. For the success-seeker, footage of acquiring and leveling powerful characters, completing quests, and beating bosses are very attractive. Players wanting to exercise their expertise will be drawn to challenging content and mastering game mechanics strategically.
Source: MobileAction
No cutscenes? No problem.
One of the most impactful ad creative trends gaining momentum is the high-fidelity cinematic trailer. More often associated with AAA console games, mobile games are employing increasingly sophisticated commercials for user acquisition. As mobile app marketers diversify their portfolios to YouTube pre-rolls and connected TVs, high-quality video is critical. (Interestingly, this trend stands in stark contrast to the massive popularity of ads with user-generated content, which we’ve reported on as well.)
An anime-style RPG like Genshin Impact naturally lends itself to visually arresting, dramatic cinematic trailers. And, it already has plenty of in-game assets to use. But what if your game has no 3D assets or lacks truly cinematic cutscenes? Then you may need a little help.
2D Assets Get a 3D Makeover
Casual games studio Wooga was seeking compelling ad creative for the soft launch of their first story-driven puzzle match-3 game, Switchcraft. Striving for market differentiation among competitors such as Gardenscapes, Lily’s Garden, and Small Town Murders, Wooga wanted to highlight their dramatic relationship-driven storyline, diverse characters, and magical gameplay. In-game assets had a unique painterly art style but Wooga wanted to bring the story to life with 3D cinematics that combined realism and comic-book aesthetics.
Through our creative partnership with Wooga, Consumer Acquisition developed a 30-second CGI game trailer, 50 original concepts, and over 150 videos. We created entirely original 3D computer animation along with motion graphics, 2D animation and FX, text animations, lighting effects, character rigging, illustrations, and character design. View the official Switchcraft trailer below.
Nathalie Wood, Marketing Manager at Wooga praised the results:
“Consumer Acquisition was able to provide us with fresh, breakthrough ad creative that performed to meet different goals, from installs at scale to targeting high-value players. We were truly impressed by how Consumer Acquisition took our 2D assets and brought them to life. The creative process was collaborative and Consumer Acquisition tested all types of concepts and art styles to ensure we found what worked best. For our official game trailer, Consumer Acquisition created compelling 3D assets from scratch under a very tight deadline and we are thrilled with how it turned out. Consumer Acquisition’s commitment to creative research and rigorous creative testing was evident in the excellent results.”
We are hiring across all departments for fully-remote positions! Read our blog post to hear firsthand from our animation team in Mexico, and learn why we keep actively pursuing international talent, year after year.
As the mobile advertising ecosystem has evolved, we have focused on being a reliable source of mobile app industry insights and trends. Want to discuss how UGC ads can improve your marketing mix? Let’s talk!
As advertising ecosystems increase Paid Search automation, Responsive Search Ads are a critical capability to drive higher performance.
TikTok UGC Ads Creative Guide
From micro-influencers and reaction videos to captions and meta-commentary, UGC ads across social networks— and on TikTok in particular— are a critical part of any successful growth marketing strategy. Get insights on this massive opportunity for marketers in our newest white paper: TikTok UGC Ads: 2022 Creative Guide.
Download this comprehensive report for details on:
The current state of UGC on social media platforms
Latest industry investments in video content and creator ecosystems
Current UGC trends and motivational triggers
Updated best practices for UGC ads for TikTok
Google Paid Search Best Practices
Paid search is a darling of data-driven marketing for good reason: it is a user-initiated opportunity to provide value. For each user query, an advertiser can provide the right answer to a declared need. Similar to Programmatic Dynamic Creative Optimization, Responsive Search Ads use contextual signals to assemble text assets predicted to perform best for each individual user’s search query.
We offer Paid Search through Brainlabs! Contact us at Sales@ConsumerAcquisition.com to discuss the benefits of adding Paid Search to your marketing mix.
To stay ahead of creative fatigue, we developed the Ad Concept Model as a tool for creative teams to overcome creative slumps. This reusable framework uncovers fresh ideas to discover “where to go next” when you think you’ve tried everything. David DeJong, Group Creative Director for Consumer Acquisition by Brainlabs will discuss how to develop your own Ad Concept Model that supports 30-50 new concepts. Create lanes for your creative team to explore while eliminating unfocused ideation that doesn’t align with your target personas, motivations, or trends. Use this tool and find your next winning ad!
Join Our Team!
