Microsoft launched “Playable Ads” for Preview users in the Windows Dev Center

What are Playable Ads?

Let us first understand how the current ad campaigns work. Every time a user clicks on the app install ad, he/she is taken to the Windows store page, leaving the current app to decide whether to install the respective app. The information contained in the product description page is not always complete and the experience a user can get from the actual app usage can potentially differ a lot. This sometimes leads to a quick uninstall if the promise of the product description pages is not met.

Playable Ads are a completely new way for end users to interact with ads and apps. With this capability, end users never leave the current app. The ad click will result in inline expandable app streaming: for three minutes, the user can interact with the app as if it’s already installed on his/her device. This gives the user time to decide if he or she wants to install the app. At the end of the streaming session, users can click on a link to install the app if the app experience met expectations.

Difference between Regular Ads and Playable Ads

Playable ads have many advantages for both the end users and developers, some of which are listed below:

• Users can experience the app live before installing it.

• Users will not leave the current app context after ad click since these are inline expandable ads.

• Users can abandon the app stream at any point of time based on the quality of the game. He/she is not blocked until the end of the game play.

• Developers can create an engaging experience during the first few minutes of a game to better explain its capabilities compared to screenshots.

• Users who install the game after three minutes of engagement are more inclined to use the game/app than those who just installed the app based on the product description page.