The mobile app industry has exploded in popularity over the past several years, generating billions in revenue each year. For app developers and marketers, however, it is more difficult than ever to attract a large audience of players. This, of course, is due to the increased competition and the sheer number of apps that are developed and released each day. To get people to play the mobile games, many developers and marketers are relying on advertising.
To make getting new players easier than ever, Google has announced a new ad option that will allow people to try the game without installing it. The “Search Trial Run Ads” are being rolled out over the next several weeks and will target only Android devices (obviously).
When a user clicks the ‘Try Now’ button the game will pop up right in their browser and they will be allowed to play it for up to ten minutes. This will give users the ability to see if they like the game before actually installing the app. This is a great way to market paid games that people may otherwise be hesitant to purchase. It can also be used for free games that are looking to build a large audience.
The new app formats were announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
You can see how the ad will look and feel in this animation from Google:
