In case you missed the BlackBerry Jam Direct 10.3 webcast, there was one notable announcement pertaining to a topic that’s particularly close to every app developer’s heart (or wallet in this case)–New Ways of App Monetization!
While BlackBerry 10 has done a great job of providing monetization opportunities such as In App Payments and Carrier Billing, most developers often struggle to come up with an effective monetization strategy, especially, when it comes to offering content free to users. Having more choices of monetization (e.g. advertising, carrier billing, etc), and additional distribution channels (i.e. Amazon Android App Store) allow developers to drive more revenue within their apps.
Smaato’s Global RTB exchange brings programmatic advertising to BlackBerry 10
The world of mobile advertising has been rapidly evolving and growing. RTB (Real-Time Bidding) and programmatic media buying are a big deal and getting lots of attention from advertisers and publishers within the industry. Smaato, one the leading global mobile programmatic ad exchanges(SMX) and Supply Side Platforms (SSP) delivers more than 70 billion ad impressions per month across 450+ million unique users around the world, and has grown tremendously:
Source: Smaato Q1 2014 RTB Report
In a nutshell, Smaato’s mission is to increase ad revenue worldwide for their app developers and partners. Smaato’s global monetization ecosystem connects more than 76,000 mobile app developers and publishers to 140+ DSPs and 100+ Ad Networks. Smaato’s launch of their Ad SDK for BlackBerry 10 presents is a fantastic opportunity for BlackBerry developers globally. If you are not familiar with RTB or programmatic media and advertising, take a look at the latest Smaato WhitePaper on RTB:
Source: Smaato Whitepaper on Successful Monetization Strategies for Mobile Apps
Support for multiple SDKs
With the recent Smaato announcement, BlackBerry 10 developers have the choice to either use Smaato’s Android SDK or the BlackBerry 10 Native SDK to monetize their applications. They also have a Javascript version which is not yet supported on WebWorks but can still be used to monetize mobile websites.
Cascades and Native developers have the choice of either using SSmaatoAdView QML component or accessing the API directly through C++. The SmaatoTest sample demonstrates both approaches. Refer to the Smaato Guide and API documentation for further details on the parameters supported by the SDK. Most importantly you can specify data parameters such as Gender, Age, Location, Tags, etc. The more audience data your app provides, the more attractive the value of your inventory becomes to potential advertisers.
Global Reach & Demand for BlackBerry 10 inventory
With 90 of the Top 100 Ad Age Brands bidding on Smaato’s ad exchange BlackBerry 10 app publishers now have the opportunity to participate in the programmatic marketplace and a chance to show advertisers that they have a highly engaged, relevant and valuable audience which will earn higher eCPMs and revenue. Download the SDK now and start monetizing your applications!
Download Smaato SDK for BlackBerry 10
Download SmaatoTest Native sample