Digital Turbine Inc.

10/17/2021 | News release | Archived content

Mobile Monday: The Effects of Apple’s Privacy Changes, In-game Advertising’s Untapped Potential, Mobile Time Spent on the Rise

Mobile Monday

Digital Turbine, AdColony, and Fyber have partnered up to give you the latest news, trends, and developments in the mobile world. This week, Digital Turbine touches on how Apple's privacy changes have affected its ad business, AdColony covers research on what brands know about in-game advertising, and Fyber shares that daily time spent on mobile is on the rise… again! Check out Mobile Monday for this week's top stories!

Your Playground, Your Rules

For anyone who has watched the Netflix series "Squid Game", it's a cold, hard reality that if you want to play games on someone else's playground, you need to follow their rules. And in many cases, those rules are going to favor the host. And that's what the Financial Times profiles about the effects of Apple's privacy changes : a startling 58% of all ad-to-app downloads on iPhones are from Apple's homegrown ad platform. That's up from 17% last year. And of course, that ends up being money in their pockets - with predictions saying they will be a $20 billion ad business in 3 years.

This is all happening while overall ad spend has tilted towards Android (the article notes that the split used to be 50/50 but now is 70/30 in favor of Android advertising). But privacy changes for Android phones are coming - sooner rather than later - that will return the balance back to where it was. And once that occurs, Apple stands to gain even more.

Critics claim that Apple is using the guise of being a "consumer privacy champion" to be self-serving and build their own interests. But both things can be true. Consumers want privacy on their phones. As the phone OS, Apple has the ability to grant that. And that's why having influence over the phone is what will give rise to the best ad platforms in terms of efficacy once all these industry changes shake themselves out.

Do Brands Really Understand In-game Advertising?

Those of us in the gaming world know that brands and advertisers have barely scratched the surface when it comes to in-game advertising. Gaming media, especially on mobile platforms, have the potential to reach billions of engaged consumers. In-play advertising platform Admix conducted a study among media buyers to get some insight into what brands know about the gaming market and their plans for advertising in the space. According to their research, 81% of media buyers plan to either maintain or increase in-game advertising spend over the next 12 months, with 93% intending to run some form of in-game advertising by 2025. The main driver of growth is the advanced infrastructure built into in-game advertising. Programmatic options, third-party verification for performance, and increased in-game inventory were cited as the key drivers by advertisers.

Although a majority of media buyers see the value in in-game advertising, there are still significant barriers to entry. A fifth of media buyers said a lack of understanding was preventing them from investing in the medium, while 31% consider it a grey area. These results indicate a need for education on in-game opportunities and ad formats. With the right tools (AdColony and Fyber's blogs are a good start!), brands could learn a great deal about the endless possibilities of advertising in mobile games.

Users are spending more time than ever before on their mobile devices

Daily time spent on mobile is on the rise… again with App Annie reporting all new heights reached in Q3 2021. Despite the pandemic's lockdown restrictions gradually lifting in many parts of the world, users are still hooked to screen time on their mobile devices. Indonesia takes the global with users spending a whopping 5.5 hours a day on mobile apps. Back in 2019, eMarketer shared that the average time spent per day with a smartphone in the US was 2.5 hours. Fast forward to today, and the average has reached a new high of 4.2 hours. This is a notable trend in the UK, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, and more.

Wondering to which apps these users flocked to? TikTok announced its 1 billion active users milestone and has claimed the spot of one of the most downloaded apps in Q3 2021. Joined by the 'usual suspects' - Facebook, Whatsapp, and Telegram. Video conferencing tools Zoom and Microsoft Teams, which made social distancing more endurable, are also at the top.

Let's move on to explore the gaming landscape behind all this data. eMarketer also noted time spent on mobile games increased by 9 minutes per day in the US in 2021. Along with time spent in mobile apps, App Annie analyzed downloads, consumer spend, and MAU as their metrics in building these charts. Outfit7's awaited sequel My Talking Angela 2, a virtual pet game, has been recorded as the top breakout in mobile gaming. Hypercasual game Count Masters is also sweeping the download charts in the UK, France, and Germany. ROBLOX takes the #1 spot in the United States.

About Mobile Mondays
Mobile Monday examines the latest news, trends, and developments in mobile apps, tech, and advertising. Do you have a story to share for the next Mobile Monday?

About FyberFyber, part of Digital Turbine's independent Mobile Growth Platform, develops innovative ad monetization solutions trusted by top mobile game and app publishers. Fyber's product suite offers publishers a trusted, unconflicted alternative that drives superior results by creating an optimal connection between mobile audiences, top global brands, and mobile-first advertisers across over 40Bn daily ad opportunities. Fyber's FairBid mediation, Fyber Marketplace, and Offer Wall Edge are all built with performance, scale, and transparency in mind. To dive deeper into how their monetization solutions put app developers first, check out their blog.

About AdColonyAdColony, part of Digital Turbine's leading independent mobile growth and monetization platform, helps brands, agencies, and apps expand their reach and results with the power of mobile. AdColony is known globally for its award-winning video advertising marketplace, with ad engagement innovations like Instant-Play™, Aurora™ HD Video, Playables, and more. Looking for more insights on apps and mobile games? Find out more on their blog!

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