We are hiring across all departments for fully-remote positions! Read our blog post to see how working remotely has immense advantages for work-life balance, productivity, cost savings, and more.
Our employees with families appreciate having the flexibility to attend their children’s events or family appointments as they need to. Employees who love to travel enjoy working from anywhere they like. Working with us, night owls and early birds all have a chance to thrive. And everyone benefits from working with people from different cultures and different perspectives.
Influencer marketing and UGC advertising on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are driving profitable UA across all app categories and present a massive opportunity for marketers. From micro-influencers and reaction videos to captions and meta-commentary, UGC ads across social networks— and on TikTok in particular— are a critical part of any successful growth marketing strategy.
Our white paper 2022 Creative Guide to Influencer Marketing and UGC Ads shares expert recommendations on influencer marketing with user-generated content. Data from the white paper is summarized in this infographic Influencer Marketing and UGC Advertising in 2022.
Want better results from UGC for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or Snap?
Our industry expertise comes from managing over $3.5 billion in creative and paid social spend for the world’s largest mobile apps and performance advertisers. These include Glu, Roblox, Wooga, Zynga, and Skillz. Our proprietary full-stack marketing platform AdRules provides real-time business intelligence and creative research from 3.5 million video ads across social channels.
The mobile advertising ecosystem has evolved. During this evolution, we have focused on being a reliable source of mobile app industry insights and trends. Our strategic analyses of IDFA loss and media buying automation, along with tactical guidance for user acquisition and creative teams, has helped advertisers remain profitable during an unprecedented era of change. Our industry expertise has earned coverage from CNBC, Forbes, SeekingAlpha, Business Insider, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, Mobile Marketing Magazine, and many more.
Working with a knowledgeable marketing partner that can provide extensive quantitative creative testing ensures you get the best performance from your UGC ads. Email us at sales@consumeracquisition.com to discuss your user acquisition goals.
UGC on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are driving profitable UA across app categories. Get expert recommendations on advertising with user-generated content in our new TikTok UGC Ads Creative Guide for 2022.
TikTok UGC Ads Creative Guide
2022 Edition
See how TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram are investing in UGC
Understand how different styles of UGC ads work
Drive performance with improved UGC ads
Section 1: Advertising in the Creator Ecosystem
UGC on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram is driving profitable UA across all app categories and presents a massive opportunity for marketers. Based on managing $3.5 billion in creative and paid social spend for the world’s largest mobile apps and performance advertisers—including $102 million on TikTok— we are sharing expert recommendations on advertising with user-generated content. From micro-influencers and reaction videos to captions and meta-commentary, UGC ads across social networks— and on TikTok in particular— are a critical part of any successful growth marketing strategy.
Through social media, brands and consumers are enjoying an ever-growing symbiotic relationship. Consumers want to interact with and shape brands according to their own creative impulses. Conversely, brands inspire new content from consumers driven by genuine interest and trust, making content more transparent and credible. As consumers consider different brands, content created by people not “officially” part of the brand is deemed as trustworthy or authentic. The high value of authentic content is precisely what marketers are leveraging by sponsoring influencers or creating ads with regular people to mimic typical UGC.
Influencers reach their status through their UGC and at least 50 million people worldwide consider themselves “content creators.” Looking at 2022 trends, Instagram reports, “creators have risen to the level of A-list celebrities. 1 in 4 13-24-year-olds agrees micro-influencers with loyal and highly engaged audiences are most important when creating new trends.” However, for effective advertising, Instagram recommends focusing on smaller creators: “people are influenced by shared interests, not necessarily popularity… consider expanding your creator partnership scope to include micro-influencers with highly engaged audiences.” Research firm RealEyes, analyzing TikTok content through attention metrics, confirmed: “the creators with the biggest followings didn’t necessarily deliver the best attention and engagement for brands.”
TikTok is the third most popular worldwide social platform following Facebook and Instagram, projected to reach a 25% market share by 2024. According to a TikTok-commissioned study by Kantar of 25,000 participants, ads on TikTok were perceived as “more favorable” than ads on other tested platforms, with 10% better ad receptivity. TikTok’s 2022 recommendations for successful ads encourage advertisers to “align with the native TikTok experience.” This means “lo-fi” video, “human, unpolished content,” direct address to the camera, voiceovers, and text overlays— all characteristics of the content TikTok users are already making and consuming.
