The new Trial Run and Interactive Interstitials are currently in beta, with Zalora an early tester via an ad that allows users to swipe to discover an excusive offer. The new units reflect the on-going need for more creative mobile advertising that can help brands attract and keep high-quality users. 

?This is definitely a huge step forward in creative surrounding mobile advertising,? said Matt Rednor, CEO and founder of Decoded Advertising.

?Mobile has been lagging desktop in its ability to create customized, engaging ad experiences that both bring the right users in and keep them coming back,? he said. ? 

Trial Run ads bring an element of trial to app install ads by letting Web users stream content from an app for 60 seconds before downloading it. This unit is geared for mobile game developers, enabling users to get a taste of a game before deciding whether they want to go through the download process.

By providing an immersive demo, Google wants to help marketers increase the likelihood that an install is coming from better-qualified users who have chosen the game based on experience. 

?This could have a huge impact on the app market if we look at it as more than just an ad unit,? said Andrew French, general manager, EMEA, at AdColony. ?One of the only remaining friction points for marketers is the act of download itself. 

?Using video and other channels to create awareness is proven to work and so taking one of the last points of friction out of the process will get people in 'apps' more quickly,? he said.   

The Trial Run unit follows on the heels of Google?s move to surface application-only content in search results and eliminate the need to install an app to take advantage of its offerings through streaming in a significant advancement in bridging the divide between the Web and native apps (see story). 

Taken together, these Trial Run and search news point to how Google is making it a priority to deliver more integrated digital experiences.   

The second new mobile ad unit enables marketers to customize interstitials using HTML5 instead of having to use standard templates. Customization can be as big or small as marketers want, from adjusting standard templates to developing a fully custom creative.

The Interactive Interstitials also enable marketers to bring a piece of an app experience to the user before download. Marketers can even use live app content to create real-time ad formats. 

The new ad units could help marketers remove some of the friction for app downloads.

They could also help brands narrow in on different key performance indicators.

?It?s about cutting down the path of resistance for consumers to access content and this technology allows us to do that,? said Sean Black, North America media services lead at Sapient. ?Our best practice is to deliver content across touch points, and mobile is becoming increasingly important.

?Engaging with consumers this way allows us to simplify the experience and cut down on that path to resistance,? he said. ?It helps the consumer to engage with the content in the natural environment as opposed to leaving that environment.

?This technology also allows us to rethink how we measure success and align KPIs.?

An early user of Interactive Interstitials is Asian online retailer Zalora, which built an ad that enables users to swipe to discover an exclusive offer. 

With Interactive Interstitials, marketers can also A/B test creative and showcase products through galleries.

Google announced the two new units in a blog post last week. 

The added creativity could help marketers increase the lifetime value of customers acquired through mobile advertising. 

 

?Creative and targeting are the two biggest levers advertisers can optimize with, and use as a filter to ensure the users they are paying for are quality users and will have maximum lifetime ROI,? Decoded Advertising?s Mr. Rednor said. 

?By allowing users a deeper view into what they are downloading and increasing relevance, advertisers will have increased ability to optimize towards LTV,? he said. 

?Additionally, added creative flexibility and ability to test, will allow advertisers to unpack what creative dimensions and variables actually drive LTV, so messaging can be enhanced over time both for new user acquisition as well as bringing current users back into valuable experiences within the app.?

The new units could also drive the use of search and deep-linking to certain pages within apps that help drive a better user experience, per AdColony?s Mr. French. 

However, same marketers may find it difficult to encapsulate their app in an ad unit. 

?The challenge is one of quality and execution,? Mr. French said. ?If you are Seriously, King or Supercell and have spent countless hours building incredibly polished content and gameplay, then it is nearly impossible to distill that down into a HTML5 ad. 

?Sure, a great video is the first start but without the quality gameplay in the ad it will be tough,? he said. ?So, given gaming dominates app consumption it is going to take some hard work to crack the biggest nut of them all.?