Mobile gaming recorded a skyrocketing growth in 2021, especially with the impact of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Under such circumstance, companies like Applovin, Chartboost, and iResearch have given their perspectives on the industry trends in 2022, which we will share at the end of the article.
It is also worth mentioning that according to the 2021 mobile game industry white paper recently released by SocialPeta, 2021 had nearly 65k mobile game advertisers, North America remained Top 1 with a total of over 41K mobile game advertisers, up 18.72% YoY.
With these increasing statistics, the global mobile marketing competition became increasingly difficult. So as a marketing data analysis tool serving the mobile game industry for almost 10 years, SocialPeta reveals everything you need to know about winning in the mobile game market in this report, the mobile game advertising statistics in 2021, creative trends & tips, and marketing trend predictions to ensure you have the best.
2021 Mobile game advertising market review
Ad Market Statistics
There was a significant slowdown in the number of game advertisers in 2021 compared to 2020. Emphatically, SociaPeta recorded a 5% growth rate, in-game advertisers, in 2021 as compared to the 44% growth rate in 2020.
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The average duration of creatives is 32.5 days, which increased by 87.9% in 2021. The reason for this is that advertising data shows that classic materials are more popular in the market.
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# 5.6M video ads creatives were placed in 2021, a 73% increase over 2020. Video creatives have become the mainstream of game advertising as a result of the constant upgrading of mobile devices, 5G networks and the development of the mobile technologies.
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Casual games had the most advertisers, with more than 18k. Also, RPG games had the most significant number of creatives, with a total number of more than 6.6M.
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Ad cost statistics
The CPM of mobile games on the meta platform increased by 34% in 2021. Also, the average CPM of mobile games in the U.S. exceeded $28, and this value equals a 93% increase over the average stat of 2020. The average CTR of mobile games is 1.28%, a YoY decrease of 29%.
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What’s more? Find out in SocialPeta’s 2021 global mobile game marketing & advertising whitepaper. To access this free full-packed data, visit SocialPeta 2021 Global Mobile Game White Paper now.
Tips for creating high-performing ad creatives for mobile games
Undoubtedly, standing out in the mobile game market can be a daunting task. Many advertisers are on an endless search to make their ads stand out.
To ensure you have the best in 2022, let us examine the characteristics of mobile game advertising creatives in 2021.
Hardcore SLG games tried to lighten the creatives
Most SLG advertisers added light elements such as casual or puzzle to their creatives. Advertisers implemented this strategy to acquire casual game players, reducing the overall UA cost.
Although, the retention of casual game players is not good. However, some advertisers are determined to use this strategy for long-term game operation, unceasing users’ acquisition, and lowering advertising costs.
Real people and real stories in RPG advertising
RPG advertising featured real people and real stories. Advertisers implemented this strategy to increase their credibility.
Celebrity endorsement
Aside from acquiring game users via creatives, it can be more promising to work with celebrities. These individuals have a fan base and audience loyalty converted to get people to download games.
For instance, in 2021, the famous football star Cristiano Ronaldo endorsed free fire. Cristiano Ronaldo comes to life in the free-fire Chrono, which significantly increased game download.
Mid-core Casual Games Produced Female-oriented Advertising Creative
Match-3 + X games and simulation games are mid-core games played mainly through females. Therefore, advertisers create creatives that relate stories from the feminine perspective.
Many advertisers make creatives that tell stories of female players’ ridiculous things in real life. For instance, creatives emphasize a broken relationship, heart, makeup, and more.
The creatives are strategically created to show how miserable the heroines’ lives are, which will make players feel sorry and want to download the game to save them.
Simplify content to reduce cognitive costs for casual games
The average viewing time of simple game ads is 4.2s. Advertisers display gameplay directly in ads which enable players to understand the game. Among others, vertical screenplay and one-handed operation show the convenience of the game, which cater to the preferences of casual game players. Here are some standard gameplay creative types:
Mobile game marketing trends prediction for 2022
Knowing the right audience will foster market success
Marketers who want to make the most of mobile gaming in 2022 will develop strategies based on a thorough understanding of their target customers and how their ads are performing.
In other words, they’ll analyze campaign effectiveness against concrete indicators rather than proxy metrics and employ artificially intelligent systems like SocialPeta to gather the data they need to adjust in-flight. Marketers will alter their strategies in this way to guarantee that they are optimizing their spend allocation, driving incremental performance, and offering consistent relevance for mobile gamers.
Ad Analysis Will Be Important in 2022
The mobile game market is becoming fierce. It is similar to a wrestling contest that whosoever wins dominate. Similarly, marketers need a data-driven strategy that can thrive over their competitors.
Advertising creatives are the key to mobile game UA success
It is not easy to produce the best advertising creatives for mobile games. However, the place of these creatives in target markets will be a priority.
SocialPeta’s notable partners expressed their perspective on this point:
User privacy is more important than ever. Due to the limitations of the SKAN, advertisers will put more effort into the production and optimization of advertising creatives. —— Chartboost
How to connect products with ad creatives? How do you tell stories of creative ads to attract more users and cater to their tastes? Those are the key questions to solve before winning the competition of creative ads. ———— Moonton
Marketing tools will help marketers get more opportunities for their app growth
MarTech and Creator Economies are Gold Mines for Marketers. According to a statement by Katie Jansen, AppLovin Chief Marketing Officer, marketers’ toolboxes have been forever changed and expanded as we emerge from the pandemic and live in a vibrant creator economy world. Consumer behaviors, particularly their use of apps on mobile devices to conveniently conduct and enjoy all aspects of life, coupled with the proliferation of content creation platforms, create more significant opportunities for marketers to more efficiently monetize and market to defined, engaged audiences.
Final Thoughts
Every contest winner works their place to victory. Similarly, the global mobile game market is becoming competitive day after day. However, advertisers that know how to play their cards well are the ones that will generate skyrocketing results.
Interestingly, you have within your fingertips information that is needed to thrive in this mobile game market. Implement them well, and, indeed, you will have the best of experience.
Moreover, downloading the full SocialPeta 2021 Global Mobile Game White Paper will give you a full scope of what has been discussed and access to more data.