UGC ads—with mega influencers, micro-influencers, or just regular people—leverage shared interests and relatable human experiences so effectively they consistently outperform other ad styles. A report from analytics company Comscore showed that combining UGC and paid content increased conversion by 28%. Research from RealEyes found that UGC ads outperformed other ad formats in holding attention, scoring 20-50% higher than conventional ads on the same topic. Grand View Research reported that user-generated video gets 12 times more engagement than any other type of UGC.
With the loss of Apple’s IDFA and the development of Google’s Privacy Sandbox, one-size-fits-all, middle-of-the-pack ad creative won’t be optimized by deterministic tracking. To compete for relevant audiences, mobile app advertisers have no choice but to use contextual, motivation-led ad creative to target high-quality top-of-funnel users. Krystel Bitar, Global Gaming Product Manager at Facebook emphasized in an interview how critical creative diversification based on motivation is: “it’s time to make different creatives inspired by these motivators. The more unique these are, the easier it will be to ultimately determine what has attracted its audience.”
Just as TikTok and Instagram highlight, UGC-style ads are uniquely impactful because they highlight “shared interests” and “a genuine sense of engagement and conversation.” That authenticity comes from understanding a user’s interests, motivations, and desires and effectively attracts target audiences.
Source: Consumer Acquisition by Brainlabs
The Growing UGC Market
As creator ecosystems have evolved, marketers are setting aside budgets for influencer marketing campaigns that appear authentic, created in the same style as unpaid, organic content. By 2021, the UGC market reached $3.58 billion globally, with an expected CAGR of 26.6% from 2021 to 2028, amounting to a staggering $18.65 billion by the end of the period. Enterprise claims 64% of this market, while individuals account for the remaining 36%. Audio and video content generated the most revenue at 32% of the total share. In particular, video ads offer a very high potential for shareability, as a whopping 92% of users are likely to share this kind of content on their social media accounts.
Research from CreatorIQ has shown that two out of every three brands have increased their budgets for creator campaigns, with 96% of brands and 88% of influencers regularly using Instagram Stories. Influencer marketing as a sector is expected to increase by 19% over 2022, reaching $16.4 billion. According to a survey conducted by Influencer Marketing Hub, 77% of marketers replied they would set aside an influencer marketing budget in 2022 to capitalize on this rising trend. Of those planning to do so, 68% also claimed they would further increase the budget over the next year, with a majority of them committing to 10-30% of their overall marketing budget.
Section 2: Investments in UGC from TikTok, Meta, and Snap
TikTok Expands Video Length
Following last year’s bump up to a 3-minute limit, TikTok now embraces longer-form content with a 10-minute limit. Now in direct competition with other popular video content platforms, TikTok is poised to capture more traditional markets. This extension was eagerly awaited by creators interested in making in-depth tutorials, lessons, or those looking for more room to expand their creative approach without having to split their content throughout multiple videos. Efficient monetization of short-form videos can be challenging and advertisers benefit from the 10-minute format, as it allows for more convenient ad insertion and performance. This change also translates to more variety in supported ad formats. The update comes after extensive testing in which TikTok proved it could successfully extend user engagement in the app.
Meta Focuses on Video Content
With unprecedented competition from TikTok, Mark Zuckerberg has prioritized short-form video, according to a Bloomberg report. Facebook’s global release of Reels to 150 countries signals Meta’s change in directive, intended to get Facebook back in shape to stand a chance in the increasingly competitive social media market. The allure of Zuckerberg’s long-term vision through the Metaverse needs concrete drivers in the current environment, and he’s betting on marketable video content.
Just as TikTok adjusts to the market, Meta is evolving to keep up with social trends and expectations. Previously, only invited creators were paid by the number of views through Facebook’s Reels Play Bonus program. With this update, Reels is a renewed source of revenue for creators through new features:
Overlay Ads: Ad revenue for this format will be directly shared with creators, offering them a 55% cut of the total revenue.
Length is irrelevant: All Reels will be monetized the same way, regardless of their length.
IG monetization through cross-posting: Creators can monetize their IG Reels by posting them on Facebook.
Stars for Reels: Creators can now be paid directly by fans through Stars.
Advertisers can maintain control over their ad placement on Reels through Publisher Lists, Blocklists, Inventory Filters, and Delivery Reports. Meta also intends to optimize Reels accessibility across the platform through Stories and Feeds, while planning to enable Instagram crossposting in the future.
