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In early March, Google announced the launch of a new feature that developers can add to apps - "rewards for watching ads. Thanks to this, experts will supposedly be able to encourage users to watch more ads by rewarding them with in-game currency and virtual goods. Many Android apps already have similar features, but Google's implementation should make life easier for all developers.
Is it really that smooth? We asked the expert developers how they assess the innovation of the American corporation.
"The launch of the function of rewards for viewing ads, which Google has allowed to add to the applications, so far the only obvious minuses," - said the CEO ofthe development and promotion of mobile applications MobiSharks (Kokoc Group) Igor Zuev:
"History knows examples of the implementation of the idea when the user gets money for viewing ads - they exist almost since thecreation of the Internet. Now this kind of advertising is often used in mobile games, where downloading another application, clicking on a banner or watching a commercial increases the level of the player or receives in-game bonuses.
But the same story has repeatedly proved the ineffectiveness of the "motive" for the advertiser: if the user is not the target audience for the ad and watches it solely for the money, it is unlikely to work on him. Of course, there is a non-zero probability of hitting the target of advertising, but it's like firing a cannon at sparrows - it's not worth it.
Nevertheless, there is a whole industry of "motives" with ad networks supplying this kind of traffic. Google, however, has never stooped to that. As a fair player, it has always tried to give the user what he needs and is interested in, and to supply advertisers with quality audiences, thereby increasing its own monetization. Now it turns out that Google officially recognizes and welcomes cheating.
At first glance, this seems like a short-sighted decision, because for the conscientious part of the market, launching a "motive" is tantamount to discrediting the network. Simply put, there's a good chance that instead of a quality audience, Google might attract untargeted users chasing a reward, which could scare off some advertisers.
However, I don't think Google didn't assess the risks before launching the new feature; most likely, it has some kind of strategy not yet obvious to other players. Perhaps the company plans to squeeze the small "motive" networks from the market, become a niche monopolist, and then repurpose the network in other directions.
One way or another, now for advertisers this move by Google will not bring anything good. In fact, they will be paying for views, which in most cases will not lead to targeted actions, such as site conversions or purchases.
The only people who will benefit from the introduction of a "motive" are app owners who used to work with different networks and now will be able to earn thanks to Google. It will probably be easier to integrate rewards into applications with Google and this will be a plus for Google Play ranking," summarized the expert.
Danil Yusupov, Category 3 Software Engineer at ICL Services, also didn't find any obvious advantages in adding advertising to applications, even for "rewards":
I don't think it's a good idea to add advertising to your application before it becomes popular. Otherwise you might lose your target audience at an early stage.
Of course, if you look at it from the business side, it might be one good way to develop a marketing platform.
But still, I think that right now advertising in apps can only scare users away. People don't like to waste their precious time on services hanging for a second, much less ads that "pop up" at the wrong moment.
How useful is the new feature from Google? It's up to you. If you don't try it, you never know. We only advise to approach the question with a dose of reasonable skepticism.