The third alternative to paid for downloads is the commonly implemented strategy of selling advertising opportunities. Advertising represents a good way to generate ongoing revenue compared to the single payout of a download however if not implemented properly advertising also runs the risk of frustrating and annoying your users to the point where they abandon the application. There is a large range of advertising opportunities available, everything from discrete banners to intrusive pop-overs. Three strategies for making adverts more bearable for the user yet still profitable for the developer are reviewed by Mashable. These essentially boil down to making advertising integrated into, for example, a game storyline in a way that best promotes the product. Opportune timing that shows the product in the best light is a far more effective method of advertising than random product placement; think of the frosty lager poured and consumed with relish in Ice Cold in Alex and how much that makes you want a pint each time you see it. Carlsberg famously released the same scene with only the most minor of changes as a fully fledged TV ad. The second suggested technique is to reward you app users for viewing the advert through the provision of an in game currency or, as is being trialled by some companies, genuine physical prize rewards. Thirdly the creation of higher quality adverts is suggested. I, for example, will happily sit through the infamous Guinness advert of the surfers charging huge waves because it is immensely visually and audibly appealing. I’m also likely to throw whatever television I’m watching out of a window if anyone tries to sell me a sofa bed on perma-sale via a badly dubbed, cheesy pile of drivel that cost less than a cheap futon to produce. Through touch screens, eye movement tracking cameras and fingerprint recognition there are creative ways to encourage smart phone users to interact with adverts in order to make them more Guinness and less DFS.
For social scientists the question about whether to include adverts in an application is a microcosm of the question about whether to monetize your app at all. The vast sums being made by a select few apps can appear tantalising in a frequently cash strapped discipline. In the case of Race the Wild there are conservation organisations that our game design relies on and to whom we would like to be able to offer financial remuneration in some way. But if that monetisation gets in the way of the user experience then app designers must think long and hard about the tradeoffs they are balancing and what the ultimate goals of their applications are. It is also of vital importance to consider that the few who make a lot through apps always skew the averages like those that were looked at in the first part of this blog series on revenue generation and leave the majority with fewer returns than their dot-com dream might have lead them to believe were possible.
For social scientists the question about whether to include adverts in an application is a microcosm of the question about whether to monetize your app at all. The vast sums being made by a select few apps can appear tantalising in a frequently cash strapped discipline. In the case of Race the Wild there are conservation organisations that our game design relies on and to whom we would like to be able to offer financial remuneration in some way. But if that monetisation gets in the way of the user experience then app designers must think long and hard about the tradeoffs they are balancing and what the ultimate goals of their applications are. It is also of vital importance to consider that the few who make a lot through apps always skew the averages like those that were looked at in the first part of this blog series on revenue generation and leave the majority with fewer returns than their dot-com dream might have lead them to believe were possible.