What is ad fatigue?
Introduction
Ad fatigue is a common concept in mobile marketing, and should not be underestimated. In fact, it can have a detrimental effect on performance. To limit ad fatigue, it’s essential to diversify visuals, content and channels. In this article, we’ll find out what ad fatigue is, what impact it has on campaign performance, and above all how best to limit it to ensure maximum performance.
What is ad fatigue?
Ad fatigue occurs when users are repeatedly exposed to the same ad until it loses its impact. This effect not only leads to a decline in ad performance, but can also result in negative audience reactions, such as indifference, rejection or unintended clicks. In mobile marketing, where competition for attention is intense, ad fatigue is a common and often underestimated problem.
One of the key indicators of ad fatigue is the drop in click-through rates (CTR) and conversions, even when the advertising budget remains constant. A user tired of a creative no longer notices it, leading to a loss of effectiveness and investment.
Why is ad fatigue crucial in user acquisition?
In the mobile acquisition (UA) industry, every penny spent must generate measurable results. Ad fatigue directly threatens this return by diminishing the quality of user interactions.
The consequences of poorly managed ad fatigue can be assessed on three levels:
- Loss of revenue: Lower CTR means fewer installations, which reduces return on investment (ROI).
- Increasing costs: Programmatic auctions can become more expensive as the performance of a creative deteriorates.
- Impact on the brand: Too much advertising can annoy users and damage the perception of your brand.
A concrete example:
Imagine a mobile campaign for a shopping app. If the same ad is shown for too long, users who would have been interested end up ignoring it or even avoiding the brand. The result? A skyrocketing cost-per-install (CPI) and a lost opportunity to capture new users.
Best practices to avoid and combat ad fatigue
Fortunately, there are several strategies for minimizing the impact of ad fatigue and maximizing the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Diversify your advertising creations
Vary your visuals, messages and call-to-actions to keep your audience interested. A tool like CreaThor can help you quickly generate creative variations (colors, elements, effects) without sacrificing the quality or consistency of your brand.
Segment your audience
Customize your ads for different user segments. For example, creating visuals focused on local promotions for a specific geographic segment or emotional messages for a given age group has a positive impact on campaign performance.
Monitor print frequency
Set frequency parameters on your advertising platforms to limit the number of times the same ad is seen by a user in a given period
Use A/B tests
Experiment with different versions of your ads to see which resonate best. For example, test different color variations or messages to see which ads work best.
Adopt interactive formats
Interactive advertising formats, such as games or polls, captivate for longer and reduce boredom. This is particularly common in the mobile gaming sector.
Continuous analysis and optimization
Track your key performance indicators (KPIs) such as CTR, conversion rate and CPI. Advanced algorithms can automatically optimize distribution based on results.
Case study: A growing fintech app
With one of our FinTech customers, Rebellion Pay, we carried out an intensive creative strategy, producing 80 concepts in 2 months to limit ad fatigue and maintain performance.
These two videos generated ¾ of the total number of account creations in just one month.
Generic creations performed better in encouraging first payments into the app, while creations based on real-life shots or featuring influencers proved more effective in encouraging account creation.
Do not hesitate to contact with our teams
Addict can support you to improve your performance.
Conclusion
Ad fatigue is an inevitable enemy for mobile acquisition professionals, but it can be overcome with the right practices. Diversification, segmentation, frequency monitoring and continuous optimization are essential tools for keeping your campaigns effective and engaging. Investing in adapted solutions like Creathor or collaborating with DSPs can be decisive in meeting this challenge.
At Addict Mobile, we help our customers reduce ad fatigue. Thanks to our creative technologies, it’s possible to make variations on a concept in just a few minutes. Contact us for more information!
