In April, Apple began banning apps using pay-per-install methods, such as those provided by Tapjoy and others. Now W3i, a mobile application monetization company, has come up with what it says is a workaround for developers whose incentivized app install revenue streams have since been closed.
With W3i’s new product called the “Mobile App Ad Platform (MAAP),” developers can offer their iOS apps for free for 24 hours and market them via banner ads that display within other applications.
“Free App of the Day”
Free apps are a big draw for mobile consumers, especially those involved with mobile gaming. The “free app of the day” program on Amazon’s Appstore for Android has been very successful, for example. There, the free apps are used as a lure to get users to try out the Amazon marketplace.
However, on W3i, the goal is to provide app developers with a new way to have their apps discovered – and one that doesn’t run afoul of Apple’s new rules.
For developers participating in the “MAAP” beta, there are a number of ways apps can be targeted, in addition to static banner ads. Ads and notifications can be directly tied to actions within another game, explains the company. That means the ad can be set to only display at certain intervals within gameplay, or when certain achievements are reached, for instance. The choice is up to the advertiser. The ad’s layout and message are also completely customizable, says W3i.
The program is still in private beta right now – but developers can sign up here to try it out.
