Advertising

The report presents a comprehensive analysis of mobile ad creative performance across four key app verticals—gaming, e‑commerce, finance, and entertainment—for the period January 1 2023 to January 1 2024. Using 602 billion impressions, 49.4 billion clicks, and 144 million installs, the study benchmarks cost‑per‑install (CPI), install‑to‑action (ITA) rates, and day‑7 return on ad spend (ROAS) by ad format (banner, native, interstitial, playable, video). Gaming ads that include video or playable elements achieve over 20‑fold higher install likelihood than banner ads, while native remains the most cost‑effective format at $1.80 CPI on average. In e‑commerce, native and banner ads drive the highest ITA rates (>30 %) and lowest CPAs ($2.57–$3.23), whereas video ads incur higher costs, especially on iOS. Finance apps see the lowest overall CPI ($1.84–$5.93) but exhibit a pronounced platform split, with iOS costs exceeding $5 for most formats; native and video ads outperform others in ITI conversion (up to 16×). Entertainment apps benefit from banner and native formats, with CPI ranging $2.79–$6.00, while video and interstitial ads are markedly more expensive on iOS.

Methodologically, the report aggregates data from Liftoff’s Creative Studio and GameRefinery teams, supplemented by a survey of over 500 app marketers. It highlights emerging creative trends: generative AI for rapid asset creation, optimized user‑generated content (UGC) with interactive elements, minigames and leaderboards for gaming acquisition, and longer immersive ad formats (45‑second videos and triple‑page ads) that drive higher engagement. The findings underscore the importance of platform‑specific optimization, format selection based on vertical and performance goals, and leveraging AI tools to scale creative production while maintaining authenticity.

The analysis outlines global mobile game advertising trends for 2024, drawing on a database of over 1.6 billion ad creatives from more than 70 countries and 80 media channels, including Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Unity, and WeChat. Monthly active mobile game advertisers peaked at 70 k in June, with a total of 63.5 k average for the year and a steady decline in new advertisers to below 7 % after August. Conversely, the proportion of advertisers releasing new creatives rose from 52.7 % in early 2024 to an expected 55 % in the second half, with new creatives comprising roughly 65 % of total ads.

Genre‑level data show casual games experienced a 3 % YoY drop, while casino titles grew over 10 %. RPGs and puzzle games remained stable. The top twenty global mobile titles by ad spend include “Pesta Ludo,” “Monopoly GO!,” and “Block Blast! Hungry.” In the minigame segment, WeChat’s market reached RMB 60 billion in 2023, with over 400 k developers and a user base averaging one hour of play per day; the most successful minigames are predominantly RPG/SLG hybrids.

Marketing patterns differ by region: Asia‑Pacific campaigns focus on pre‑registration and new‑release periods, whereas Europe and America emphasize stable‑period creatives. The most anticipated minigames for H2 2024, such as “Capybara Go!” and “Bacon’s Revenge,” demonstrate high daily revenue projections (over USD 600 k) and rely on video‑heavy, localized creative strategies across Meta platforms and YouTube. The report’s methodology relies on real‑time scraping of ad creatives, monthly activity metrics, and genre classification to provide actionable insights for advertisers seeking to optimize spend in a tightening competitive landscape.

Global consumer spending on mobile applications reached a record $45 billion in the first quarter of 2024, reflecting a 9.5% year‑over‑year increase that was largely driven by the iOS ecosystem, which grew 11.5% versus a 5.3% rise on Google Play. Despite this surge in spend, total app downloads fell 3.5%, marking the third consecutive quarterly decline since Q1 2021; nevertheless, iOS maintained its highest quarterly download volume since 2020. Entertainment and productivity categories led the spend growth, each expanding over 30% YoY, while gaming spending rebounded on iOS but remained flat on Google Play.

Hyper‑casual games continued to dominate the download landscape, with racing and action titles generating the largest volumes. Conversely, casual sub‑genres such as arcade and simulation experienced double‑digit declines. TikTok remained the top spender globally, generating more than $1.2 billion in revenue and outpacing YouTube by a wide margin, while emerging short‑form drama apps—ReelShort, DramaBox, and ShortMax—entered the top ten for both revenue and download growth. In mobile gaming, “Monopoly GO” set a new quarterly spend record of $770 million, surpassing the previous $765 million benchmark and standing alone as a title to exceed $600 million in a single quarter.

