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Native App Preloads with Digital Turbine

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App Masters10:44Open on YouTube
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The bottom line

Digital Turbine's Ignite platform lets any approved app, big or small, skip app store friction through preloads and single tap installs. That lifts conversion several times over and lets small studios compete with big advertisers.

Key takeaways

  • App store redirects lose most of the users who click an ad. 3:00
    • Store friction can cut installs by up to 75%, on top of the 30% platform cut.
    • Without single tap, a click passes through several redirects and lands on a store page full of rival app suggestions.
  • Ignite is built into the phone's operating system, so it can install apps without the store. 1:00
    • Carriers and makers such as Verizon, AT&T and Samsung ship Android firmware with Ignite in the system partition.
    • When a device first powers on, Ignite picks four to six apps to preload based on device model, carrier and country.
  • Single tap lifts click to install from about 2% to 10 to 15%. 3:38
    • The download starts straight from the banner, video or playable ad, with no store page in between.
    • A marketer's click to install rate is normally 1.5 to 2% at best.
  • The ad format drives the gain, not the app category. 9:31
    • Banner ads see about two to three times better conversion.
    • Video and playable ads see well over ten times, because users with higher intent open the app right away.
  • Small developers can use it too, if their app is approved. 4:20
    • You don't need to be Facebook, Yelp or eBay, but the preload requirements are strict and only reasonable, valuable content gets in.
    • Few big advertisers use single tap yet, so smaller studios can stretch their budgets and compete with the 200 to 250 big app install buyers.

The higher the resolution of the ad type and the deeper the ad experience is, the higher the conversion rate improvements are by using single tap.

Matt Tubergen, Digital Turbine

Chapter summaries

0:00 Ignite grows from a carrier tool into an ad channel

Digital Turbine began by customizing phones for carriers and now lets marketers use the same system to deliver apps.

  • Ignite started as a customization tool for carriers and phone makers. 0:47
    • Digital Turbine used to be classed as a value added services company.
    • Widgets and folders on the device recommend content to users.
    • Telcos and OEMs around the globe use it to shape their phones.
    • Single tap is the newest product, built for app advertisers.
  • Any developer can work with Digital Turbine to get preloaded. 1:42
    • The host asks if a small developer "in a garage" can get on these phones. The answer is yes.
    • Single tap works inside a normal ad campaign.
    • The app reaches the user straight from the ad, with no detour.
    • The user never sees the other apps a store recommends.

2:49 Redirect friction hurts every marketer, so smaller studios gain

Redirect loss is a problem across all ad spend, and single tap lets smaller studios use their budgets better.

  • Redirects across the whole ad landscape cost marketers clicks. 3:13
    • Big advertisers on Facebook and Google UAC lose users too.
    • Click to install here means a user taps the ad and then opens the app.
    • Not all campaigns perform the same, so results vary.
    • The host had not realized this much was lost between click and download.
  • Smaller studios can use single tap to compete on cost. 4:20
    • Big app companies take up most of the ad space, and it is expensive.
    • Better conversion helps a small shop spend its dollars more wisely.
    • Ignite was built to serve telcos and OEMs, who always want fresh content.
    • That demand for new apps is what opens the door for smaller providers.

5:22 How preloading reaches users

Preloading puts apps on a phone the moment it is first switched on, and small developers can get in if they are approved.

  • Ignite is part of the phone's software before it ships. 6:19
    • The firmware is installed before the device goes to stores and distributors.
    • Ignite wakes up when a user or retailer first turns the phone on.
    • Ignite is not a store app preloaded inside another app. It sits in the operating system image.
    • It first checks for an LTE, 4G or 5G connection, then selects the apps.
  • A small developer needs approval, not a famous brand. 7:26
    • Small shops assume they must be Facebook, Yelp or eBay. They don't.
    • Digital Turbine does not work with just anybody. The content must be valuable and fit its framework.
    • Approved small apps are preloaded alongside big ones when Ignite asks for its four to six apps.
    • Launching a new device or service is a moment when small developers can get in front of users.

8:23 Measuring results and choosing ads

Existing attribution tools can measure single tap and preloads, and the ad format matters more than the app category.

  • Attribution partners already support single tap and preloads. 8:28
    • Digital Turbine works with the attribution companies, including Adjust.
    • Preloads need a custom setup, because there is no ad view, click and open path.
    • Adjust offers a custom solution, so a buyer can attribute all preloads.
    • The other measurement partners have built their own versions of this service.
  • App category barely matters for single tap results. 9:31
    • Weather, news, sports and gaming perform about alike.
    • The ad type is what changes the result.
    • The banner lift applies whether the ads come from an exchange or another network.
    • Richer ads give a smoother path from click to download to first use.

