Industry News
IronSource: Top advertising mediation platform
WakeApp continues its educational rubric for mobile app marketers “Source of the Month”.
Why are we doing this?
If earlier, in order for an application to become popular among users, it was simply necessary to create a unique program that has no analogues and connects the client and the service, today this is not enough. The number of applications in the app stores has reached unprecedented heights: 2.6 million in Google Play and almost 4.5 million in the Apple App Store (Statista).
The WakeApp team decided to help novice marketers, partners and specialists in the mobile app promotion market to be aware of the latest GEO trends and traffic sources and promotion features in them. This time we would like to introduce readers to an equally well-known source of traffic and a tool that specializes in promoting mobile applications – Iron Source.
IronSource is a top ad mediation platform and one of the largest mobile app monetization platforms operating in the mobile advertising market since 2010. The platform allows developers to monetize their products, and our clients receive large volumes of high-quality traffic from all over the world. Thanks to automatic costing mechanisms, for each ad impression, developers receive the highest possible payout, and advertisers receive a lead.
In November 2022, IronSource partnered with Unity to form the industry’s leading in-app creation and advertising platform.
Facts about IronSource:
- Industries: Gaming, Mobile App Installs
- Payment Models: CPA, CPC, CPCV, CPE, CPI, CPL, CPM, CPS, CPV, Flat Rate, Revshare / ROAS
- Audience:3 billion
- Applications: +80 000
- 87% of the top 100 Google Play and Apple Store apps are connected to IronSource
- In November 2022, IronSource announced the end of its merger with Unity Ads.
- 50% Research and Development
- Year of foundation – 2010
IronSource provides ready-made ad units with several modern ad formats. An advertiser can capture the attention of users through both impressive reward-per-view videos and interstitial ads and banners.
To attract traffic, it is proposed to use the following advertising formats:
- Rewarded videos. The format is most effective in building mutual trusting relationships with the audience through an equal exchange of values.
- Advertising that works on the principle of mini-shops. The user is presented with a list of actions for which he can receive some valuable reward. The tool allows you to increase revenue from traffic monetization, increase audience engagement, and keep it in the application longer.
- Interstitial video ads. A tool for monetizing traffic using creatives that involve the user going to the advertiser’s website within the software. Allows you to earn money without interrupting the user from using the application.
- Rewarded interstitial ads. A format for attracting large amounts of traffic within the application by rewarding users for watching videos. Appears during natural user transitions.
- The format with the simplest integration algorithm in the application and high demand from advertisers.
Each of the available IronSource formats is an effective tool for attracting potential audience within the application.
IronSource is one of the most popular ad mediation platforms to not only increase app revenue, but also increase your effective CPM. Through IronSource, you can work with several ad networks at once and integrate through a single SDK.
You can choose from 15 ad networks available on the platform. IronSource will manage them for you, which will save your time and make the process of attracting traffic as comfortable as possible. The uniqueness of IronSource is that with its help you can track key indicators such as: DAU, ARPDAU and engagement.
Ad networks connected to IronSource and using its traffic:
- AdColony
- AdMob
- Amazon
- AppLovin
- Chartboost
- Fyber
- HyprMX
- InMobi
- Maio
- Mintegral
- myTarget
- Tapjoy
- UnityAds
- Vungle
Today, IronSource is included in the arsenal of all major market players. A wide range of targeting options brings some advertisers more than half of all incoming traffic, which once again proves the effectiveness of the platform. The platform independently filters incoming traffic and filters out fraud and irrelevant users.
Features of IronSource:
- Access to detailed reporting tools to increase traffic monetization revenue.
- IronSource ads are rigorously tested and do not interfere with application performance.
- Access to auction rates in real time.
- A/B testing. The system offers 3 powerful testing tools to optimize the process of attracting traffic.
- Simple dashboard.
- Setting up an advertising stream with adaptation for different audience segments.
- Separate bids for each platform/publisher/app within the advertising campaign
- Separate rates for each geo within RK
- Integration with AppsFlyer: CPI and cost
- Creative Tracking
- Import bids / bids / CPI without waiting for a manager
- Disabling / enabling advertising campaigns on your own
- A/B testing of creatives: endcards, video
- Fast tech. support
- Full staking support by the IronSource team
Disadvantages of IronSource:
- Heavily loaded technical support
- No notifications to re-roll or stop an ad campaign
The funnel in IronSource is practically no different from other sources of in-app advertising. Users see in-app ads, click on the ad and go to the landing page and app card inside the marketplace. A large selection of high-conversion formats allows you to interest users in the advertised product and encourage them to switch.
