DeltaDNA CEO Mark Robinson and VentureBeat’s own Dean Takahashi discuss what kind of F2P ad monetization works — and, as importantly, what doesn’t. This interactive web-based presentation is available for immediate perusal right now.
Access the webinar for free right here.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1853549,"post_type":"vbwebinar","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"bots,business,commerce,dev,entrepreneur,games,marketing,mobile,","session":"D"}']Ads are essential to the free-to-play game economy: Up to 50 percent of overall game revenue generated is through ads. That percentage shows no sign of dropping—and that’s actually got developers worried.
In our recent webinar, “The secrets to successful F2P ad monetization,” DeltaDNA CEO Mark Robinson and VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi chatted about some of the biggest concerns from developers looking to monetize their games — plus the best ways to overcome those fears, leverage in-app purchases and advertising flawlessly, and stop leaving money on the table.
DeltaDNA surveyed over 100 game developers, and the findings were clear, if a little grim: while hands-down the best strategy for F2P monetization is ad-based, developers are overwhelmingly holding back, handicapped by the conventional wisdom that says ads always have an adverse effect on player retention.
“Concern about engagement is so strong,” Robinson says, “that developers would prefer to take a cautious approach—quite correctly—without the evidence to support a more aggressive approach and make sure that engagement is not impacted by ads.”
If you don’t think about ad serving in an intelligent way, Takahashi notes, it can definitely interrupt the player’s experience, jar them out of the game and keep them away, preventing games from ever realizing their revenue potential.
How to get gamers to play for keeps? Analytics.
Developers, Robinson says, need to start thinking about how ads, in-app purchases, and engagement all live together within the free-to-play environment. And to balance these competing aspects of gameplay, a developer needs to rely on data.
A sophisticated advertising strategy combines personalization with monetization in order to deliver responsive experiences and keep players in the game.
[aditude-amp id="medium1" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1853549,"post_type":"vbwebinar","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"bots,business,commerce,dev,entrepreneur,games,marketing,mobile,","session":"D"}']
Here’s how to play the numbers.
- Segment early, segment often. Sophisticated segmentation gives you the most important data you’ll use in your advertising strategy. And when you tag players early, via behavior analytics, predictive modeling, and event data to see if they’re purchase- or ad-responsive, you can launch highly-targeted ad strategies right out of the gate — far earlier than is common, and with much greater return, sooner.
- Use analytics to find the sweet spot. Density, placement, and style of ads can make or break retention. That balance is tricky (and why most developers are so cautious in their approach). But knowing which ads, when to serve them, and where to put them lets you personalize the game experience on the fly and maximize your ad potential.
- Don’t go all-or nothing. Think of your game as a marketplace: focus on integrating monetization strategies as a joined-up component of gameplay, not the sole purpose of your game. Balancing ads with in-app purchases based on what a player needs, and when, lets you maximize monetization and retention.
- Most importantly: Start at the beginning. While the game is still on the drawing board, engagement, free-to-play mechanics, and in-app purchase and ad strategies should be designed right alongside gameplay, so that these essential pieces are built into the entire experience — not intrusive, player-irritating afterthoughts.
The good news is that player attitudes are starting to shift, with free-to-play gamers beginning to understand that they need to give something back to the developer.
“Consumers are starting to realize you can’t have something for free,” Robinson says, “or the next set of games is in jeopardy.”
For more in-depth discussion on how analytics impacts monetization, check out our webinar, “The secrets to successful F2P ad monetization.”
[aditude-amp id="medium2" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1853549,"post_type":"vbwebinar","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"bots,business,commerce,dev,entrepreneur,games,marketing,mobile,","session":"D"}']
Don’t miss out!
Watch on demand for free right here.
By attending this webinar, you’ll:
- Discover the brand-new insights generated from this survey
- Find out the strategies that successful games are using to monetize
- Learn what games are doing in different genres and with different player types, from indie to major
- Learn how to balance and improve player retention, monetization, and game ratings using intelligent player targeting, powered by deep data
- Get a free copy of deltaDNA’s report “An in-depth study of Free-to-Play (F2P) in-game advertising in Mobile Games”
Speakers:
Mark Robinson, CEO, deltaDNA
Dean Takahashi, Lead writer, GamesBeat
[aditude-amp id="medium3" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1853549,"post_type":"vbwebinar","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"bots,business,commerce,dev,entrepreneur,games,marketing,mobile,","session":"D"}']
Moderator:
Wendy Schuchart, Analyst, VentureBeat
This webinar is sponsored by deltaDNA.