Flashy vs Simple Ad Performance


Flashy Vs Simple 1 (1)

Mobile advertising has come a long way since simple banner ads on mobile screens. With the latest creative strategies that aim to enhance the user experience, mobile ads have become more relevant to the audience's expectations. 

Each ad creative has a single goal: to grab users’ attention and drive them to take action, whether that’s installing an app, registering for an account, or making a purchase. But the methods marketers use to reach this goal differ depending on the app category. In this article, we take a deep dive into the application of Flashy and Simple creative designs and offer tips on creating a standout design for your next app marketing campaign. 

Grab Gaming App Users’ Attention with Flashy Ads

Flashy ads work best for social casino and hardcore/midcore games since both genres utilize visual effects to add excitement to the user experience.

Casino resorts try to catch patrons' attention and encourage them to walk through their doors by decorating their building with flashy lights and unique decor. Social casino ad creatives attempt to grab a player’s attention in the same way as those brick-and-mortar casino hotels. 

To engage social casino users, feature the game’s top components like the sound of a jackpot and falling coins, featuring slots, characters, and new features and updates. The creative should never be subtle, but exciting and eye-catching in a way that mimics the famous Las Vegas slot machines. 

UA Flashy Casino 1 (1)   UA Flashy Casino 2 (1)

Hardcore/midcore games also require visuals to grab users’ attention. Make the ad creatives flashy and attractive and convey the atmosphere of the game through the creative design.

Leverage Simple Ads for Non-Gaming Apps

Use simple ad creative design for non-gaming apps such as e-commerce (e.g. food, shopping, travel) apps. Simple ads allow the user to focus on the photos/visuals of the service/food/location and to easily read about the benefits/perks of downloading the app. These ads also lend more integrity to the brand.

RT Simple Dating 1   RT Simple Dating 2

Case Study

To determine the value of Flashy ads for social casino campaigns, we compared the performance of 2 creative designs: one with simple and another with flashy animation. The Flashy creative variant outperformed the static creative ad in all metrics. On the last day of the campaign, cost per install (CPI) of the Flashy ad decreased significantly by 34.05% compared to the first day. Across the campaign, the return on investment (ROI) increased by 58.32%, and the conversion rate (CR) and install rate (IR) also had considerable increases – 50.98% and 28.57% respectively. 

We also ran a reactivation campaign for a dating app for one month. By using simple animations in our creative variants, we hit the advertiser’s key performance indicators (KPIs) – CR increased by 39% and IR grew by 43%. Across the campaign, the cost per reactivation (CPR) decreased by 86.02% and CPI went down by 11.21%.

The Takeaway

The days of “one ad fits all” are over. In order to grab a user’s attention, it is vital to consider category-specific creative designs. 


Topics: Creative Insights