Brand Advertising, High Impact Creatives
Mobile advertising has come a long way from in-app banners to incorporating immersive experiences that captivate and convert. Within the arsenal of modern advertising formats, playable ads stand out for their engagement and innovation. These ads transform potential customers from passive observers to active participants, drawing them in with interactivity that blurs the boundaries between ad and game.
Once upon a time, playable ads were exclusive to mobile games. It’s easy to see why this is effective: Gaming apps are essentially giving users a free sample. Playables give gamers the opportunity to test a game out before committing to a download, ensuring that acquisitions are limited to consumers who like–and are, therefore, likely to continue to play–the advertised game.
As mobile apps have evolved and matured, non-gaming apps have learned a lot from the successful gaming sector. These days, more and more non-gaming apps incorporate elements of gamification, including in-app rewards, streaks, leaderboards, and more, to improve their “stickiness” and increase the likelihood that users will reopen the app day after day.
Think about the calorie-counting app that rewards users for logging meals every day or the language app that awards points for completing lessons that can be used to upgrade avatars or add special features. Streaks – rewards for opening an app for several consecutive days – have become a popular element because whether it’s in Snapchat or your favorite meditation app, no one wants to break a streak, even if the only reward is a dopamine hit.
In this context, the principles of gamification—so effectively employed by apps like Duolingo, Fitbit, and SnapChat—can go beyond the app and extend into playable ads that attract and convert users with remarkable efficiency.
To understand the allure of both gamification and playable ads, it helps to learn about the psychology of play. We don’t think about it often, but play is actually a fundamental human activity. It has multiple benefits for the brain, including relieving stress, boosting creativity, and helping to prevent memory loss.
A study by Front Psychol suggested that ‘moderate’ gamers of all ages experience an improved sense of well-being, positive emotions, and emotional stability. The study also recognized that “Intrinsically interesting activities that evoke intense concentration and enjoyment have been described as creating flow or optimal engagement and experience.”
This state of engagement is what makes games so addictive and effective. Play is driven by intrinsic motivations. By tapping into these motivations, gamification can transform something mundane into a rewarding experience. Apps that leverage gamification to drive engagement can tap into the same gamer motivations to create successful ads for user acquisition.
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Read it now!Start with a hook.
The first few seconds can make or break a playable ad. Pique curiosity with an intriguing introduction that invites the user to take action. Communicate the value of your app immediately through engaging and eye-catching content. In a real-world example, a recent successful ad for a top shopping app invited users to create outfits with trendy clothes that were available in their store.
Simplify the experience.
The most engaging playable ads are intuitive and easy to navigate. Users should understand the mechanics within seconds. This simplicity doesn’t mean the experience should be dull, but it does need to be streamlined. The gamified elements of your app are probably simple; your playable ad should be equally straightforward. For a language learning app, this could be a quick vocabulary quiz with fun reactions for right and wrong answers.
Offer instant gratification.
With respect to that last example, a key element of gamification is instant feedback. Users should immediately feel a sense of achievement. Include elements that provide instant gratification in your playable–even if it’s as simple as a thumbs-up for a correct answer. A little virtual high-five or motivational message will satisfy those gamer motivations!
Highlight core features.
Your playable ad should serve as a microcosm of your app, showcasing its most compelling features. This involves a careful balance: Give consumers enough of a sample to pique their interest and encourage them to download, but not so much that they’re overwhelmed. Playable ads shouldn’t require more than a few words of basic instruction.
Create a narrative.
People are wired to respond to stories. A narrative gives context to the actions within the playable ad, making the experience more engaging. Consider crafting a short narrative that aligns with your app’s purpose. For example, a project management app could make a game out of ticking off tasks during a harried worker’s day. The ad creative could showcase the sleek look and simplicity of the app’s interface, and reward users with a virtual coffee after three tasks have been completed, offering that pop of dopamine that gamers seek.
Like all digital ads, the success of a playable ad is measured by engagement with the creative, conversion rates (whether you’re tracking leads, sales, downloads, or something else), and ultimately, the long-term (or lifetime) value of those users or customers. And, as with other interactive formats, you’ll want to track how users interact with your ad and where they drop off to gain insight into what works and what doesn’t, so you can optimize and improve performance moving forward.
It’s also important to measure the behavior of customers or users acquired through your playable ads. Are they more engaged? Do they show higher retention rates? These are important metrics for assessing the true impact of your gamified ad strategy.
Playable ads represent an opportunity to create a new kind of brand experience. By extending the principles of gamification from your app into interactive ads, brands can create deeply engaging, memorable, and effective advertising touchpoints. This approach attracts users while nurturing a sense of connection and loyalty from the very first interaction.
Competition for valuable (and waning) consumer attention is fierce in almost every vertical, and the power of play can be a game-changer (pun intended). By introducing ads that are both seen and experienced, brands can tap into intrinsic human motivations—curiosity, mastery, and the joy of discovery. So why not bring a little joy into advertising? Playable ads have the potential to be high-performing and fun.
