This report examines trends in mobile programmatic in the last quarter of 2015. Key themes include brand spend on mobile programmatic, engaging formats driving increased demand and publisher monetization, and trends in EMEA and APAC.
2. Why? There are more mobile devices (7.5 billion)
than there are people (7.2 billion) on the planet1.
And people engage with these devices nearly 3
hours each day2. It’s inevitable because mobile is
ubiquitous.
When marketers engage with this mobile audience,
they see great results. Compared to desktop ads,
mobile advertising drives 2-3x higher point lifts for
key brand metrics like favorability, aided awareness,
likelihood to recommend, and purchase intent3.
For these reasons, marketers are valuing mobile in-app
inventory more highly than ever. High quality
brand advertising campaigns continue to grow in
budget and scale across mobile apps as publishers
continue to improve the quality of their inventory
through innovative formats, data, and more.
Marketers are also increasingly buying mobile ads
programmatically for improved transparency and
efficiency. In 2015, U.S. mobile programmatic display
ad spending increased by over 110% to comprise 60%
of total mobile display ad spend4.
To provide more context, this quarter’s report looks at
trends in how transactions on mobile are evolving, how
premium ad format adoption is shaping engagement,
pricing, and revenue trends, and how these trends are
repeating in regions around the globe.
Premium is the next
phase of mobile
programmatic.
FOREWORD
Sources | [1] Dobush, Grace. “How Mobile Phones Are Changing the Developing World.” Consumer Technology Association. Consumer Technology Association, 27 July 2015. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. [2] Meeker, Mary. “Internet
Trends 2015 – Code Conference.” (2015): 14. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. [3] Lella, Adam, Andrew Lipsman, and Ben Martin. “The 2015 U.S. Mobile App Report.” ComScore, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
3. SUMMARY
Premium is the next
phase of mobile
programmatic
High quality brand advertising
campaigns continue to grow in budget
and scale across mobile in-app as
publishers continue to improve the
quality of their inventory through
innovative formats, data, and more.
Engaging formats drive
increased demand and
publisher monetization
Publishers and demand partners
prioritized adoption of high impact
formats like video and native — as both
sides of the ecosystem evolved with a
joint focus on user experience and
advertiser results.
Major trends resurface
in key global regions
A closer look at regional trends in APAC
and EMEA shows publisher and buyer
adoption of video and native as driving
forces in the growth of overall supply
and consumer engagement.
5. Fortune 1000 brands
spent big in Q4 2015
For the first time, Q4 2015 saw Fortune 1000 companies make up more
than half of spend on the exchange. Fortune 500 brands alone comprised
a third of spend. As premium demand picks up, it’s crucial for publishers
to be plugged into an exchange like MoPub in order to take advantage.
51%
Fortune 1000
brands make up
of spend in
Q4 2015
OVER
1/3
Fortune 500 brands
alone comprised
OF
SPEND
6. More direct-style deals were
transacted on exchanges
Beyond monetizing on the open exchange, publishers transacted direct-style deals using private marketplaces
to monetize premium inventory efficiently.
PUBLISHER REVENUE
VIA PRIVATE MARKETPLACES
DEALS TRANSACTED
VIA PRIVATE MARKETPLACES
Q3 2015 Q4 2015
+30%
DEALS
Q3 2015 Q4 2015
+165%
REVENUEREVENUE
DEALS
7. Demand partners placed more value in gaming and social supply and sought after that inventory more often
through direct-style transactions. In addition to higher eCPMs, gaming revenue via private marketplaces
increased by 203% in Q4 2015 vs. Q3 2015.
GAMING eCPMS
IN PRIVATE MARKETPLACES Q4 VS. Q3 2015
Gaming and social publishers
valued increasingly by buyers
SOCIAL eCPMS
IN PRIVATE MARKETPLACES Q4 VS. Q3 2015
$$$$
$$$
$$
$
Q3 2015 Q4 2015
+139%
eCPM
$$$$$
$$$$
$$$
$$
Q3 2015 Q4 2015
+200%
eCPM
Q3 2015 Q4 2015
+30%
DEALS
8. CASE STUDY
MeetMe doubles eCPMs with
higher impact ad formats
Social networking publisher MeetMe drove
higher eCPMs by introducing the higher
impact singleton ad view. With supply that
produced stronger performance for
marketers, increased competition led to
higher prices and higher revenue.
100%
eCPMs INCREASED
BY OVER
80%
CLICK-THROUGH RATES
INCREASED BY OVER
USER
NAVIGATION
USER
NAVIGATION
Singleton ad view:
Same ad view across different screens to maximize the time on the screen
10. Growth in supply and demand led to more native ad revenue for publishers
NATIVE AD
CLICK-THROUGH RATES
Increased engagement contributed to
128% higher click-through rates.
+128%
DSPs BUYING
NATIVE ADS
With more supply and stronger
performance, 76% more DSPs
began buying native ads.
+76%
NATIVE AD
INVENTORY
Known for maintaining a strong user
experience, publisher adoption led
to a 385% increase in native supply.
+385%
NATIVE AD
REVENUE
As both buyers and sellers
prioritized native, publishers
increased monetization.
+124%
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
11. Increased
competition for
video inventory
contributed to
higher eCPMs and
more publisher
revenue
DSPs BUYING
VIDEO ADS
Known for producing strong user
engagement, 100% more DSPs
began buying video ads.
+100%
VIDEO ADS
eCPMs
With more competition for video
inventory, publishers benefitted
from 52% higher eCPMs.
+52%
VIDEO ADS
REVENUE +125%
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
With more demand and higher
prices, publishers increased
revenue from video ads by 125%.
12. Global demand increased in 2015 following
growth in engaging ad formats
TOTAL DSP SPEND
Q4 2015 vs. Q4 2014
Demand increased around the world with more overall buyers. Spend increased at an even faster pace as buyers funneled
more budgets into mobile in-app programmatic.
DSPs BUYING ON MOPUB
Q4 2015 vs. Q4 2014
+25%
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
DSPs
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+107%
REVENUESPEND
DSPs
13. In addition to more DSPs, revenue growth was also fueled by marketers
continuing to adopt and increase spend in mobile programmatic.
ADVERTISERS BUYING ON MOPUB MARKETPLACE
Q4 2015 vs. Q4 2014
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+115%
ADVERTISERS
Growth in high quality formats helped attract
more advertisers to mobile programmatic
15. Publisher revenue increased
regionally in APAC and EMEA
EMEA PUBLISHER REVENUE
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
Similar to global increases, APAC and EMEA regions experienced strong growth in publisher revenue.
APAC PUBLISHER REVENUE
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+86%
REVENUE
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+75%
REVENUE
REVENUE
REVENUE
16. Inventory and revenue increases in APAC were
fueled by adoption of premium ad formats
APAC demand is just beginning for these premium
ad formats like native and video — though both
types of ads saw substantial growth in 2015.
APAC
NATIVE INVENTORY
+1,184%
INCREASE IN
APAC INVENTORY
+155%
APAC
VIDEO INVENTORY
+114%
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
17. Native demand in APAC has grown
along with supply growth
In a market traditionally dominated by monetization through in-app purchases, APAC is now showing strong growth in native
ad inventory. The supply expansion for programmatic advertising with a relatively untapped audience has been met eagerly
by DSPs looking for strong results.
NATIVE AD CLICK-THROUGH RATES IN APAC
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
DSP SPEND ON NATIVE ADS IN APAC
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+131%
CLICK-THROUGHRATE
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+477%
REVENUE
CLICK-THROUGHRATES
REVENUE
18. On the heels of video supply expansion in APAC,
more DSPs adopted video and user engagement increased
Buyers can never ignore engagement. DSPs got on board with video in APAC as results were strong. Increased competition
also benefitted publishers with 56% higher eCPMs.
CLICK-THROUGH RATES ON VIDEO ADS IN APAC
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
DSPs BUYING VIDEO ADS IN APAC
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+56%
CLICK-THROUGHRATECLICK-THROUGHRATES
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+130%
DSPs
DPSs
19. EMEA publishers also added supply
with video and native adoption
EMEA inventory grew substantially through 2015
with major growth in premium ad formats such as
video and native.
EMEA
NATIVE INVENTORY
+138%
INCREASE IN
EMEA INVENTORY
+45%
EMEA
VIDEO INVENTORY
+107%
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
20. EMEA buyers invested more heavily in video
in line with higher performance
83% more DSPs bought video ads in Q4 2015 vs. Q4 2014. Increasing competition contributed to 58% higher eCPMs.
CLICK-THROUGH RATES ON VIDEO ADS IN EMEA
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
DSP SPEND ON VIDEO ADS IN EMEA
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+58%
CLICK-THROUGHRATE
CLICK-THROUGHRATES
REVENUE
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+142%
REVENUE
21. Higher engagement with native ads
also led to demand growth in EMEA
Strong engagement with native ads in EMEA contributed to more buyers investing in this format.
DSPs BUYING NATIVE ADS IN EMEA
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
CLICK-THROUGH RATES ON NATIVE ADS IN EMEA
Q4 2015 VS. Q4 2014
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+53%
DSPs
Q4 2014 Q4 2015
+104%
CLICK-THROUGHRATES
DSPs
CLICK-THROUGHRATES
23. EXCITING TRENDS
EMERGE AND CONTINUE
Premium ad spend is burgeoning
on mobile programmatic.
