Mobile & app · also called Playables
Playable ad
A playable ad is an interactive ad, usually for a mobile game, that lets users try a short, simplified version of the game inside the ad before deciding to install it.
Playables are "try before you buy" for apps. Instead of watching a trailer, the user plays for 15 to 60 seconds: solving a puzzle, firing a few shots or merging items. At the end, a call to action invites them to install the full game.
They are typically built with HTML5, packaged to run inside ad networks' SDKs, and shown as interstitials or after rewarded video. Because users have already experienced the core gameplay, installs from playables often have better retention than installs from passive ads, which is why they are popular in app install campaigns for games, and increasingly for non-game apps.
Playables require more production effort and testing, and they must be honest: an ad showing gameplay that does not exist in the real game creates disappointed players and platform policy problems. Measurement includes engagement within the ad (starts, completions) as well as installs and post-install LTV.
Think of it like this
A playable ad is like a free sample at a food stall: you taste a bite before deciding whether to buy the whole meal.
An example
A puzzle game in South Korea tests a 30-second playable against a video ad; the playable has a lower click-through rate but 40% higher Day-7 retention among installers.
Related terms
App install campaign
An app install campaign is advertising designed to get people to download and install a mobile app, usually optimised and often paid per install or per post-install action.
Rewarded video
Rewarded video is an opt-in ad format, mostly in mobile games, where users choose to watch a video ad in exchange for an in-app reward like extra lives or coins.
Interstitial ad
An interstitial ad is a full-screen ad that covers an app or web page's interface, usually at a natural transition point such as between game levels, until the user closes it.
Rich media
Rich media ads are interactive or animated ads, such as expanding banners, video-in-banner, games or carousels, that invite user engagement beyond a static image or simple click.
LTV (lifetime value)
LTV (lifetime value) is the total revenue or profit a business expects from a customer over their whole relationship, used to decide how much it can pay to acquire them.
Sources: IAB Tech Lab Open Measurement SDK