High-quality optimization tools, a wide range of targeting options and highly efficient IronSource algorithms allow you to find interested target traffic and significantly save your advertising budget.
How can a marketer use IronSource?
In order to start using the advertising network, you need to register here.
Fill in all the required fields: full name, password, company name, city and country.
After filling in the fields, an email will be sent to the specified email address. Confirm your email to complete registration.
Step 1. Create an advertising campaign
In the left menu, select the Promote item, and then in the opened window, click Campaign â +New.
Step 2. Filling in basic information
- Specify the name of the advertising campaign
- Add a link to the application
- Choose a payment model
- Determine your minimum auction bid
Step 3. Set up attribution
- Add click link (Click URL)
- Add a link to the impression (Impression URL)
Step 4: Targeting
- Advertising format. Choice of Interstitial or Rewarding video.
- Device type. Mobile phone or tablet.
- OS version. Android or IOS.
- Publication planning. By default, the campaign starts immediately after the settings are completed. If you do not plan to launch an advertising campaign right now, select “Set dates”.
Step 5. Setting the budget
- Allows you to set a single daily budget for all advertising campaigns.
- By countries. Allows you to set the daily budget for each country separately.
 Interesting! The Iron Source functionality allows you to adjust and change the bid within the campaign by choosing certain publishers with higher CR, thus effectively allocating the budget.
Step 6. Setting up country targeting
With IronSource, you can create up to 15 ad groups depending on the GEO.
Step 7. Working with creatives
We can create our own unique creative or choose from those offered by the platform.
To create a creative you need:
- Specify a name for creative groups
- Choose ad format
- Video and carousel
- Video and full screen
- Video and interactive card
- game format
- Select language
Advertising is ready to go!
Â
How is IronSource used at work in WakeApp?
Many of our clients are already connected to IronSource and are successfully getting positive traffic. I would like to note that IOS applications are especially well promoted in IronSource, the site complies with all Apple requirements regarding the preservation of personal data and respect for their confidentiality
The platform allows us to fine-tune the target audience, so our clients receive only relevant and profitable traffic. Extensive targeting settings allow you to comply with all the wishes of advertisers and attract only those users who are potentially interested in the product.
IronSource is one of the most popular ad mediation platforms that allows advertisers to drive high volumes of quality traffic using modern ad formats. Among marketers, IronSource is considered one of the most effective and popular sources of in-app traffic.
IronSource is one of the 30+ sources our media buyers use to promote their WakeApps.
For more than 5 years at WakeApp, we have been using this traffic source for the convenience of our clients, whose goal is to attract a young and, at the same time, solvent audience.
About the rubric: Every month we will issue instructions for promotion: by traffic source and by GEO traffic, talking about the features of promotion in a particular region, sharing prohibitions and life hacks when promoting in a particular source. Think of it as a mobile marketer’s desktop guide.
About us: WakeApp is an international mobile marketing agency with over 9 years of experience in the market. It is a leader in the development and promotion of gaming and non-gaming mobile applications in e-com, video streaming, food delivery, sport, utilities, finance verticals. Earlier in 2022, WakeApp received The Media Agency of the Year at Sigma Asia Awards, in 2021 the agency placed in 5 categories of the 13th edition of the AppsFlyer Performance Index XIII.
Industry News
Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising
The Dutch mental health service is calling for a total ban on online gambling advertisements in the Netherlands.
Although a ban on untargeted gambling advertisements and a ban on the use of role models has been in effect since 2023, a recent research by KRO-NCRVâs Pointer shows that (illegal) gambling companies and sports tipster platforms are still enticing young people via social media such as TikTok and Snapchat.
By using influencers and terms like âfree moneyâ, they try to attract a young audience and thus lower the threshold to start gambling. This concerns both legal online casinos and online casinos that do not have a license in the Netherlands. The Gaming Authority has started an investigation based on Pointerâs findings.
Pointerâs research shows that part of the gambling industry deliberately targets young people who are often susceptible to promises such as âfast moneyâ and the influence of role models. Ruth Peetoom, chair of the Dutch mental health service, compares this approach to that of the tobacco industry, where similar marketing strategies were used to get young people to smoke.
