AppLovin: Artificial Intelligence guarding Mobile Marketing, or how to Effectively Promote Mobile Applications using a Neural Network

WakeApp is back with its educational piece for mobile app marketers, “Source of the Month.”

Over the past two decades, mobile applications have become an integral part of our lives, offering us users an incredible range of services to seamlessly exchange ideas, make purchases, monitor health and access entertainment. The growth of the mobile app ecosystem benefits users but makes it difficult for mobile app developers, especially independent developers, to scale and succeed in a crowded market.

Most developers don’t have access to the marketing, monetisation, and data analytics tools they need to stand out among the more than 4.8 million mobile apps available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, nor to attract enough users to create and maintain successful long-term business.

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At WakeApp, we’re always ready to lend a helping hand to novice marketers, partners and specialists in the mobile app promotion market to be aware of the latest GEO trends, traffic sources and promotion features. This time, we would like to introduce our readers to a well-known traffic source and tool specialising in the promotion of mobile applications – AppLovin.

AppLovin is an automated mobile marketing platform which also connects all major RTB (Real Time Bidding) platforms. Founded in 2011, it’s reached over one billion consumers worldwide. AppLovin helps advertisers effectively reach new users on mobile devices and Apple TV and provides intelligent optimisation analytics, allowing advertisers to make effective marketing decisions based on real-time data.

Facts about AppLovin

• Founded in 2011;
• AppLovin includes over 114,000 apps as of 2022;
• User coverage – 1 billion;
• Includes services such as AppDiscovery, MAX, Adjust, AppLovin Exchange, Array, SparkLabs;
• Minimum deposit amount: $100;
• Payment methods: PayPal, credit cards;
• Payment models: CPC, CPM.

What does AppLovin consist of?

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AppLovin consists of a comprehensive set of tools for developers and marketers to find and download their mobile apps to the right users, optimise return on marketing spend, and maximise engagement monetisation.

The AppLovin software platform includes six services:

• AppDiscovery, AppLovin’s marketing software solution, is the cornerstone of its software platform, complemented by its MAX app monetisation service. AppDiscovery is powered by AXON and provides the technology to match advertiser demand with publisher supply through auctions at massive scale and microsecond speeds.
• MAX uses advanced in-app bidding technology that optimises costs by conducting a real-time competitive auction among market players.
• Adjust is AppLovin’s SaaS mobile marketing platform that empowers marketers to make smarter decisions through data measurement, attribution, fraud management and prevention.
• AppLovin Exchange. ALX connects advertisers to more than 2 billion mobile devices and more than 35 million CTV households through a single direct RTB exchange. Marketers, agencies and ATDs can access this massive omnichannel offering through more than 100 DSPs that work with ALX. Inventory is purchased programmatically based on impressions.
• Array is a comprehensive application management package. It provides greatest value to mobile operators and end users
• SparkLabs is a group of experienced AppLovin designers, developers and gamers dedicated to developing a turnkey creative strategy for any brand and product.

How can a marketer use AppLovin?

 To create an ad:

1. Click the announcements tab
2. Select create ad
3. Write the name of your advertising campaign
4. Select the desired application for promotion on IOS or Android
5. Select the category your app belongs to
6. Select the analytics system you will use

7. Select the targeting for your advertising campaigns

8. Add tracking links to third-party services, if necessary

9. Set a budget

• Set the bid type (dynamic CPC or CPI)
• Select goals by installation
• Determine your daily budget

10. Interesting! AppLovin can generate an advertisement for you or give you the opportunity to create it yourself.
11. Upload creatives (videos, banners, etc.). By clicking on the ‘i’ icon, you will receive precise information on the technical requirements for creatives. You also need to fill in additional information, such as title, subtitle, button text, etc.

To view the ad, click on the magnifying glass (magnifying glass icon) when the template has all the necessary resources.

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 Advanced targeting

Advanced targeting is in addition to the targeting on the Edit Goals page in Campaign Settings.

Language targeting

Targeting localised ads will help increase the impact of your campaign.

Country orientation

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This targeting is best used only if language targeting is not suitable for an advertising campaign

Important! Below are advertising recommendations for maximum effectiveness:

• Types of ads. Video ads are recommended to achieve the best results in your campaigns. Image ads are best used as a complement to video to achieve greater effect.
• Creatives must have OS-specific icons (for example, the iTunes store icon for iOS only and the Google Play store icon for Android only) or no icons at all.
• AppLovin does not allow images of the following nature: violence, drug use, or nudity. Ads should also have clear branding and calls to action (e.g., “Download Now,” “Play Now”).

Examples of best practices:

To achieve maximum effect from an advertising campaign, you should have at least 2-3 advertising creatives (concepts). It’s best to update your ads every 2-3 weeks with new creatives. New ads must be uploaded to a new ad set.

Advertising formats in AppLovin:

• Interstitial ads: Full-screen ads that appear between content screens or during natural breaks in the app experience.
• Rewarded video ads: Video ads that offer users a reward, such as in-app currency or an extra life, in exchange for watching the full ad.
• Native ads: Ads that blend in with the app’s content and design, providing a more seamless user experience.
• Banner ads: Smaller ads that appear at the top or bottom of the screen and remain in view while users navigate the app.
• In-app bidding ads: An auction-based approach where multiple demand sources compete for the ad inventory, leading to higher revenue for app developers.

Pros and cons of AppLovin?

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Pros:

• Wide Range of Ad Formats: AppLovin offers a variety of ad formats including interstitial ads, rewarded video ads, native ads, and banners, giving app developers the flexibility and options to monetize their apps.
• Advanced Targeting Options: AppLovin uses user data and machine learning algorithms to optimise ad targeting, increase engagement, and increase ad revenue.
• Strong Partnerships: AppLovin partners with many leading app developers and ad networks, providing access to a large amount of advertising inventory.
• High performance indicators for most verticals.
• You can start advertising from 100 usd

Cons:

• Low level of support.
• Weak control over ad content: App developers using AppLovin do not have full control over the ad content displayed in their apps, which may result in some potential inconsistencies with their brand or values.
• Poor fraud control (as a consequence of the previous point)
• High prices for CPM. AppLovin’s fees for its services are also higher compared to other mobile advertising platforms
• Low level of analytics.

Is it possible to promote Gambling on AppLovin?

Marketers may use AppLovin’s services to display advertisements as long as they strictly comply with country-specific laws, rules or regulations (including any age-related requirements) in the following categories:

• Alcohol;
• Gaming applications or websites, including online and offline lotteries, casinos, sports betting and social casino games;
• Tobacco;
• Financial services, investments, retirement planning, etc.;
• Medical and pharmaceutical products and services, including prescription drugs; and/or
• Cause/problem-based advertising (a type of advertising that involves creating a positive image of a company based on its involvement in solving socially significant problems)

In other words, it is possible to promote igaming industry applications, but you must notify the AppLovin customer service team and obtain approval before attempting to display advertising in one of the categories above through the company’s services.

How is AppLovin used in WakeApp?

AppLovin is one of the 30+ sources that our media buyers use when promoting WakeApp applications.

For many years now at WakeApp we have been using this traffic source for our clients. Our team chose AppDiscovery because AppLovin offers comprehensive turnkey advertising solutions – from analytics and launching advertising campaigns to automatic creative creation.

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AppDiscovery also provides advanced targeting and optimisation features (using machine learning algorithms) that help our media buyers reach the most relevant users for our clients. This helps improve the overall effectiveness of advertising campaigns and increase return on investment (ROI) and reduce marketing costs.

About our guide: Every month, we publish helpful promotion guides where we discuss promotion features in a particular region according to traffic sources and GEO traffic. We also seek to keep our readers up-to-date on tips, as well as restrictions and bans about promoting on certain sources.

Think of it as a mobile marketer’s desktop guide!

About us:  WakeApp is an international mobile marketing agency with 10 years of experience in the market, and is leading the development and promotion of gaming and non-gaming mobile applications in the e-comms, video streaming, food delivery, sport, utilities, and finance verticals. In 2022, WakeApp received The Media Agency of the Year at the SiGMA Asia Awards, and in 2021, WakeApp placed in 5 categories in the 13th edition of the AppsFlyer Performance Index XIII.