Retail‑media advertising in the United States was led by Walmart and Target, which together delivered over 18 billion impressions in Q1 2024. Specialized retailers such as Chewy and Home Depot captured significant niche shares, with personal care emerging as the top category overall—driven by Ulta and Sephora. Walmart dominated food, beverages, and consumer packaged goods, while Target excelled in shopping, household supplies, and baby & toddler segments. Co‑branded partnerships—including Chewy × Purina, Walmart × Unilever, and Target × Apple—generated hundreds of millions of impressions, underscoring the strategic value of retailer‑brand collaborations in expanding digital ad reach.

The Japanese mobile gaming market is characterized by a conservative but highly specialized marketing landscape, where local companies maintain a dominant revenue position. Analysis of data from 2023 reveals that Japan’s share of advertisers using new creatives (62.23%) and the overall volume of new creatives (29.77%) sit significantly below global averages. Despite this lower turnover, the market remains lucrative, with Japanese firms controlling nine of the top ten spots for revenue on the App Store. Chinese developers represent the most significant foreign presence, accounting for 30% of the top 100 grossing titles.

Marketing strategies in the region rely heavily on cultural integration and long-term player retention. Key findings highlight the importance of pre-registration campaigns, which utilize tiered rewards ranging from in-game currency to physical prizes like consoles. Anniversary and half-anniversary celebrations are critical milestones used to reactivate lapsed users and boost revenue through exclusive content. Furthermore, cross-industry collaborations with popular anime, film, and music IPs serve as a primary driver for market expansion and community engagement.

Creative trends are distinctively localized, featuring "over-exposure" visual filters, text-heavy layouts, and manga-style storyboards. Video ads are the dominant format, making up nearly 70% of mobile game creatives. Recent successful campaigns, such as those for Legend of Mushroom and Saint Seiya: Legend of Justice, demonstrate the effectiveness of using local celebrity endorsements, nostalgic IP elements, and AI-generated imagery to target specific demographics like the "Otaku" segment.

The data, compiled by SocialPeta, draws from a global database of 1.4 billion ad creatives across 70 countries and 70 ad channels, including Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. While casual and puzzle games lead in advertiser volume, RPGs remain the highest-grossing genre, accounting for 32% of the top 100 revenue-generating games on Google Play.

The 2024 performance marketing landscape for PC and console gaming is defined by a strategic shift toward high-engagement platforms and the integration of first-party data to combat rising acquisition costs. Meta and YouTube remain the dominant forces in media planning, appearing in 75% and 44% of campaigns respectively, while Twitch has emerged as the conversion leader with a 12% success rate. This recovery period is marked by a rebound in free-to-play retention to 46% and a significant evolution in platform utility. Notably, Reddit has transformed into a high-value retention hub following an overhaul of its advertising infrastructure, and Twitter (X) continues to serve as the primary conduit for reaching the PlayStation demographic.

The industry is increasingly moving toward automation and data-driven targeting to optimize creative assets and audience reach. AI-driven tools such as Google’s Performance Max and TikTok’s Performance Automation are becoming standard, while the utilization of first-party data has proven critical, yielding conversion lifts of up to 63% in Meta-based campaigns. These technological advancements are complemented by the continued growth of influencer marketing, which currently outperforms traditional ad networks with a 4.25% conversion rate and a robust 38.95% Day 7 retention rate.

Despite the effectiveness of creator-led activations, the sector faces logistical hurdles regarding contracting, key distribution, and return-on-investment analysis. To mitigate these complexities, marketers are adopting sophisticated attribution tools to unify performance metrics across paid media and influencer channels. This holistic approach allows for a more precise understanding of player behavior and engagement across the global PC and console segments, ensuring that marketing spend is directed toward the most authentic and high-retention audience segments.

The United States mobile gaming market maintained its position as a global leader in advertising activity during the first half of 2024. While the region ranks first globally in the total volume of app advertisers, it holds the second position for ad impressions, trailing only Southeast Asia. Despite this high ranking, the market shows signs of maturation and consolidation. The number of active advertisers grew by a marginal 0.25% year-over-year, while the proportion of new advertisers entering the space saw a significant decline of 29%. Similarly, while total ad purchases increased slightly by 0.46%, the volume of new ad creatives decreased by 12%, suggesting a shift toward established players and proven assets.

Shifts in genre performance and creative strategy define the current landscape. Puzzle games have overtaken Match games to claim the top spot in ad impression rankings, while the Sports and Shooting genres experienced the most rapid growth, rising six and four places respectively. Conversely, Hypercasual games saw a decline in impression share. Video ads remain the dominant creative format across all major genres, particularly in the Match category where they account for 87% of the ad mix. Playable ads remain a niche but specialized tool, utilized in 13% of Hypercasual campaigns compared to just 1% for Role-Playing Games.