Snap Inc. reported 319M daily active Snapchat users for Q4 2021, and a record-breaking revenue high of $1.3 billion, showing their investments in creator features are paying off. Since Spotlight’s debut in early 2021, Snap has paid out over $250M to over 12K Spotlight creators throughout the year, marking a strong entrance into the UGC market. The company continues to highlight and expand UGC capabilities and opportunities.
Discover syndicates video content from Spotlight creators with viewers subscribing to individual creators at double previous rates. Partnerships with Sony Music Entertainment and NBC Universal give Snapchatters access to an extensive library of songs and sounds. Snap’s Original “The Me and You Show,” which stars Snapchatters and their friends using the Cameos feature, reached over 50 million viewers. Snap’s Spotlight Challenge with Kim Kardashian West and Kris Jenner generated the most submissions ever for a challenge. And a Spotlight Challenge with Mariah Carey inspired the creation of over 3.5 million videos featuring “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
Several new features and opportunities for creators were also introduced in Q1 2022. Snap Stars can now place mid-roll Ads in their Stories. This feature lets creators earn a share of the revenue generated by these ads while advertisers enjoy a new opportunity for high-value placement of their content. Snap has renewed and expanded its content deals with Disney, NBCU, and ViacomCBS, including numerous high-profile shows that can now be shared freely on the platform and used for creator content. Snap also launched 523, a program dedicated to supporting small, minority-owned content companies. The first cohort of 20 winning startups receives $60K in funding to help them create content for Discover.
Social Platforms and Streaming UGC
People love to watch other people playing games. As social platforms increase streaming and interactive video capabilities, audience engagement with UGC only increases. Meta has captured a sizable portion of the game streaming market through Facebook Gaming, launched in 2018. More recently, Tiktok announced its own Live Studio platform, hoping to use the platform’s explosive growth to compete with streaming giants like Twitch and YouTube. Each social platform incorporates game streaming in its own way, unique to its brand and user interface. This is equally true for marketers; ads should be specifically tailored to the environment according to the platform’s expected behaviors. For UGC, it’s all about matching the authenticity of creators with ad concepts that resonate with their content and personality.
Section 3: UGC Advertising Creative Trends and Motivational Triggers
Creative trends are like fashion – they keep changing and going in and out of style. Analyzing these trends gives advertisers a broad view of what creative is working and what isn’t across a category. Advertisers can reduce their failure rate by building on what is working using an endless supply of tested concepts and trends.
Facebook Ad Library lets marketers see every ad currently running on Meta’s ad network. TikTok For Business surfaces trends and Top Ads by genre, based on reach, engagement, and viewing duration. For implied success metrics, advertisers can also use Mobile Action, SensorTower, or AppAnnie competitor libraries. AdRules, our SaaS platform, analyzes 3.5 million videos and is updated daily.
Based on information from Facebook Ad Library, TikTok For Business, and MobileAction, here are ad creative trends we’re seeing for UGC ads:
Faux testimonials using actors to deliver a key message
Actual testimonials with real users to deliver a key message
Influencer testimonials using paid celebrities to deliver a key message
Third-person video of playing, winning or using the app
POV video of playing, winning or using the app
Picture-in-picture footage of user and app at the same time
Social posts that reference the app
Tips and quizzes from actors using direct address
Casual real-time commentary and reactions
Highlighting emotional benefits of user experience with the app
Highlighting social connection or communication in or about the app
Whether your mobile app is fintech, fashion, or fitness, understanding user motivation is critical for a successful user acquisition campaign. Through “human, unpolished content,” UGC ads can effectively address common motivational triggers across genres and categories.
