Video Is a Top Choice for App Install Advertising

Marketers running app install campaigns certainly have no shortage of options when it comes to allocating their budgets.

But new data from AdColony found that mobile app developers worldwide were directing the majority of their install marketing budgets to video.

When added together, various types of video made up 61% of app install budget allocation in fall 2017.

Most of that—30%—was directed toward full-screen video, while 24% of app install ad spending went to social video. In-feed video accounted for substantially less than either of those, at 7%.

There's a good reason for app advertisers to focus their budgets on video. AdColony's survey found that social video was considered one of the top two most effective app install channels by a little more than eight in 10 respondents.

Full-screen video was not far behind, named by more than three-quarters of respondents as a topmost ad channel in terms of efficacy.

AdColony also found that app advertisers are increasingly experimenting with playable ads. In Q4 2017, advertisers earmarked 6% of budgets for the format, up from 4% in Q1 of this year, and 2% in Q3 2016.

That finding builds on data the company released earlier this year, which showed that mobile users in Europe and North America deemed playable ads the second most acceptable type of ad format, behind only rewarded videos. It makes sense, then, that app marketers are increasing their playable ad allocations in response.