Influencer marketing, eCPM analysis, brand advertising trends | TBOF newsletter #2

Hey there! Welcome to the latest edition of Chartboost’s The Business of Fun newsletter. 

We’ve curated some great topics for you, so strap on your wetsuit and let’s dive right in. 🏊

Read: How to leverage the power of influencers for mobile game UA 

Partnering with an influencer can be a highly effective way to introduce your game to a new audience, build brand awareness, and drive revenue. 

Have you been considering it but don’t know where to start?

This comprehensive guide covers the building blocks of successful influencer campaigns. This six-step process includes tips for working with social media influencers, a breakdown of five types of influencers, and examples of other companies that have successfully executed campaigns.

🪄 Learn to play-fluence here.

Listen: Creating a world-class monetization strategy plus 2023’s must-have UA skills 

In episode 2 of The Business of Fun podcast, the panel offers insider insights on a range of mobile game user acquisition topics:

• Is cohort revenue back? 
• Will CPIs increase in 2023?
• How do you measure the success of creatives when you don’t have a ton of data?

Esther Shatz, VP of Product Marketing and Consultancy at mavens, Mark Avidan, Director of UA at Zynga, and Antti Paikkala, Head of Marketing at Small Giant Games discuss it all, from the recent trend of shifting back to self-attributing networks to the skills required of a UA pro in the field. Learn about the new SKAdNetwork 4.0 improvements, how to leverage creative skills, and more. 

There’s something for everyone, so tune in if you’re in UA and subscribe to hear all future episodes.

🎧 Get your ears ready and listen here.

Bookmark #1: The mobile eCPM report for Q1 2023

Appodeal recently released an interesting report on eCPMs by country for rewarded ads, interstitials, and banners on both iOS and Android. 

Not only does it provide data on the current eCPM trends for different ad formats in various countries, it can also help you plan your ad monetization and UA strategy.

These insights show where ad pricing for each format is headed in your top markets so you can identify opportunities. 

📊 Click through for the full interactive report. 

‍Bookmark #2: The state of new creatives in Q1 2023

SocialPeta recently published a research report on the state of mobile game marketing in Q1 2023. There were someparticularly interesting findings around creatives:

• Roughly 92% of mobile game advertisers introduced new creative in the quarter
• There were around 7.8 million new creatives used by mobile game advertisers in the quarter, accounting for 67% of all creatives used during the period
• The percentage of new creatives out of all total creatives used has increased by more than 10% over the past year, indicating that advertisers are using more new creatives than ever before

These trends suggest that advertisers are beginning to recognize the importance of creatives in mobile game UA, especially in the wake of seismic shifts in the UA landscape.

Creating high-quality creatives that are tailored to the audience you want to acquire is crucial. If you missed it, be sure to read our note on mastering creative expertise.

📖 Read the full report here. 

‍Bookmark #3: Gameloft research on brand advertising in mobile games 

Gameloft recently published a cool deck about brand advertising in mobile games. 

Although it’s geared toward brand CMOs, everyone on a game monetization team should check it out to understand the logic and reasoning behind the growing trend of brands spending more on in-game advertising.

Skim the deck to familiarize yourself with how brands view advertising in games so you can better position your inventory to attract brand demand sources in your monetization strategy. 

The analysis in the deck is especially insightful. Gameloft created a quality score that compares desktop, mobile web, and in-game advertising based on factors such as ad viewability, ad perception, view time, and ad engagement. 

It’s particularly interesting that in-game advertising scored significantly higher than mobile web and desktop ads, which explains why brand CMOs are directing more ad spend towards mobile games. 

Plus, with everyone playing games, the audience is already built in. 😉

📖 Give the report a read; it’s definitely insightful.

Well, that’s all for this edition of The Business of Fun. Remember, there’s always something new to learn and apply to stay ahead in the industry. So keep analyzing and optimizing your strategies. 

See you again when next edition drops — coming soon!