User Motivations for Gaming Apps
Excitement: I want fast-paced, explosive action
Social Connection: I want to play with friends or compete against others
Expertise: I want to strategize for mastery
Success: I want to complete, level up, and win
Escape: I want an immersive experience
Creation: I want to customize, explore, and experiment
User Motivations for Dating Apps
Love/Friendship: I want an authentic connection
Casual: I want a variety of casual connections
Thrill: I want exciting new possibilities
Ease of Use: I want simple onboarding and customization
Validation: I want to feel good about myself
Trendiness: I want a novel or popular experience
User Motivations for Subscription Apps
Convenience: I want an experience that reduces friction
Cost: I want an experience that saves me money
Discovery: I want an experience that introduces me to something new
Consistency: I want a reliable experience
Access: I want to expand my experience
Belonging: I want a shared experience
User Motivations for Fintech Apps
Security: I want an experience that reduces my fears
Guidance: I want an experience that helps me learn more
Control: I want to make all of the decisions in this experience
Visibility: I want to see everything I need
Simplification: I want everything handled for me
Deal Seeking: I want something back
User Motivations for Telehealth Apps
Convenience: I want a streamlined experience
Expertise: I want proven methods, expert guidance, and reliable answers
Consistency: I want a reliable experience from a brand I can trust
Cost: I want to know I’m paying a fair price for access and services
Emotional Trigger: I want to feel understood and cared about
User Motivations for Productivity Apps
Organization: I want more clear and organized processes
Time-Saving: I want to do things more quickly and efficiently
Aspiration: I want the experience of self-fulfillment, accomplishment, and satisfaction
Emotional Benefit: I want to relieve stress and feel successful
Social Proof: I want to overcome doubts or objections through external assessment
Design: I want an experience that meets my aesthetic expectations
UGC Creative Trends and User Motivations in Action
Source: Mobile Action
Top-ranking Casino game Blackout Bingo uses real-time playing and winning, along with side-by-side reactions. This ad appeals to users seeking fast-paced excitement, competitive social connections, and success.
Source: Mobile Action
The music game Dream Piano uses first-person, side-by-side POV and highlights the social connection of playing the game. This ad appeals to users seeking social connections, expert mastery, and success.
Source: Mobile Action
Action arcade game 1945 Air Force uses picture-in-picture with choreography synced to the on-screen action and music score. This ad appeals to users seeking excitement, expertise, and social connection.
On any given day, the top five mobile game ads on TikTok For Business Creative Center consistently show UGC creative trends in action, with users sharing creative testimonials of success, expertise, or excitement.
Source: TikTok for Business Creative Center Top Ads
TikTok ads for the dating app Hinge almost universally use faux testimonials and direct address videos with text overlays that look like entirely native content. These ads appeal to users seeking validation, trendiness, and authenticity.
Source: TikTok for Business Creative Center Top Ads
In contrast to TikTok, Hinge Ads on Facebook also use UGC, though in a notably different way: messages are screenshots within a social media post to showcase the meta-commentary. These ads appeal to users seeking authentic relationships, validation, and trendiness.
Source: Facebook Ad LibrarySource: Facebook Ad Library
Lemonaid Health, the telehealth company promising “refreshingly simple” online healthcare and medication delivery, uses casual direct address commentary of emotional benefits in this UGC-style ad on Facebook. This ad appeals to users seeking expertise, consistency, and feeling understood.
Source: Facebook Ad Library
Productive Habit Tracker, a productivity app helping people “build a routine of positive, life-changing habits,” mimics UGC so well it includes the “actor portrayal” disclaimer. This ad appeals to users seeking a sense of accomplishment, emotional benefits, and social proof.
Source: Facebook Ad Library
Section 4: Driving Performance Through UGC Ads
Ad Concept Model
As dependence on upper-funnel campaigns increases due to automated buying and IDFA loss, mobile UA teams know they can no longer rely on the crutch of deterministic tracking to provide sustained financial performance. The deterioration of lookalike audiences and the black box of deeper funnel events means a user’s declared interests and contextual advertising are critically important for insights into user motivation and intent. Ad creative optimized to appeal to discreet personas is now the most efficient lever for sustained profitable user acquisition.
Based on over 100,000 videos and images we produce and test yearly for our clients, our research has shown that winning ads last only 10 weeks before they burn out. We have performed over 25,000 A/B and multivariate tests on Facebook, Google, TikTok, and Snap and have learned that 85-95% of new creative concepts fail to outperform the best ad in a portfolio. To survive in this volatile ad ecosystem, 20-50 new concepts are needed to find the next winning creative. And you’ll need to keep developing new concepts to stay ahead of creative fatigue.
To stay ahead of creative fatigue, we developed the Ad Concept Model as a tool for creative teams to:
Ensure ad creative aligns with your target audience
Use creative trends and user motivations to guide creative exploration
Develop 30-50 new ad creative concepts tied directly to your target personas
Organize and prioritize creative development
Track progress through evolving creative concepts
Overcome creative slumps with a reusable framework that uncovers fresh ideas
Discover “where to go next” when you think you’ve tried everything
Every app category or genre can leverage a unique combination of distinct emotional triggers and creative trends to attract users. Create lanes for your creative team to explore while eliminating unfocused ideation that doesn’t align with your target personas, motivations, or trends. In the empty model below, each box represents a different ad creative concept. User motivations appear along the horizontal axis and creative trends appear along the vertical axis.
