App monetization and distribution platform Appnext grew its revenues by 345 percent in 2015. The London-based company now serves 12 billion app recommendations to 380 million unique users in 180 countries.
Sure, it grew off a small base in 2014. But the growth rate is still impressive. Appnext released its self-serve ad platform in November 2014. It makes it easier for mobile app and game developers to reach the right customers at the lowest costs. It is one of many companies trying to help developers with a huge problem in the $30 billion mobile gaming industry: getting games and apps noticed without overpaying for advertisements.
“The app-install ad spend has skyrocketed over the last few years as more developers are looking for premium solutions to drive downloads and more publishers are looking for relevant content for their users,” said Elad Natanson, the CEO and cofounder of Appnext, in a statement. “Appnext finds itself at the epicenter of this trend working with some of the world’s top companies to help them monetize their properties and acquire more quality users both on the supply and the demand side.”
The platform offers cost-per-install (CPI) bidding, allowing app advertisers to place direct bids on specific publisher sources. That means that you can target a user with an ad in an automated fashion and do it with both low costs and transparency in mind. Rivals include Chartboost, PlayHaven, Tap4Tap, and LeadBolt.
Appnext said it has integrated more than 30,000 top app developers and web publishers. There are over 2,200 concurrent live campaigns for apps on both iOS and Android worldwide, leading to the growth of 34 percent on Android and 42 percent on iOS.
In a recent report from eMarketer, more marketers than ever before are investing in app install ads. Last year, eMarketer predicted U.S. mobile app install ad spending would rise by 80 percent from the previous year, reaching $3 billion.