Campaign longevity varies significantly by genre, reflecting different monetization and retention strategies. Sports games feature the most enduring campaigns, averaging 47 days, whereas Role-Playing Game campaigns typically run for only 23.6 days. To navigate this competitive environment, publishers are increasingly moving away from pure Hypercasual models toward Hybrid-casual structures, utilizing intelligent bidding and Target ROAS strategies to balance user acquisition costs with long-term profitability. This data, collected between the second half of 2023 and the first half of 2024, indicates that success in the U.S. market now requires a data-driven approach focused on retention and optimized media buying across both major platforms and programmatic SDK networks.

The mobile app industry demonstrated significant resilience throughout 2023, characterized by a global advertising spend of $362 billion and a late-year surge in installations. While the landscape faced challenges such as rising acquisition costs and evolving privacy regulations, the fintech and e-commerce sectors emerged as primary growth engines. Fintech experienced a 42% increase in installs and a 118% surge in in-app revenue, while e-commerce saw a 43% year-over-year rise in installs alongside a 34% increase in revenue. These sectors successfully optimized their acquisition strategies, with banking eCPIs falling from $2.33 to $1.37, allowing marketers to achieve rapid returns on investment within the first week of user acquisition.

The gaming sector navigated a more complex trajectory, ending the year with a 2% annual decline in installs despite a notable recovery in the fourth quarter. This rebound was driven by a 7% year-over-year growth in installs and the emergence of the hybrid casual genre. Although overall gaming sessions dipped, specific subverticals like racing and simulation saw dramatic install spikes of 61% and 53%, respectively. Global gaming stickiness remained stable at 20%, and high-engagement genres like RPG and adventure continued to command strong lifetime value, even as broader retention rates across the mobile ecosystem faced downward pressure.

Future industry success depends on the strategic integration of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to enhance personalization and automate complex workflows. To achieve sustained growth in 2024 and beyond, developers must diversify their media mixes by expanding into emerging channels like Connected TV and adopting holistic measurement frameworks. By combining incrementality testing with media mix modeling, stakeholders can better navigate the shift toward privacy-centric marketing while capitalizing on the high-potential returns offered by the global mobile marketplace.

The analysis focuses on contemporary marketing dynamics within the global mobile gaming sector, emphasizing how creative diversification and platform targeting shape user acquisition performance. In the third quarter of 2023, a leading animal‑themed strategy‑lite game launched by a major publisher introduced an extensive creative slate, deploying 6,500 distinct ad assets across major ad networks. Notably, 85 % of these assets were brand‑new, reflecting a deliberate strategy to refresh visual and messaging elements at scale. This high proportion of novel creatives aligns with broader industry observations that frequent creative turnover mitigates ad fatigue and sustains click‑through rates in highly competitive markets.

The data underscores the importance of deduplication processes in large‑scale campaigns, ensuring that each impression reaches a unique audience segment while preserving measurement integrity. By tracking deduplicated impressions, the campaign achieved a more accurate assessment of reach and cost efficiency, revealing that fresh creative assets can improve cost‑per‑install (CPI) benchmarks by up to 12 % compared with static creative pools. These findings suggest that investment in creative production pipelines and rapid iteration cycles yields measurable returns, especially for mid‑core titles competing for attention in saturated regions such as North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Overall, the evidence points to a shifting paradigm where creative volume and novelty become critical levers for growth in the mobile gaming ecosystem. Publishers that integrate systematic creative testing, maintain high rates of new asset introduction, and employ rigorous deduplication are better positioned to optimize acquisition spend, extend campaign longevity, and capture incremental market share across diverse geographic territories during the 2023 fiscal period.

Global mobile game marketing reached a pivotal turning point in the second quarter of 2023, characterized by a record-breaking surge in creative volume. Over 9.3 million new creatives entered the market, representing nearly three-quarters of all active advertisements. While casual games maintained the largest share of advertisers at over 30%, RPG and Casino genres experienced the most aggressive growth in creative output. Geographically, Southeast Asia emerged as a primary hub for advertising density, leading the world in monthly creatives per advertiser, while the Middle East solidified its status as a high-growth market where strategy games command significant revenue shares.

The industry is increasingly adopting "Casual + X" hybrid models and integrating AI-generated content, ASMR, and short-video memes to mitigate rising user acquisition costs. Financial data reveals a stark contrast in installation costs between platforms, with iOS casual game installs costing $2.23 compared to $0.63 on Android, yet both platforms achieved a comparable seven-day return on ad spend of approximately 7.7%. This parity suggests that despite higher upfront costs, the quality of users on premium platforms remains consistent with broader market performance.

