We’ve talked about how crafting and distributing the best mobile ad for your UA campaign is a tall order. Now let’s take a closer look at the top 10 mobile gaming advertisers to see what insights we can uncover from how they run their campaigns.

The top 10 game advertisers worldwide by iOS in-app ad impressions in June 2023.
The top 10 game advertisers worldwide by iOS in-app ad impressions in June 2023.

The first thing that stands out amongst these advertisers is just how consistently prevalent they are across the board. Among the the top 10 advertisers on iOS:

  • The average game used 11.6 ad networks and 2,471 unique ad creatives
  • The median game used 12 ad networks and 1921 unique ad creatives
  • 9 of the top 10 games used 10+ ad networks
  • All 10 of the games used 9+ ad networks
  • 8 of the top 10 games used 1,000+ unique ad creatives

From A/B testing, to creating targeted ads for various personas and markets, to avoiding creative fatigue, the top advertisers highlight that even established games should be using a vast portfolio of creatives for their UA campaigns. They also consistently spread their campaigns across a dozen ad networks, and that’s not even factoring in the additional DSPs many are using as the model continues to grow in popularity.

The top 10 game advertisers worldwide by Google Play in-app ad impressions in June 2023.
The top 10 game advertisers worldwide by Google Play in-app ad impressions in June 2023.

We also see a similar story play out amongst the top 10 advertisers on Google Play, but at an ever so slightly smaller rate:

  • The average game used 10 ad networks and 1969 unique ad creatives
  • The median game used 11 ad networks and 1644 unique ad creatives
  • 7 of the top 10 games used 10+ ad networks
  • All 10 of the games used 4+ ad networks
  • 7 of the top 10 games used 1,000+ unique ad creatives

Video Reigns Supreme, But Some Games Specialize in Other Formats

What held true in overall advertising trends also holds true for the top gaming advertisers: video is the dominant format and is still on the rise. Across the top 10 iOS game advertisers we saw on average that 60% of creatives came from video, 11% from images, 4% from playables, and 25% from banners. Most of the distributions looked like this, specializing in a format while making sure to have some ads for each format:

Over 80% of the Viking Rise creatives were videos.
Over 80% of the Viking Rise creatives were videos.

6 of the top 10 games had the majority of their creatives as videos, and every game had at least 28% of their creatives coming from video. The other four had their largest volume coming from banners, ranging from 42% to 62%.

Even a game like Coin Master that predominantly advertises via banners still had over a third of its creatives as videos.
Even a game like Coin Master that predominantly advertises via banners still had over a third of its creatives as videos.
Gaming ads often focus on showcasing features in a way that inspire confidence in your abilities to play well.

In our advertising trends article we also discussed how video ads for games tend to quickly showcase the functionality of their games, including some form of humorous failure that you might have been smart enough to avoid if you were playing, and that’s generally the case amongst most game creatives. Something that is informative, enticing, and yet comforting in the way it gives confidence. Though these ad types are ubiquitous, gaming companies also have to have a variety of video creatives to reach audiences, including examples showing a sad dog to attempt re-engagement or where someone just speaks directly to you to explain why they like the game. These videos are often in a style reminiscent of TikTok.

Another common ad variation has someone speaking directly to the camera about why you would like the game, in a style reminiscent of TikTok.

There’s a very wide range of styles when it comes to images since so much information needs to be communicated without being able to change the visuals up. Color schemes, amount and placement of text, and calls to action shift depending on what would work best for that audience.  That’s why it’s important to look at which ads the games are running in different countries in order to see which ones might be most effective for your game.

The top image creatives have a wide variety of styles.

Next Steps for Upleveling Your Own Marketing Strategy

Keeping up to date on mobile advertising trends can help you learn a lot about what’s going on in the market and how to use that information to improve your own mobile UA strategy. It’s a complicated process that involves working with several ad networks and DSPs, which is why it helps to keep an eye on what industry leaders are up to in order to help you allocate your resources efficiently. For other mobile marketing tips and tricks, check out some of our other related content: