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AdColony App Install Marketing Survey — Q3 2016

The Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey reveals insights from the top 100 grossing app developers, highlighting an increase in app install budgets driven by mobile video and global campaigns. Key trends indicate video ads dominate budget allocations and advertisers express excitement for video formats, as well as a shift towards retargeting and look-alike campaigns. Overall, the report underscores the growing significance of video advertising and effective campaign optimization strategies in the app marketing landscape.

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App Install Marketing Survey Results Q3 2016
The Semi-Annual AdColony App Install Survey 2 Insights, benchmarks and trends from the top 100 grossing app developers #6 6th Iteration Over 3 Years 130 Detailed Questions 65% Survey Response Rate 62% Mobile Game Developers 38% Non-Game App Developers 
 (e.g. entertainment, music, news) $1M+ Total Monthly App Install Budget FORMAT & DATA RESPONDENT PROFILE Based on aggregated market data of top 100 grossing ad spend & install volume.
State of the Market
4 Top 5 Campaign Trends App install budgets continue to increase driven by growth in mobile video & global campaigns. Increase Spend More Video More Geos Partner Consolidation Testing New Channels 73% 75% 77% 81% 89% 78% 68%68% 76% 81% 63% 61% 59% 52% 72% Q1 ‘15 Q3 ‘15 Q3 ‘16 Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
2% Share of Budget 71% Playable Effectiveness 5 The Rise of Playable Excitement 25% Advertisers are impressed & excited about the future of playable ads. Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
6 Video Grows as Social Plateaus Agree Neutral Disagree Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Budgets Shifting to Video Q1 '15 Q3 '15 Q3 '16 Budgets Shifting to Social Q1 '15 Q3 '15 Q3 '16
7 App Install Budget Allocation What % of your budget do you allocate to each app install format you currently use? Video and display ads dominate the majority of app install budget allocation for top publishers. 5% 3% 11% 22% 25% 33% Video (non-social) Social (video & display) Display (non-social) Native & Playable Traditional Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Other
8 Video Prevails in the Feed 34% 66% Rich Media Effectiveness Top mobile advertisers find video to be the most effective in-feed ad placement for their campaigns. Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey 37% 63% Banner Display Effectiveness 13% 88% In-Feed Video Effectiveness
Budget Video Reach FewerPartners NewChannels CLV CPI Social iOS Programmatic Android Interstitials DirectDeals NativeAds Television Display OutofHome Print Radio OfferWalls AppNetowkrs 9 Campaign Shifts in 2016 Compared to last year, my app install campaigns have increased in ______, or shifted more toward ______. Disagree Agree Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
Top App Install Formats
91% 85% 82% 71%71% 64% 58% 38% 33% 25%25% 22% 15%13% 9%9% 11 Top App Install Formats by Usage Video, display, and native ads lead the way. Print App networks Offer walls Television Rich media In-feed video Social display Interstitial display Radio Outdoor Cross promo Playable Native ads Banner Social video Full-screen video Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
12 App Install Budget Allocation by Channel Video, display, and native ads lead the way. Print Radio Offer walls Cross promo Rich media In-feed video Social display Social video Outdoor App networks Playable ads Television Banner Native ads Interstitial display Full-screen video Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey 24.5% 14.8% 10.3%10.1%9.7% 8.8%8.6% 3.0%2.6%2.2% 1.6%1.4%1.4% 0.3%0.2%0.1%
42.3% 25% 19% 6% 4% 2%2% Video Drives Advertiser Excitement 71% of app install marketers are most excited about video advertising in 2017. 13Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Full-Screen Video Playable Ads Social Video In-Feed Video Television Cross Promotion Radio
86% 74% 65% 41%39% 33%33% 29% 26%25% 21% 19% 11% 5% 14 Most Effective App Install Formats Share of advertisers awarding top 2 box responses regarding channel effectiveness at achieving campaign objectives. Offer walls Cross promo Outdoor Television Playable ads Social display Social video Free app networks Rich media Banner Interstitial Native ads In-Feed video Full-screen video Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
Targeting & KPIs What matters to top advertisers
16 Retargeting Campaigns More advertisers find retargeting to be effective in 2016 than in 2015. Retargeting Usage Q1 '15 Q3 '15 Q3 '16 75% 68% 70% How effective are your retargeting campaigns? Very Ineffective Ineffective Neutral Effective Very Effective 37% 33% 11% 17% 2% 5% 36%36% 18% 5% 9% 34%34% 19% 3% Q1 ‘15 Q3 ‘15 Q3 ‘16 Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
17 Look-alike Campaigns Look-alike campaigns continue to be both popular and effective at achieving app install goals. Look-alike Usage Q1 '15 Q3 '15 Q3 '16 93%93% 89% How effective are your look-alike campaigns? Very Ineffective Ineffective Neutral Effective Very Effective 77% 16% 7% 44% 38% 15% 4% 46% 32% 4% 15% 2% Q1 ‘15 Q3 ‘15 Q3 ‘16 Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
Targeting 18 Which targeting parameters are most important & help maximize the performance of your app install campaigns? Geography OS Souce App Gender Look-alike Demographics Age Device # Source Connection Carrier Key Requirement Nice to Have Not Required Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
Social Log-In Positive Review Session Time Tutorial Completion Retention Early IAP 71% 68% 26% 19% 8%6% 73% 83% 33% 25% 3%2% 76% 89% 33% 11% 0% 17% 19 Leading Indicators of High Quality Loyal Users What are early indicators of a high quality loyal user who is likely to monetize via IAP? Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Q1 2015 Q3 2015 Q3 2016
Campaign Optimization Team Size & Optimization Frequency
21 Frequent Campaign Optimization How often does your team review app install campaign results and optimize accordingly? 78% of app install teams optimize their campaigns multiple times a week, if not every single day. 7% 15% 33% 35% 10% Multiple times per day Every day Multiple times per week Once a week Less than once a week Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
22 Campaign Optimization Frequency On average, top UA teams optimizes their campaigns 3.25 times per week. Weekly or Less Every Few Days Daily or More 44% 33% 22% 42% 32% 27% 30% 41% 28% Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Q1 ‘15 Q3 ‘15 Q3 ‘16
App Install Team Size 65% of UA teams have 4 or more people 23 8% 31% 26% 21% 14% Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey 1 (just me) 2 to 3 4 to 5 6 to 9 10 +
24Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Medium Sized App Install Teams Grow in Prominence Teams are running leaner than this time last year, with the the average team having 4 members. 1 2-5 6-9 10+ 8% 31% 47% 14% 18%18% 58% 5% 9% 20% 48% 24% Q1 2015 Q3 2015 Q3 2016
Other CPL CPE CPM CPCV CPC CPA CPI 96% 31% 21% 17%17% 4%3%1% 95% 22% 33% 43% 22% 15% 12% 3% 25 CPI Dominates as Campaign Pricing Model CPA becomes more prevalent as CPM, CPC, and CPCV campaigns fall. Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Q3 ‘15 Q3 ‘16
Budget & Spend Channels & Methods
27 App Install Budget Allocation What % of your budget do you allocate to each app install channel you currently use? Video and display ads dominate the majority of app install budget allocation for top grossing publishers. 5% 3% 11% 32% 48% Video Display Native & Playable Traditional Media Other Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
28 App Install Budget Allocation by Channel Video, display, and native ads lead the way. Print Radio Offer walls Cross Promo Rich media In-feed video Social display Social video Outdoor App networks Playable ads Television Banner Native ads Interstitial display Full-screen video Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey 24.5% 14.8% 10.3%10.1%9.7% 8.8%8.6% 3.0%2.6%2.2% 1.6%1.4%1.4% 0.3%0.2%0.1%
Channel Usage What’s fallen in and out of favor
30 Channel Usage Over Time: Tried & True Video Social Interstitial Display Banner Display 71% 85% 89% 98% 92%92% 97%97% 93% 96%96%98% 86% 90%92% 100% 86% 83% 94% 100% 89% 100% 68% 100% Q1 ‘13 Q3 ‘13 Q2 ’14 Q1 ‘15 Q3 ‘15 Q3 ‘16
31 The Demise of Incentivized Incentivized installs fall out of favor as advertisers continue to focus most on user quality Q1 '13 Q3 '13 Q2 '14 Q1 '15 Q3 '15 Q3 '16 22% 19% 54% 47% 64% 100% 13% 22% 41% 35% 64% 95% Free App Networks Offer Walls Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