In the growth library

Matt Tubergen, EVP of Global Revenues and Growth at Digital Turbine. Digital Turbine's Ignite platform sits in the Android system partition and powers carrier and OEM app preloads, and its Single Tap product starts an app install straight from an ad click without a trip through the app store. Advertisers report click-to-install rates of 10 to 15 percent against 1.5 to 2 percent at best with standard redirects.

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Transcript308 lines
0:00

what is up app nation it is TP young founder of at masters dot-com the place you go when you want action-packed content in the app business and today we're gonna be talking about how to take your app bypass the app stores and get it directly to the consumer so if you're interested in that you're gonna love this episode today I've got a phenomenal guest his name is Matt - Burgin he is the executive vice president of global revenues and growth at digital turn bind they've got a brand new product called single tap that we're gonna talk all about but if you want to check them out it is digital turbine calm and all that is linked up in your favorite podcast app and the show notes without further ado Matt welcome to the show hey see thank you really appreciate being here so for those who aren't familiar Matt can you tell us a little bit about digital turbine yeah so it digital turbine it's really interesting so at

0:49

least I think so anyways a lot of folks that work with us so digital turbine is actually we used to be classified as in value at its services company but we developed a product called ignite and ignite actually gets embedded directly in the operating system of Android devices and carriers telcos OEMs around the globe use ignite to basically customize their phones and so we do things like preload applications we have widgets and folders that sits directly on the on the devices that recommend content and great applications for users and then as you mentioned you know we've got in this new product called single tab which allows app advertisers and marketers distribute their application directly to the phone and a much more seamless way we'll get into that here a little bit yeah I want to learn more about that because is it like any app developer so I could be a small guy in a garage like I am kind of get it straight

1:40

into like these fancy Android phones yeah that's right yeah so we depend on the product so our preload product you can actually work with digital turbine to have your application preloaded on all the great carriers and OEMs are out there so horizon Samsung AT&T we power the pre-loading platform for for those for those carriers and those telcos and then with a single tap product we actually if you are running an advertising campaign or a marketing campaign you can actually use our ignite platform to deliver a direct install from any banner ad click any video clay even if you're doing like you know playable ads you know right now if you click as a user and you without using our single tap ignite product you have to redirect you go through multiple redirects you can potentially land about an app store users seeing all the other products that are recommended by the app stores that are that are out there in

2:29

this case single tap literally starts the download directly from the single tap and from from our ignite platform and so it's a much much faster way in seamless way for you as a marketer to be able to get the application that you're marketing in the hands of your consumers directly from the media dispenser that is freakin amazing actually you know I'll go through some of the stats that I have on the research that we've done so obviously everybody knows about the 30% take the Apple and Google are gonna take and then theme this is once that I didn't know the app store friction could reduce installs of upward 75% so from especially the big guys we're running ads on Facebook and all these and Google UA sees I didn't know that there was that much friction that could reduce from the clicks to the actual downloads yeah there's also some is just the app source it's a general marketing scape right now of all the redirects and

3:18

everything going on you know right now we'll you know typically if you're a marketer and you know your stat your click to install stat right your Oct I as a marketer is typically at best at best you know like 1.5 you know two percent in terms of click to install rates mean user clicking it ad and then opening up that application when you leverage single tap it you know it's upwards of 10 times I mean we've seen some phenomenal growth on you know that was an X increase here then click to install rates and not all performance is the same for use campaign but you know we're talking 10 to 15 percent open rates not you know one and a half or two percent at best yeah it's pretty one so Matt I'm imagining this is more for the big guys so we all know about the fortnight about fortnight going directly to the consumer but what about for the smaller I know some of my a lot of my the audience is not like from the big

4:09

guys right they're running their own studios they have a budget may not be as big as the big guys what do you have what's your recommendation for them because I'm thinking like this is more for like the big guys out there ya know so I'm turning ahead I actually think it's it's for everybody that wants to leverage it that's really really smart about them you know who their consumers are this is not just the big guys and quite frankly not a lot of big guys are using it at least right now they may in the future but this could actually be something that helps a smaller studio or in-home shop actually get access and and be able to use their dollars a heck of a lot more wisely as a marketer and actually beat some of the other media spins from some of the other big guys this is gonna actually help one-up some of the smaller guys to actually compete against a lot of the larger app companies that are out