Despite the existing advertising ban, gambling companies continue to explore the boundaries of the law, according to Peetoom. The Dutch mental health and addiction care associations in the Netherlands therefore push for a total ban on online gambling advertising and stricter rules for the duty of care of gambling providers.
With the call for a total ban, the Dutch mental health care sector hopes to prevent further normalisation of gambling behaviour among young people and to protect them from the temptation and consequences of online gambling.
Compliance Updates
UKGC: Market impact data on gambling behaviour – operator data to Oct 2024
The Gambling Commission has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.
This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and September 2024, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britainâs high streets.
Comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset, as this dataset may include free bets and bonuses and does not include data from all operators.
This release compares Quarter 2 (Q2) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q2 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.
The latest operator data shows:
- online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q2 (July to September) was ÂŁ1.32 billion, an increase of 11 percent from Q2 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 12 percent Year-on-Year (YoY), reaching a new peak for the third consecutive quarter of 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts2 in the quarter increased 8 percent
- real event betting GGY increased by 6 percent YoY to ÂŁ453 million. The number of bets decreased 10 percent, while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 9 percent
- slots GGY increased 16 percent to ÂŁ680 million YoY. The number of spins increased 13 percent to 23.3 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 16 percent to 4.4 million per month. Although this is a new peak for GGY in this dataset for the slots vertical, it should be noted that one operator has re-classified some of its products into the slot vertical this quarter, which has had an impact on the vertical data
- the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 9 percent YoY to 10 million. The average session length remained at 17 minutes. Approximately 6.1 percent of all sessions lasted more than one hour compared to 6.6 percent in Q2 the previous year. The number of spins per session has fallen from 147 to 142 YOY, whilst the GGY per session has fallen from ÂŁ4.20 to ÂŁ4.13 in the equivalent timeframe
- LBO GGY decreased by 1 percent to ÂŁ533 million in Q2 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year, while the number of total bets and spins decreased by 0.1 percent to 3.1 billion.
Industry News
Petra Maria Poola Joins Xace as Group Commercial Director
Xace has announced that Petra Maria Poola has joined the company as Group Commercial Director.
Petra brings a wealth of experience from the iGaming industry having formerly held roles at several iGaming companies such as Yolo, Relax Gaming and SiGMA. She will lead the commercial growth of Xace and its group companies, including crypto and iGaming focused xda.io, helping to drive strategic initiatives across banking, fintech and iGaming solutions.
In her new role, she will mainly oversee the growth of the groupâs sales, marketing and account management functions, ensuring a cohesive strategy that supports Xaceâs ambitious expansion plans.
âI am incredibly excited to start this new chapter with Xace, and work alongside such a talented team and management. Transitioning into the fintech space, while still connected to iGaming, presents an exciting opportunity for growth and learning. Iâm looking forward to applying my expertise to help Xace and its group companies achieve new heights commercially, while gaining deeper insights into the fast-evolving world of fintech,â said Petra Maria Poola.
Reuben Abel, CEO of Xace, said: âPetraâs extensive background in the iGaming sector, combined with her commercial acumen, makes her a valuable addition to the Xace team. She will play a crucial role in expanding Xaceâs market presence and enhancing its suite of services tailored to the specific needs of the iGaming and fintech industries.â
-
Asia5 days ago
Skillhub Online Games Federation forges strategic partnership with IESF to bring International Esports Championships to India
-
Asia4 days ago
Red Bull M.E.O. returns in 2024 to India: BGMI qualifiers lead to thrilling LAN National Finals in Chennai
-
Latest News5 days ago
TRUMO LAUNCHES INSTANT OPEN BANKING PAYMENTS FOR FINNISH IGAMING REFORMS
-
Industry News5 days ago
International Accolade for Campaign from the Danish Gambling Authority
-
Asia4 days ago
GG.BET is inviting BLAST Premier: World Final attendees to the GG.BOOTH to take part in some fun activities
-
Asia5 days ago
DreamHack India 2024: A complete guide to the esports tournaments with INR 45+ lakh prize pool on the line
-
Asia3 days ago
NODWIN Gaming partners with Japanese gaming company KONAMI for âeFootball Diwali Showdownâ
-
Industry News5 days ago
Betsson Group Triumphs at the EGR Operator Awards 2024, Securing Five Major Wins