Our Media Buying Model uses a matrixed approach to systematize best practices for user acquisition campaign development. Any mobile app can leverage a unique combination of distinct UA strategies and campaign parameters to develop a robust testing harness for ongoing mobile campaigns across social platforms, including TikTok. The entire matrix is tailored to a respective ad network and operating system constraints.
Below is a sample Media Buying Model for TikTok. Geographies, languages, and bid types are all modified based on our client’s needs. Each campaign is structured to meet specific goals at the intersection of strategies and parameters. Here are trends we’re seeing in testing:
Creative: UGC creative is critical
Behavior Audiences, Interest Categories, Interest Keywords: Identify audiences to feed scale campaigns. Bridge volume of a broad and precision of LAL
Lookalikes, Time Zone Targeting, Broad Top Demo: Increase KPI performance
Behavior Audiences: Test video and creator interaction
Interest Keywords: Specific targeting but a limited scale
Time Zone Targeting: Broad targeting with dayparting splits
TikTok Creative Testing Recommendations
TikTok’s A/B testing capability is rapidly evolving, use Facebook Android if you can.
Test only two creatives at a time, due to two split audiences
Broad targeting recommended keeping CPMs low
Each ad set must spend at least $20/day
Split tests to run for 7 days, can be shortened
Optimization for Clicks, Installs, or In-App Events
Bidding: Cost Cap Bidding, Lowest Cost Bid (recommended)
Standard Ads and Spark Ads (Organic) can be tested
Musical iterations can be easily created and tested using the TikTok Video Editor
TikTok Advertising Tactics
App Retargeting
Re-engage users that already have an app installed on their device based on a postback from MMP and then optimize toward specific events. TikTok App Retargeting supports Traffic (CPC) and Conversion (oCPC/oCPM) objectives. For gaming apps, TikTok retargeting can engage and bring back inactive players and improve retention among existing players. E-commerce apps can feature specific promotions and timely products or discounts. Utility apps can re-engage through new services and features.
TikTok Instant Page
According to TikTok For Business, TikTok Instant Page is a “lightweight native landing page within the app that loads up to 11 times faster than standard mobile pages.”
The easy-to-build pages are customizable with videos, images, carousels, and buttons to explore a product or service without leaving TikTok. TikTok reports that optimizing towards conversions that occur on your Instant Page can drive up to 40% lower cost per action. Or, use the TikTok Pixel to enhance delivery optimization on an external site.
Source: TikTok For Business
Diverse Content Drives Results on TikTok
Without deterministic tracking on iOS or effective lookalike audiences, relying on general broad-stroke creative won’t be enough to profitably expand your audience. However, persona-led creative developed around player motivations, preferences, and interests is the key to sustainable user acquisition. In TikTok’s Creative Solutions: The Ultimate How-to Guide their recommendation is clear: “in order to captivate new audiences, the key is to continuously share fresh and diverse content.” With the platform built on a content graph instead of a social graph, “diverse discovery” keeps users “inspired and energized.”
Source: TikTok For Business
Want better results from UGC for Paid Social?
Our industry expertise comes from managing over $3.5 billion in creative and paid social spend for the world’s largest mobile apps and performance advertisers, including Glu, Roblox, Wooga, Zynga, and Skillz. Our proprietary full-stack marketing platform AdRules provides real-time business intelligence and creative research from 3.5 million video ads across social channels.
As the mobile advertising ecosystem has evolved, we have focused on being a reliable source of mobile app industry insights and trends. Our strategic analyses of IDFA loss and media buying automation, along with tactical guidance for user acquisition and creative teams, has helped advertisers remain profitable during an unprecedented era of change. Our industry expertise has earned coverage from CNBC, Forbes, SeekingAlpha, Business Insider, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, Mobile Marketing Magazine, and many more.
Working with a knowledgeable marketing partner that can provide extensive quantitative creative testing ensures you get the best performance from your UGC ads. Email us at sales@consumeracquisition.com to discuss your user acquisition goals.