Market leaders like Honkai: Star Rail and MONOPOLY GO! demonstrated the efficacy of high-frequency creative refreshes, with new assets comprising over 60% of their total advertising portfolios. These titles leveraged distinct psychological hooks, ranging from influencer-driven user-generated content to social-casual mechanics, to achieve rapid global penetration. Notably, these aggressive marketing strategies allowed Honkai: Star Rail to surpass Genshin Impact in overseas revenue during the quarter, signaling a shift toward more dynamic, content-heavy advertising cycles across the global mobile landscape.

This analysis examines the global mobile economy and digital advertising landscape throughout 2022 and into early 2023, utilizing proprietary market intelligence data from the App Store and Google Play. While global app installs have slowed following the initial pandemic surge, they remain significantly above 2019 levels. Mobile games continue to be the primary driver of downloads globally, exceeding 50 billion installs in 2022, though the utilities category has recently emerged as a significant growth leader, particularly in emerging markets like India.

A major shift occurred in 2022 as global consumer spending on mobile games declined for the first time, falling to $79 billion. This downturn was particularly pronounced on Android devices, which saw a 7 percent revenue drop driven by high inflation and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Japan experienced the most significant contraction, with game revenue falling by $3.2 billion. Conversely, the entertainment category has become a primary engine for revenue growth, with spending on apps like TikTok, HBO Max, and Disney+ reaching record highs. In the United States, entertainment spending doubled compared to 2019 levels, while in Japan, a manga reader app became the top-grossing title for the first time, displacing traditional gaming leaders.

The digital advertising sector reached $28 billion across North America and major European markets in the fourth quarter of 2022. While established platforms like Facebook maintain the largest market share, TikTok has emerged as the fastest-growing ad channel, recording a 60 percent quarterly increase in U.S. ad spend. Facing headwinds from Apple’s privacy changes and reduced marketing budgets, many developers are pivoting toward subscription models and diversified monetization strategies. Looking forward, the reopening of China and the high smartphone penetration growth in Africa are identified as critical factors for the next phase of global mobile adoption.

The analysis evaluates how the mobile ecosystem and digital advertising evolved through 2022 and projects future dynamics, using Sensor Tower’s App Store and Google Play data, quarterly download and revenue estimates, and ad‑spend figures from North America and major European markets. It frames the mobile economy as still expanding beyond pre‑COVID levels while noting a slowdown in install growth, with India, the United States, Brazil and Indonesia leading global downloads and emerging markets such as Africa poised for rapid gains as smartphone penetration rises.

Mobile games retained dominance, accounting for over 50 billion downloads and generating roughly $79 billion in revenue, yet 2022 marked the first year of year‑over‑year revenue decline, driven by reduced spending in the United States, Japan and other major economies. Utilities—particularly VPN apps in India—became the fastest‑growing category, while Turkey showed the sharpest adoption increase but faced inflation‑driven limits on consumer spend. Venture‑capital funding contracted, raising concerns about the emergence of new app disruptors, and Android revenue fell 30 percent year‑over‑year, contrasted with a modest 1 percent iOS growth.

Spending patterns shifted as entertainment apps eclipsed social networking in the United States, with TikTok, HBO Max and Disney+ leading a surge that doubled 2019 levels and made entertainment revenue twice that of the next‑largest non‑game category. In Japan, a manga‑reader app topped overall gross revenue for the first time, highlighting diversification beyond games.

The mobile gaming landscape experienced a notable shift in monetization and user acquisition patterns between 2022 and the first half of 2023. In-app purchase (IAP) activity demonstrated robust growth across both major mobile operating systems, with Android and Apple platforms recording increases of 23% and 24%, respectively. This upward trend in monetization suggests a resilient consumer base despite broader economic fluctuations within the mobile app ecosystem.

Geographic distribution of installs remained relatively stable on Android, with India, Brazil, and the United States maintaining their positions as the top three markets. Conversely, the iOS landscape underwent more significant regional changes, as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany gained prominence, displacing China and Saudi Arabia from the top five rankings. These shifts highlight the evolving importance of Western markets for iOS-based mobile game developers.

Ad network performance also saw a realignment in competitive dominance. On Android, Google Ads ascended to the top position for total installs in the first half of 2023, while Meta entered the top five. On iOS, AppLovin reclaimed the leading position, and Meta secured a top-five spot, reflecting a dynamic advertising environment where major platforms continue to vie for market share.

This analysis relies on anonymized data aggregated by Tenjin from January 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. The findings are restricted to ad networks and countries that achieved a minimum threshold of 25 million installs, ensuring that the reported trends represent significant market activity. By tracking these metrics, the data provides a clear view of the shifting priorities and regional focus areas for mobile publishers navigating the transition toward hybrid monetization models.