Top Mobile Ad Creative Trends in 2023

In the ever-evolving mobile advertising landscape, several new trends have emerged in 2023, revolutionizing the way advertisers engage with their audience. Based on insightful reports from industry-leading organizations AppLovin SparkLabs and Liftoff, here are the significant ad creative trends shaping 2023.

Engagement Through Customization

According to AppLovin SparkLabs, customization has proven to be a powerful strategy for enhancing user engagement. Customizable aspects of a mobile ad, such as characters, items, or environments, invite users to participate interactively. The inclusion of an additional element such as a timer or a budget constraint escalates the sense of urgency and challenge, further augmenting user engagement.

Classic Games and Puzzles: The Return of Familiar Fun

Despite the plethora of innovative game mechanics, classic games and puzzles maintain a strong foothold in the industry. Their simplicity, intuitiveness, and nostalgic appeal continue to resonate with users, leading to increased participation and engagement.

Dramatic Narrative: Capturing Attention

Creating an immersive experience through a dramatic narrative is another effective strategy endorsed by AppLovin SparkLabs. An intriguing storyline, especially with characters in precarious situations, engages users and elicits interactive progression.

The Impact of Real-Time Feedback

Incorporating human or anthropomorphized characters reacting to gameplay or story evolution establishes a stronger bond with users. Adding a character to an app lacking one enhances user engagement significantly more than overloading it with gameplay mechanics.

Voiceover Messaging: A Layer of Immersion

Voiceovers add a new layer of engagement, enriching the user experience with additional information and emotions. To achieve this, the voiceover content should complement rather than merely reiterate the visual narrative.

Seasonal Creatives: Invoking Festivity

AppLovin SparkLabs also highlight the effectiveness of recognizable seasonal or holiday elements in mobile ads. These elements invoke festive feelings, and with small creative adjustments to match the season, audience, or channel, the campaign assets' lifespan extends.

Ad Creativity across Different Verticals

Turning to the 2023 Liftoff Mobile Ad Creative Index Report, it offers valuable insights into the performance of different ad formats across various verticals - namely gaming, entertainment, e-commerce, finance, and dating & social.

• Gaming: Playable ads provide cost-effectiveness in driving installs.
• Entertainment: Native ads are the optimal choice for both iOS and Android platforms.
• E-commerce: Banner ads offer the best CPA and an impressive ITA rate.
• Finance: Banner ads are the most beneficial for finance apps.
• Dating & Social: Interstitial ads offer the highest Day 7 ROAS.

Liftoff also emphasizes the necessity of adapting to the dynamic macroeconomic environment, such as handling inflationary pressures, growth slowdowns, and changes in privacy compliance. Ad creativity plays a critical role in attracting new users, with five revenue-driving trends being extended ad experiences, playables beyond gaming, gaming motivations, long-form video ads, and user-generated content ads.