Mobile Monday: The Device as its Own Walled Garden, Apple ATT’s Influence Over Ad Dollars, Hyper-casual Shifts to Hybrid-casual
Digital Turbine, AdColony, and Fyber have partnered up to give you the latest news, trends, and developments in the mobile world. This week, Digital Turbine shares how Apple’s influence over the device makes the device itself its own walled garden, AdColony touches on how Apple’s ATT shows the company’s plans for advertising, and Fyber covers hyper-casuals move to hybrid monetization. Check out Mobile Monday for this week’s top mobile stories!
On-Device: The Strongest Wall In The Garden
What if your phone could talk? Smartphones understand and know all our behavior. They are extensions of our bodies and brains. What we do, when we do it, where we are, and who we are with are all encompassed within our phones. And while it may not know why we do something, it still serves as our closest confidant for both the most mundane and most privileged information. Which is why it makes sense for Apple to champion privacy. You want your confidants to keep your secrets. The question is - are their motives genuine or self-serving?
The answer can be a little of both. Digiday’s latest article discusses how Apple’s influence over the device makes the device itself its own walled garden. While other apps on the device have to play by Apple’s rules for tracking transparency, Apple’s products don’t. And that’s the chief benefit of being on-device. Consumers trust what’s in their hands more than what’s on their phone.
So while we get a device that we can trust, Apple ensures that a good amount of the monetization that happens within their garden goes right to their pockets.
Apple’s Endgame with ATT & Advertising
In the past few years, Apple has made some big moves to make a grab for media dollars. While it may not seem obvious at first, one of its biggest moves is through the AppTrackingTransparency framework put into place for iOS14. Digiday gave a breakdown of how ATT lays out Apple’s plans to get a piece of the advertising pie.
While Apple cannot stop app publishers from gaining ad revenue, it did fortify the company’s influence over the App Store. The top apps will want to keep their rankings and will then have to earn opt-ins from consumers and use Apple’s SKAdNetwork for advertising and attribution. In short, if an app relies on advertising revenue, they will have to rely on Apple.
Apple has positioned itself as the brand that priortizes consumer privacy. Following ATT, Apple’s incoming feature Private Relay will render a person’s IP address useless for fingerprinting because it redirects web traffic through two separate servers. Experts believe that these tactics are not just to protect user privacy but to limit advertising outside of the App Store. ATT has allowed Apple to shape which apps are discovered by spotlighting them in the App Store, thus giving them a stronghold on advertising dollars.
Is hybrid monetization the new black?
Newzoo’s Global Mobile Market Report 2021 is out and this year analyzes various key trends facing the mobile market today. One finding is for sure, the mobile gaming market continues to grow and opportunities arise, despite the challenges we have endured so far.
From the onset of the new privacy policies and frameworks, the hyper-casual genre was under scrutiny on whether it would survive the IDFA deprecation. The reason being - the hyper-casual games model is mostly reliant on in-app ads, precise targeting, and high volumes of downloads. Despite the talks of an apocalypse, some publishers already found they would be less affected by the privacy changes, due to the wide appeal of the tap-to-play games. However, innovation, adaptation, and pivots were still made key parts in building long-term growth strategies.
Newzoo reports that this year, due to the tightening of privacy measures, diverse monetization and user acquisition (UA) strategies will be a necessity. This requires developers to take on a hybrid approach to monetization and, most within that defining a new point of symmetry and finding the equilibrium between in-app ads (IAAs), in-app purchases (IAPs), and subscription models to make the strategies effective. For more insights, download the report here!
About Mobile Mondays
Mobile Monday examines the latest news, trends, and developments in mobile apps, tech, and advertising. Do you have a story to share for the next Mobile Monday?
About Fyber
Fyber, part of Digital Turbine’s independent Mobile Growth Platform, develops innovative ad monetization solutions trusted by top mobile game and app publishers. Fyber’s product suite offers publishers a trusted, unconflicted alternative that drives superior results by creating an optimal connection between mobile audiences, top global brands, and mobile-first advertisers across over 40Bn daily ad opportunities. Fyber’s FairBid mediation, Fyber Marketplace, and Offer Wall Edge are all built with performance, scale, and transparency in mind. To dive deeper into how their monetization solutions put app developers first, check out their blog.
About AdColony
AdColony, part of Digital Turbine’s leading independent mobile growth and monetization platform, helps brands, agencies, and apps expand their reach and results with the power of mobile. AdColony is known globally for its award-winning video advertising marketplace, with ad engagement innovations like Instant-Play™, Aurora™ HD Video, Playables, and more. Looking for more insights on apps and mobile games? Find out more on their blog!
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