Over the past year, global mobile apps have experienced rapid growth, with short dramas and AI apps thriving. The industry has transitioned from an exploratory phase to a period of explosive expansion, with both new and established players achieving remarkable success in broadening their global reach.

To support global marketers, SocialPeta has continuously refined and updated its products throughout the year. Notably, we introduced dedicated sections for short dramas and AI, providing more tailored and in-depth services.

Additionally, we have summarized key trends and emerging markets for global marketing in 2024.

In collaboration with Smadex, we are proud to present the Mobile app marketing 2024 whitepaper, offering a data-driven analysis of global market opportunities. The report also features insights from industry leaders at Zorka.Agency, Pushwoosh, Mobupps, Newton, and Trophée.

Key takeaways:

  • Record-breaking creative volume: Over 31.9 million new creatives were launched in Q3, marking a two-year high.
  • Short drama impressions exceed 2 billion: With more than 40,000 creatives, short drama content dominated advertising, garnering over 2 million total collections.
  • Intensified competition in Japan and South Korea: The region experienced the highest year-on-year growth in creatives, with peak competition during the summer vacation period.
  • Rising share of iOS creatives: The proportion of iOS creatives surpassed 40% in 2024, exceeding the total number recorded in previous years.

Average monthly creative growth of 28.7%, reaching a two-year high

Competition among mobile app advertisers has eased, with the average number of advertisers per month declining by approximately 8.9% compared to 2023. However, the volume of creatives has surged, driven primarily by the rapid expansion of leading shopping and short-drama apps. In 2024, the average monthly number of creatives reached 159, reflecting a year-on-year growth of approximately 28.7%.

Global mobile app advertising trends 2024

Source: SocialPeta

The global mobile apps market in 2024 has witnessed new advertising trends. While the total number of advertisers has slightly declined, the volume of new creatives has surged to a two-year high, highlighting advertisers’ growing enthusiasm for content innovation.

Notably, competition among small and medium-sized companies slowed in 2024, particularly in the third quarter, when the proportion of advertisers deploying new creatives dropped to around 79.3%.

However, on a yearly scale, the third quarter saw the highest volume of new creative deployments, with approximately 31.9 million creatives, making it a pivotal period for mobile apps to dominate the global market.

New creatives for global mobile apps in 2024

Source: SocialPeta

In 2024, Temu by Pinduoduo led the market in creative volume, consistently ranking among the top three in monthly advertising rankings throughout the year.

MoboReader, after expanding into short dramas, aggressively scaled up its campaigns, employing a strategy of creative saturation with well-translated, mature dramas, which significantly boosted its reputation.

Other notable companies in the same category included Dianzhong Tech and New Reading.

Meanwhile, Google LLC ranked 20th, deploying advertisements for 138 products, showcasing its extensive reach and diverse product portfolio in advertising.

Top 20 companies by advertising

Source: SocialPeta

2024 has been a year of rapid growth for the global expansion of short dramas, with both established and emerging platforms competing fiercely. The top advertising platforms remain consistent with previous years, including ShortMax, DramaBox, MoboReels, Kalos TV, MiniShorts, and ReelShort. However, several new platforms have entered the scene, such as the highly popular global short drama platform My Drama.

Beyond these key players, many large companies have also joined the competition. For instance, ByteDance launched Melolo, aiming to make a significant impact in the coming year.

Top 20 short drama apps by advertising in 2024

Source: SocialPeta

Even short drama platforms launched by major companies require a substantial amount of high-quality content to achieve widespread popularity. To support this, SocialPeta has compiled a list of the top 10 short dramas of 2024 across regions including Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea.

In both Europe and North America, most of the top-ranked dramas are local productions, with ShortMax’s The divorced billionaire heiress leading the charts, dominating with over 40,000 deduplicated creatives.

Annual popular short drama by advertising

Source: SocialPeta

The billionaire’s divorced granddaughter, a drama specifically produced for the Japanese market, secured third place on the list. In Southeast Asia, translated dramas dominated the rankings, with The world treats me kindly taking the top spot—a localized version of a popular Chinese short drama.

Influencer marketing generates over 100 million impressions, with 70% from North America

Beyond short dramas, this special edition also provides an in-depth analysis of AIGC apps. Part 3 of the report explores global marketing trends across the social, health, and finance sectors.

In North America, app creatives surged to 71.2 million, marking a 31.4% year-on-year growth.

In Part 4 of the report, we present integrated marketing data from key global regions. Focusing on North America, the number of advertisers saw a slight decline in June 2024 but rebounded to over 75K by December. Meanwhile, the volume of app creatives saw significant growth, reaching 71.2 million, a 31.4% year-on-year increase. Notably, in July, the number of deduplicated creatives peaked at over 12 million.

Overall, despite the temporary dip in advertiser numbers, innovation in ad creatives and placement intensity remained strong, reflecting ongoing demand for high-quality advertising content in this market.

Advertising in North America

Source: SocialPeta

Spanning over 80 pages, the report provides an in-depth analysis of five major game genres and key global markets, including the US, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and more. It delivers actionable insights to help companies navigate the global non-gaming mobile app landscape and refine their marketing strategies for improved results.

Download your copy today and stay ahead in this rapidly evolving market.