4:55

there that are taking up the majority of the ad space and it just may it's so expensive so it's actually it could be a solution for some of the smaller guys and quite frankly you know we built this you know this ignite product for the you know for the purpose of serving you know at telcos and OEMs and helping them you know provide service and solutions to to providers in many cases or app providers in many cases you know they're always looking for fresh new content fresh new ways to be able to you know to show off a device or show off a new service and you know it's something that you know is is meaningful for a lot of the smaller app developers to be able get in front of it there's clear synergies there now there is true that hey you know the majority of the you know the ad spinners out there are you know limited to you know 200 or 250 you know ad buyers in terms of app install marketers but but

5:45

at the same time it this could be something that could actually help you know cut cut in between you know some of the other things that the other big guys aren't doing I want to talk about the other way that you guys operate so if it's not single tap where I'm running an ad I'm getting it right onto the users device but what the other way like I want to work with you guys to get be pre-loaded on be on the phone how does that work properly like is it you said ignite so I just wanna make sure I'm clear but ignite is an app on the App Store so it becomes pre-loaded within another app is that how it works yeah so yeah ignite actually gets embedded misses the interesting parts so for a lot of the that you know that the technology focus guys that are out there and this in any audience here is ignite actually gets embedded in the system partition of the Android device and so we work with again the larger telcos in

6:34

the space or the Verizon c18 tease the Samsung's of the world and when they ship a device they actually have a firmware set that goes on to that device before it gets sent out the stores and distributors and all these things and that firmware model that firmware that based firmware software set includes ignite and so ignite is embedded in the operating system as its sent from the manufacturer to the store and then when it gets a little bit the store and the device gets turned on by a user or retailer we basically at that point in time that's what ignite lights up determines you know LG area LTE you know 4G 5g connection and then starts to select in terms of the preload product selects which applications are most appropriate for that user based on their device make model the carrier the country that they're in can we preload the top applications that are appropriate for that device and then so to your question

7:26

though is hey if you're a if you know if your user mom-and-pop shop or your smaller app developer how in the world do you get your applications preloaded on these devices because it looks like to the you know to a smaller shop my god I gotta be you know I gotta be Facebook I gotta be Yelp I gotta be eBay in order to be able to do these types of deals and the reality is that's not the case you can come to digital turbine now we do we have very very stringent requirements in order to be able to preload applications on the phone we do not work with anybody and everybody but you if you have a reasonable content that can be valuable for users and fits the the the framework for how we work with app developers then you regardless small or large can work with digital turbine to have your applications then preloaded when that new device lights up and ignite says hey give me four or six applications to preload onto that device

8:17

your application is even as a small developer again assuming it's approved and in our network would be pre-loaded as well now the if I have a analytics or an attribution tool all that will work with single tap as well great great question so we work with all the the attribution companies that are out there you know adjust and others that are doing you know a you know a phenomenal job being able to track we actually have and just actually for your audience here there's actually custom solutions and just as one of them's been grade has a custom solution for pre loading of applications so you as an app marketer or a buyer can basically set up your system so that you can attribute all preloads it's a little bit different from the standard user acquisition you know user sees an ad user clicks on an ad user opens up an application obviously that doesn't happen the same way as a preload and so all the MMPs and attribution

9:07

companies have created so the service and it certainly adjust is out there that has their own custom custom solution hey Matt along those lines what campaigns have worked the best so you say okay these categories of apps work best from a pre loading campaign but have you guys seen and I'm sure like it's all the same but like have you guys seen different types of campaigns work best for that single tap type of platform yeah absolutely I mean so i would actually flip it on its head so we actually see you know it can't in the type of campaign doesn't actually matter when a campaign I mean application category so whether it's weather or news or sports or gaming really it doesn't matter as much however what really matters using single tap is the type of advertisement that you're running so if you're buying traditional banner you know ads out of an exchange or working with another network to buy banner ads

9:55

you know you'll likely see anywhere from two to three times improvement in your click will put in a clicked and story that we talked about earlier in the session however if you're working things like video ads or playable ads you can see well north of ten times the the conversion rate because they're it's a higher intent and users are clicking intent downloading application and using that application immediately it's just a much more seamless process so typically the higher the the resolution of the ad type and the deeper the ad experience is the higher the conversion rate improvements are by using single tap you