Optimization techniques and advantages of splash screen ads!

Whether it is a general giant APP or a specific vertical APP, embedded advertising is almost the most common profit model.

Among all forms of embedded advertising, splash screen advertising is probably one of the more important and cannot be ignored. Most apps that develop advertising monetization will consider trying it first. Therefore, I feel it is necessary to talk about it separately so that media partners can better understand the design and optimization ideas of splash screen ads, tap into the monetization potential of splash screen ads, and obtain the maximum eCPM.

Advantages of splash screen ads

Splash screen ads refer to full-screen or non-full-screen ads that appear when the APP starts loading. According to CTR's "2019 China Advertiser Marketing Trends Survey Report", splash screen ads are the third most popular type of ads among advertisers after influencer/public account soft-text ads and information flow ads . The reason is inseparable from its unique marketing value and advantages——

1) High exposure

Mandatory opening screen advertising push can be implemented for all users of the APP. Therefore, the exposure rate of splash screen ads can be said to be the highest among all mobile advertising forms . The advantage of almost 100% exposure and reach means that more advertisers with demands for product promotion, new product launches, large-scale event promotion, etc. will inevitably regard splash screen ads as a necessary marketing standard, so it has great monetization advantages and value.

2) Excellent location

People tend to be impressed by the first thing they see. The splash screen ads are located at the unique position of the "first entrance" to the APP, which can quickly capture the user's "first glance" attention, thereby greatly enhancing brand exposure, improving brand memory and trust; at the same time, it can also bring more substantial monetization benefits to the media . In addition, the location of the splash screen ad is exclusive and is not interfered with by any other content or ads, so the audience's attention will be more focused and the impression of the ad will be more profound.

3) Visual impact

Splash screen ads are usually displayed in full screen or (more than) half screen. For brand owners, a large display area can not only display rich brand/product information, but also bring strong visual impact to users through large-scale advertisements, thereby increasing advertising attention and click-through rate. According to the "2018 China Mobile Internet User Behavior Insight Report" released by InMobi, compared with other forms of advertising, users pay the most attention to splash screen ads, which can reach 61.1%; other data show that the average click-through rate of splash screen ads can be as high as 5%, or even higher .

4) Easy to accept

Splash screen ads appear during the startup phase when users open the APP, minimizing interference with users' normal use. At the same time, since it is a more "friendly" interruption, users are more accepting of it, thus achieving a better balance between media advertising monetization and user experience .

Optimization ideas for splash screen ads

1) Try a variety of styles

Splash screen ads can be displayed in various styles such as single image/large image, multiple images, dynamic images, videos, etc. Based on Meishu’s advertising monetization experience, it is recommended that traffic owners give priority to large high-definition images to increase the visual impact and appeal of the ads, while bringing better monetization results . In addition, splash screen ads in video format can carry richer brand content and communicate with users more efficiently. Compared with splash screen ads in picture format, their click-through rate can be increased by 30%-60%, and bring higher eCPM to the media . However, it is recommended that the display duration of the splash screen video ad should not be too long. Generally, 5 seconds is a more appropriate time, and the longest time should not exceed 15 seconds.

2) Try multiple sizes

The splash screen ad can be full screen or non-full screen, and the APP can set it according to the characteristics of its own platform. According to Meishu's experience in monetizing splash screen ads, full-screen exposure and click-through rates are usually better . If it is not full-screen, in order to obtain better monetization effects, it is recommended that the splash screen ad display area should be no less than 75% of the overall screen . In addition, 640*960 and 720*1280 are common splash screen ad size settings with ideal delivery effects.

3) Choose ads that match the tone of the app

Based on the APP's tone, interface style, user attributes, etc., we select advertisers in highly relevant categories and their advertising content, thereby improving the effectiveness of advertising (high target audience matching) while making users more receptive to advertising without damaging the APP's tone and image . For example, the splash screen ads of 2D apps can incorporate some personalized, youthful, and trendy elements (including buzzwords, 2D images, etc.); the splash screen ads of learning apps should preferably avoid ads for games, beauty and weight loss, etc.

4) Support DeepLink

It is best for splash screen ads to support click-to-jump (Deeplink) technology to meet the advertising needs of more types of advertisers such as e-commerce (direct access to the purchase interface) and games (download APP), while improving media competitive advantages and monetization revenue. At the same time, in order to guide jumps and stimulate conversions, it is best to add call-to-action elements to the screen , such as "view details", "click to learn", "grab red envelopes now", etc., to increase users' sense of urgency and motivation, bring higher clicks and conversions to the brand, and improve media monetization effectiveness and benefits.

