The AdColony teams recent study looks into how app publishers are spending their app install marketing budgets.

The meteoric growth in mobile app usage has bred major competition in the marketplace. Creating a stellar app is just the beginning for developers. With millions of apps in the Google Play and App Stores, developers need a customized user acquisition strategy to not only attract an initial audience, but also, maintain user growth over time. Over the past few years, app install marketing and advertising have become a priority for mobile publishers and their budgets.

In a recent report, AppsFlyer revealed that global app install ad spend is expected to grow from $57.8bn (£46.3bn) in 2019 to $118bn in 2022. With huge numbers behind app install marketing, how exactly would these budgets and resources be used? To find out, AdColony recently surveyed marketers at top-grossing mobile app publishers, and the results are now available in the latest edition of the AdColony App Install Marketing Survey.

The AdColony App Install Marketing Survey was distributed globally and garnered responses from more than 120 app developers. The survey asked respondents 38 questions regarding their strategies and results for user acquisition. Topics include budget allocation, most effective methods, and UA campaign plans for 2020. This study provides insights, benchmarks, and trends from marketers regarding their strategies and results for user acquisition. Read on for the top takeaways from the survey.

Highlights from the Study
Video gets the biggest budget. According to app install marketers, video accounts for 42 per cent of all campaign spend (on average). Additionally, the top channels for budget allocation are full-screen video (18 per cent), in-feed video (10 per cent), and social video (8 per cent).

Offer walls and CTV/OTT are falling out of favor. 18 per cent of respondents said they would focus more on offer walls in 2020, while only 12 per cent of app install marketers said they would shift toward campaigns on CTV and OTT.

App install teams are busier than ever and becoming more efficient. Compared to our 2017 survey’s results, UA teams of 10 or more have actually gone down by 8 per cent. However, on average, these teams localize for seven languages and optimize campaigns five times per week. Although teams are smaller, they are still maintaining or increasing efficiency when managing campaigns.

Full-screen video is the top choice. In addition to receiving the highest average budget, this channel is seen as the most effective (55 per cent) and garners the most excitement from advertisers (30 per cent).

Price is most important when evaluating performance. The majority of respondents (71 per cent) said price (CPI, CPC, CPCV, etc.) was the most important factor when evaluating an ad network and UA campaigns. Other highly-rated factors are quality of acquired users, volume, targeting capabilities, and level of service from the ad network.

You can download the full report here.

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