Channel Effectiveness What’s working for the top app install marketers
Full Screen Video Social Video In-Feed Video Television 33 Channel Effectiveness: Video Full-screen mobile video remains the most effective format, with television offering mixed results. Least Effective Moderately Uneffective Somewhat Uneffective Neutral Somewhat Effective Moderately Effective Most Effective Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
Social Interstitial Banner Rich Media 34 Channel Effectiveness: Display Display remains moderately effective for app install marketers. Least Effective Moderately Uneffective Somewhat Uneffective Neutral Somewhat Effective Moderately Effective Most Effective Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
Television Out of Home Print Radio 35 Channel Effectiveness: Traditional Media Out of home and television are the most promising traditional media channels for app installs. Least Effective Moderately Uneffective Somewhat Uneffective Neutral Somewhat Effective Moderately Effective Most Effective Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
Native Ads Playable Ads Cross Promo App Networks Offer Walls 36 Channel Effectiveness: Other Formats Native and playable ads prove the most effective for alternative app install channels. Least Effective Moderately Uneffective Somewhat Uneffective Neutral Somewhat Effective Moderately Effective Most Effective Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
Popular & Effective 37 Use Rate vs Effectiveness Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Full-screen video Social video In-Feed video Social display Native ads Interstitial Banner HighUseLowUse More EffectiveLess Effective Less Popular Playable ads Television Outdoor Rich media Cross promo Free app networks Offer walls
Top KPIs What the top app install marketers look for
User Quality Price Volume Level of Service Targeting 39 Top User Acquisition KPIs User quality is the undisputed top KPI for top app install marketers Not important at all Somewhat important Moderately important Very important Most important Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
40 Most Important KPIs Over Time User quality remains most important, with price increasingly on advertisers’ minds User Quality Price Volume Level of Service Targeting 23%25% 38% 45% 87% 14%15% 24%22% 80% 26%26% 30% 39% 85% Q1 2015 Q3 2015 Q3 2016 Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
2% 15% 43% 39% 2015 Q1 41 KPI Importance: Targeting 6% 23% 49% 23% 2016 Q32015 Q3 24% 63% 14% As UA costs rise, targeting rebounds in importance. Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Least Slight Moderate Very Most
2% 13% 54% 30% 2015 Q1 42 KPI Importance: Level of Service 2% 21% 53% 25% 2016 Q32015 Q3 2.1% 13% 70% 15% Service is important to nearly all app install marketers. Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Least Slight Moderate Very Most
17% 57% 26% 2015 Q1 43 KPI Importance: Price 8% 9% 38% 45% 2016 Q32015 Q3 3.4% 12% 63% 22% App install marketers are becoming more price conscious. Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Least Slight Moderate Very Most
2% 13% 54% 30% 2015 Q1 44 KPI Importance: Install Volume 2% 21% 40% 38% 2016 Q32015 Q3 9% 67% 24% Volume is becoming slightly less important as attention shifts to quality. Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Least Slight Moderate Very Most
Looking Forward How campaigns will change in 2017
46 Video Drives Advertiser Excitement 71% of app install marketers are most excited about video advertising in 2017. 2%2% 4% 6% 19% 25% 42% Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey Full-Screen Video Playable Ads Social Video In-Feed Video Television Cross Promotion Radio
Budget Reach NewChannels Video FewerPartners CLV Social CPI Programmatic iOS DirectDeals Native Android Television Display Interstitials OutofHome OfferWalls Print Radio AppNetworks 47 Campaign Projections for 2017 Compared to this year, in 2017 my app install campaigns will increase in ______, or shift more toward ______. Disagree Agree Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey
48 Display Rebounds To better leverage retargeting data, advertisers once again looking to increase display budgets. 10% 2% 4% 8% 11% 0% Q1 ‘13 Q3 ‘13 Q2 ‘14 Q1 ‘15 Q3 ‘15 Q3 ‘16 Source: AdColony Q3 2016 App Install Marketing Survey