5) It is best to set a "skip" button

Splash screen ads cause startup delays for users. Therefore, it is best to add a "skip" button to avoid affecting the user experience of non-target audiences and making them resist advertisements and apps . At the same time, the "skip" function can be used to filter out unintended audiences so that advertising can be optimized and redirected later. In addition, the "Skip" button should not be set inside the main image area of ​​the splash screen ad to avoid users clicking on it by mistake. You can consider placing it in the upper right corner, lower right corner, etc.

6) Control the frequency of ad exposure

Users may open the app multiple times a day. However, if advertisements are pushed to the user every time the user uses the app, or even the same advertisement is pushed to the user, not only will the monetization value generated by a single user decrease, but it may also cause user aesthetic fatigue and even user loss. Therefore, Meishujun recommends that the media reasonably control the exposure frequency of splash screen ads (including the number of times the same user sees the same brand’s splash screen ads, and the number of times the same user sees all splash screen ads within the same user cycle) to maximize advertising effectiveness and user acceptance.

Some innovative ways to use splash screen ads (case studies)

Embedding splash screen ads is a must for almost every APP. So, in a market environment where splash screen ads are everywhere and users are becoming increasingly accustomed to them, how can media outlets make their own splash screen ads more attractive and effective?

Continuously innovating the styles and methods of splash screen ads may provide new inspiration and solutions for the media to play with splash screen ads. for example--

Case 1: Toutiao upgraded its “Toutiao Dazzling Screen” advertisement

In 2019, Toutiao, Xigua Video, Tencent Video, and iQiyi Video all launched a new splash screen advertising style with a somewhat similar gameplay - that is, through the seamless linkage and combination of splash screen video + focus picture video/information flow video, the advertising information can be presented more completely and smoothly, meeting the brand's dual demands for product effect from "strong exposure" to "deep reach"; at the same time, with the help of the highly immersive and cool interpretation form from the vertical screen of the splash screen to the horizontal screen of the homepage, from short time to long time, the advertising effect of 1+1>2 is achieved, maximizing the monetization value of the splash screen advertising.

Recently, Toutiao has once again let creativity break through imagination, and through the innovative "dual image flow" style, it has unlocked a new way to play the opening screen advertising - that is, through the combination of "full-screen large image + column small image" of the dazzling screen, in the form of seamless connection after the two pictures are flipped, find an interesting way to attract user attention and interaction, and then in the specific creative content production stage, based on deep insights into the target users, personalize the copy content to convey important brand information and cognition. For example, Xilinmen Mattress combines the background of "stay-at-home life" during the current epidemic with a "question-and-answer" dual-image flow to display the content of the dazzling screen picture - that is, the screen opens with an intuitive question "You've been staying at home for a long vacation, how is your waist and back?" to awaken users' attention to their own health; then enter the homepage to lead to the promotional information in the information flow picture "How to stay at home and lie down freely, it's time to change to a good mattress." By perfectly matching the previous and subsequent content, it successfully attracts more user interest and clicks (Figure 1). In addition, as shown in Figure 2/3, the suspenseful and reversal dual-image flow gameplay are used to make brand marketing more interesting and effective, while also doubling the exposure effect of the splash screen advertisement.

(Figure 1 Question and answer format)

(Figure 2 Suspense style)

(Figure 3 Reversal type)

It can be said that there are tens of millions of ways to play with the "dual image flow" of dazzling screen pictures, and different industries can create unique creative ways of playing based on industry attributes. This creates more unlimited possibilities for brand marketing while taking into account user experience and freshness, and also allows the media monetization capabilities and competitive advantages to be fully demonstrated.

Case 2: iQiyi launches splash screen advertisement

iQIYI launches a new splash screen ad. That is, when entering the APP and displaying the splash screen ad, the copy will simultaneously prompt "Rotate the screen to unlock more" to guide the user to rotate the phone; if the user rotates the video more than 45° within 5 seconds, the splash screen ad countdown will be extended by 10 seconds, while continuing to display and play the remaining, newly unlocked video content. While this new splash screen advertising method brings more and better new marketing ideas and creative space to the brand, it also uses unconventional and visually shocking material presentation methods to effectively attract attention and gain goodwill.

Summary: It is recommended that each APP refer to and learn from excellent industry cases, and optimize the splash screen advertising monetization strategy in combination with the characteristics of its own media platform, user attributes, etc., and explore fresh and interesting splash screen advertising ideas and gameplay to make brand marketing interesting and effective, and thereby attract more advertisers' budgets and increase media profit margins!

Related reading:

1. The form of splash screen advertising!

2. In-depth analysis of information flow, opening screen, and incentive video advertising!

Author: AdxData

Source: AdxData