In this post, we share Google paid search best practices to make the most of your responsive search ad campaigns. By this July, responsive search ads will be the only available ad format for new paid search text ads.
Google Paid Search Best Practices:
Responsive Search Ads
We now offer Paid Search through Brainlabs! Contact us at Sales@ConsumerAcquisition.com to discuss the benefits of adding Paid Search to your marketing mix.
Paid search is a darling of data-driven marketing for good reason: it is a user-initiated opportunity to provide value. For each user query, an advertiser can provide the right answer to a declared need. For example, a unique auction for every search happens 5.6 billion times per day on Google alone. As with everything in digital marketing, all aspects of Paid Search are becoming increasingly more AI-driven. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and other advertising ecosystems continue to enhance automation. Therefore, mastery of Responsive Search Ads (RSA) is a critical capability to drive higher performance.
Similar to Programmatic Dynamic Creative Optimization, Responsive Search Ads use contextual signals to assemble text assets predicted to perform best for each individual user’s search query. Google’s Responsive Search Ads have been around since 2018. Then, they became the default ad format in 2021. And now they will also be the only ad type for new paid search text ads after June 30, 2022.
Benefits of using Responsive Search Ads
Support for 15 headlines and 4 descriptions for a single ad
Adapting to device widths
Tailoring headlines and descriptions to locations
Ability to compete in more auctions and match more queries
Ad text may automatically appear in bold when it matches or closely matches a user’s search query
Enter the maximum number of headlines and descriptions to create combinations that most closely match search queries.
Remember that assets can be shown in any order. So, craft modular copy that makes sense in any combination.
Write headlines in groups as if they would appear together to make the most of combinations.
Include at least one keyword among your headlines.
Make headlines as unique and differentiated from one another as possible.
Ensure one RSA per ad group reaches “Good” or “Excellent” ad strength.
Critical text that should appear in every ad must be pinned to Headline position 1 or 2. Or Description position 1.
Pin headlines or descriptions to control where they appear with the caveat that pinning will reduce possible combinations. Content pinned to Headline position 2 and Description position 2 may not show in every ad.
In regulated industries, pin legal copy to ensure compliance.
If Headlines or Descriptions are flagged as too similar, emphasize different value propositions and different customer/user motivations. Select those that may appeal to your target audience.
Target Each Stage of the Customer Journey
Test and Optimize
Google provides an asset report with KPIs for each ad combination to identify high-performing assets for optimizing your campaign. In addition, a minimum of 3,000 impressions per week and 5000 impressions in the “Google Search: Top” segment over 30 days are optimal to display an accurate rating. Finally, as specific assets emerge as winners, replace low-performing assets with new concepts to test. Brainlabs utilizes a proprietary account structure called D’Artagnan which increases the speed of insight for these metrics.
Consumer Acquisition has been acquired by digital marketing agency Brainlabs in an exciting move to expand our capabilities. In this next stage of growth for Consumer Acquisition, we are thrilled to bring Brainlabs’ strengths in SEO, paid search, and programmatic advertising to our clients. Brainlabs’ portfolio of clients includes Mars, Samsung, Walmart Canada, Formula 1, Adidas, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and F5.
Our methodology for Paid Search is underpinned by the following: restructure, automate, test, and learn. By closely aligning our strategy with your goals, we can work towards whichever KPIs you deem most important. We also stay ahead of the game by constantly focusing on future thinking and innovation. We also leverage our Google GMP Premier Partnership status and proprietary technology stack to deliver industry-leading results for our partners. Contact us to discuss how paid search can help you reach your 2022 marketing goals.
In this post, we will share productivity app creative trends and user motivations, and show you why productive habit tracker ads work.
Productivity App Creative Trends
Why Productive Habit Tracker Ads Work
See what’s working right now for productivity app ad creative
Discover user motivations for using productivity apps
Compare top productivity app creative trends
See successful ad creative from Cozi and Productive, based on Facebook Ad Library and MobileAction
From grammar checks to grocery lists, productivity apps have transformed how efficient we can be at work and at home. While different productivity apps focus on specific user needs, such as to-do lists or calendars, there are universal user motivations for productivity apps that drive their appeal among consumers broadly.
Using our Ad Concept Model, we’ve analyzed creative trends and user motivations for productivity apps. The model creates lanes for a creative team to explore while eliminating unfocused ideation that doesn’t align with target personas, motivations, or trends. Each ad concept model supports 30-50 ideas for each app category by pairing current creative trends with proven user motivations.
