![Food for thought](https://americanmarketer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Thanksgiving-2.jpg)
By Dale Carr To keep holiday gatherings peaceful and happy, there is a rule in my house: we do not discuss politics. With the recent United States presidential elections still fresh, this rule is especially well timed and relevant. Instead, as friends and family gather around the table for the ritual of the Thanksgiving feast, conversations will undoubtedly turn to popular and safe topics such as what is on our mobile devices. Game on There is no shortage of fresh applications, new mobile games and wearables to try, which got me thinking about what I always think about: keeping apps lean, profitable, and not overstuffed with ads. In fact, the very same concerns are on the minds of free-to-play mobile game makers. Game analytics company deltaDNA recently published results from its survey of mobile game professionals where respondents expressed various concerns about in-app mobile advertising frequency. The show of concern is in many ways a positive indicator that mobile app developers and publishers care about their players, and are trying to strike the right balance between earning revenue from their free-to-play game and keeping their valuable players happy. According to the study, 36 percent of those surveyed fear that a high frequency of in-app ads could result in less player engagement, while more than a quarter of respondents cited lower levels of player enjoyment as a concern. Players leaving the app – aka churn – and potential loss of in-app purchase revenue made the list, at 14 percent and 6 percent, respectively. The survey focused on ad frequency, an important parameter to consider when allowing ads inside the app experience. Yet being responsible with ad frequency and setting appropriate caps is not the only factor in creating a balanced user experience. For app developers, taking a deeper look into ad format options and integrating the best match for their app will also go a long way toward keeping users engaged, happy, loyal and alleviating many of these concerns. Extending engagement The best of both worlds is to allow an ad format that is discreet enough to blend in, but powerful enough to earn attention from your high-quality players and perform their job. Native ads come in a variety of ad formats, from video ads to rewarded video ads, and even static display. Native simply refers to the elegant placement of the ad within an app, so that it complements the app environment by matching its look and feel, fits the game flow, and does not cover important screen space, block or prevent an action, or further disrupt a player by popping-up unexpectedly. Since native ads are designed to be a bit more passive in nature, genuinely interested players will engage with the ad on their terms and, therefore, yield higher conversions and fewer accidental clicks. This kind of quality is great for your advertiser partners and your bottom line.
Laying on the spread
Dale Carr is founder/CEO of Leadbolt