Fortune 1000 brands represented more
than a half of spend on MoPub
Marketplace*. Gaming and social
publishers were increasingly more highly
valued by marketers with 200% and
139% increases in private marketplace
eCPMs, respectively.
*Spend measured across advertisers comprising 95% of total spend
24. EXCITING TRENDS
EMERGE AND CONTINUE
Publishers and demand
partners increased
monetization and performance
with premium ad formats
Supply and demand increased
dramatically across native and video.
Consumer engagement with both native
and video ads increased while publisher
revenue rose 124% for native and 122%
for video.
25. EXCITING TRENDS
EMERGE AND CONTINUE
Global trends in app
monetization and
programmatic marketing
reiterated in APAC and EMEA
Publisher revenue and supply increased
in APAC and EMEA, underscored by
major growth and demand investment in
native and video.
26. Interstitial ad: Interstitial ads in this report refer to
fullscreen mobile in-app ads that measure in
dimensions of 320x480, 480x320, 768x1024, or
1024x768. This type of advertisement can be a static
image or a video, depending on publisher preferences.
Native ad: Native ads in this report refer to mobile in-
app ads that match the form and function of the app in
which it appears. Typically, they appear in content feeds
of apps. Native ads are comprised of up to 5 separate
components from advertisers, which can render in
many different ways to match the look and feel of a
publisher’s application.
Video ad: Video ads in this report refer to mobile in-
app video ads. Video ads typically play in a full screen
interstitial setting and are either 15 or 30 seconds in
length.
Clear Rate: Clear rate refers to the rate at which a
purchased ad impression renders and displays in a
publisher’s mobile app. It is an important metric for
demand-side partners that helps them measure their
buying efficiency. DSPs are never charged for ads that
do not clear, render, and display.
DSP: Demand-side platforms are technology companies
who build software used to purchase advertising in an
automated fashion. DSPs are most often used by
advertisers and agencies to help them buy display,
video, mobile and search ads.
Banner ad: Banner ads in this report refer to mobile in-
app ads, which are typically anchored to the bottom of
the screen and measure in dimensions of 320x50 or
728x90.
GLOSSARY
27. GLOSSARY
CTR: Click-through rate, or CTR, is the number of
clicks that an ad receives divided by the number of
times the ad is shown. This is a common metric to
measure consumer engagement with an ad.
eCPC: Effective cost per click, or eCPC, is a metric
used by marketers to gauge the effectiveness of their
campaigns. (Sometimes it is referred to as estimated
cost per click.) It is calculated by the price paid for ad
impressions divided by the number of clicks
generated from that ad campaign.
Bid Depth: Bid depth is a metric that measures how
many demand-side partners bid for an available ad
impression in any given auction.
MoPub Marketplace: The MoPub Marketplace is a real-
time bidding exchange for mobile ads, where
advertisers, agencies and their trading desks, and
demand side platforms can bid on ad inventory from
thousands of mobile application publishers in an
efficient, real-time market.
Private Marketplace: A private marketplace is a
programmatic trading environment in which a
publisher makes available a segment of inventory to
an advertiser or group of advertisers at a defined
price.
eCPM: Effective cost per thousand advertising
impressions, or eCPM, is the most common way to
refer to prices in mobile programmatic advertising.
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ABOUT THE REPORT
The Global Mobile Programmatic Trends Report
provides market data from real-time bidded auctions
for mobile ad impressions, aggregated from mobile
applications, advertisers, and demand side platforms
on MoPub Marketplace, one of the world’s leading
advertising exchanges for mobile apps.
MoPub Marketplace is a real-time bidding exchange
for mobile ads, where advertisers, agencies and their
trading desks, and demand side platforms can bid on
ad inventory from thousands of mobile application
publishers in an efficient, real-time market. MoPub
Marketplace data is representative of over 45,000
active mobile apps, more than 400 billion monthly ad
requests, more than 1 billion unique devices, and 175+
demand-side platforms.
The data reflected here is solely representative of
exchange-traded media on MoPub Marketplace and
does not include any ad network or ad network
mediation data.
The information contained herein is based on internal
data and data from a third-party that we do not
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ABOUT MOPUB
MoPub, a Twitter company, is the trusted, mobile-first
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combining powerful ad serving, flexible network
mediation controls, rich ad formats, and access to the
one of the largest sources of advertiser demand,
MoPub Marketplace. MoPub Marketplace provides
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revenue and highly relevant ads by enabling buyers
such as demand side platforms to reach a high quality
audience on mobile apps through a powerful interface,
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