Productivity App Creative Trends
AdRules, our proprietary SaaS platform, analyzes 3.5 million videos and is updated daily. Reviewing top competitors in a category provides a broad view of what creative is working right now and what isn’t. Consider these creative trends like fashion – they keep changing and going in and out of style. To identify creative trends, use Facebook Ad Library to see every ad currently running on their ad network. You can also use Mobile Action, SensorTower, or AppAnnie competitor libraries.
Top mobile apps in the productivity space include Todoist, Grammarly, Evernote, Done, Productive Habit Tracker, Structured, Due, Cozi, Notability, Good Notes, IFTTT, TickTick, Trello, To-Do, Fantastical, Any.do, Notion, Airtable, Anylist.
Broad concepts and trends we see for productivity apps include:
App Overview: Overview of key features, combined with screenshots, reviews, user success stats, and more.
Key Feature: Focused on a single feature and its benefit.
Tips & Quizzes: Communicating features or benefits through advice, stats, or quick questions.
Testimonial/UGC: User or independent reviews of the app detailing features and/or benefits.
Visually Compelling: Photography featuring nature or other visually arresting scenes, imagery that leverage product design.
Animated Text: Kinetic typography or motion graphics.
Brand: Leveraging brand message/campaign to build trust and authority.
Competitive/Before & After: Comparing the app against similar apps, methods, processes; Before/After, Old way vs New way.
Productivity App User Motivations
Below, we’ve outlined high-level motivational triggers for a productivity app user. The included motivations are for productivity apps broadly, not a specialized app category such as habit trackers or note-takers.
Organization: Seeking more efficient, clear, and organized processes.
Time-Saving: Wanting to do things more quickly and efficiently.
Aspiration: Interested in self-fulfillment, accomplishment, and satisfaction.
Emotional Benefit: Interested in relieving stress, gaining peace of mind, feeling successful.
Social Proof: Requiring independent assessment, reviews, or testimonials to overcome doubts, objections, and fears.
Design: Attracted to design, synergy, UI, and aesthetics.
Productivity App Creative Trends x User Motivations
We map identified creative trends to user motivations within the category to develop and iterate on different concepts. In the model below, each box represents a different ad creative concept and we’ve included a sample set. Our ad concept matrix supports almost 50 creative concepts for productivity apps by pairing eight trends with six user motivations.
The proposed ad concept model acts as a foundation for an iterative creative process that can be customized and extended to develop endless ad concepts for an app, website, or service. By building a scalable infrastructure for creative ideation, we provide unique lanes for creative teams and media buyers to explore ideas. The model also acts as an archive of knowledge to ensure we are always optimizing what we’ve learned.
Test and Learn
While not all creative trends will work persuasively with each motivation, expand concepts even further by targeting specific personas within each pairing. Integrating performance data, competitive analysis, and UX, you can develop a bespoke creative strategy targeting behaviors, triggers, and preferences through individual concepts.
Productive Habit Tracker, helping people “build a routine of positive, life-changing habits,” is utilizing several creative trends along with specific user motivations. Because Productive uses a subscription model, user motivations for subscription apps are also relevant. See our Ad Concept Model for Subscription services here.
Below are some top-performing ad examples from Facebook Ad Library.
Source: Facebook Ads Library
Why use an Ad Concept Model?
Consumer Acquisition’s Ad Concept Model ensures we always have new creative concepts to stay ahead of creative fatigue. We’ve designed our process so we know what works, why it works, and how to do more of it. From niche to mainstream, our Ad Concept Model means our clients get reliable top-performing creative in the most cost-efficient and scalable way.
Our industry expertise comes from managing over $3.5 billion in creative and paid social spend for the world’s largest mobile apps and performance advertisers, including Glu, Roblox, Wooga, Zynga, and Skillz. Our proprietary full-stack marketing platform AdRules provides real-time business intelligence and creative research from 3.5 million video ads across social channels.
As the mobile advertising ecosystem has evolved, we have focused on being a reliable source of mobile app industry insights and trends. Our strategic analyses of IDFA loss and media buying automation, along with tactical guidance for user acquisition and creative teams, has helped advertisers remain profitable during an unprecedented era of change. Our industry expertise has earned coverage from CNBC, Forbes, SeekingAlpha, Business Insider, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, Mobile Marketing Magazine, and many more.
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