A playable ad for a mobile game: the install rate rose 73%, and each install got 38% cheaper
Static ad images on TikTok and Facebook wore out within 3–5 days. I built a playable ad: a 5–10 second HTML5 mini-level with the game's real mechanics. People try the game before installing it, and more of those who install it go on to pay.
Static ads wore out in 3–5 days, and every new campaign cost more than the last one.
The studio promoted a casual game through ads on TikTok, Facebook and IronSource. The first days went well: an install cost $1.85, and the install rate was 2.1%. After 3–5 days the ads wore out. The click-through rate halved, the cost per install rose above $3, and the campaign had to be paused while new static banners were made.
The second problem was casual players. Someone saw a static screenshot of the game, installed it, played for 30 seconds and deleted it. No more than 0.8% of those who installed started paying. The marketing team wanted to try playable ads, but the studio had no web developer with experience in HTML5 game graphics.
An HTML5 mini-level that works in five ad networks at once
- A Cocos2d-js mini-game on HTML5 Canvas: a 5–10 second piece of the game's first level with the real mechanics
- Versions for five ad networks: Facebook (Playable SDK), TikTok, IronSource, AppLovin and Unity Ads. Each network has its own way of showing the install button and reporting statistics
- Variants for comparison tests: 3 different openings to hook the viewer in the first second, 3 win scenarios and 2 difficulty levels. One codebase can produce up to 18 variants
- The install button appears after the first action: the player plays for 3–5 seconds, taps or swipes as prompted, and only then sees the button. People who had played in the ad later became paying users four times as often
- Compression with Webpack and Terser: the final file is under 5 MB, as the ad platforms require, with all assets built in and no requests to outside servers
What it's built with
What changed after switching from static ads
In the first month, 8 of the 18 possible variants were built and launched for five ad networks. Each one is a self-contained file under 5 MB. Once the base is ready, a new variant can be uploaded to the ad account within 24 hours of the brief.
Who else can use this approach
- Mobile games on iOS and Android: as in this case, to make installs cheaper and bring in players who are genuinely interested in the game
- Education apps: a short interactive version of a lesson right in the ad
- Finance apps and any app where simplicity sells: a playable ad shows in action how easy it is to transfer money or open a card
- Online stores: a "build your own set" game or a short quiz before purchase
- Landing pages: an interactive block on the first screen, so people can try the product right on the page
The first test variant reaches the ad account 5–7 working days after the brief. Prices start at ₽350,000 for one variant and at ₽900,000 for a series of 8 or more variants for five networks.
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