Twitter launches carousel ads to drive web traffic, app installs

Brief:

Twitter today unveils an advertising format that lets mobile users swipe horizontally to open an app or website. Marketers can string together as many as six images or videos in the new carousel format using the Tweet Composer in its Ads Manager platform, or with the ads application programming interface (API), per an announcement emailed to Mobile Marketer.
App carousel ads boosted installs per impression an average of 24% compared with single-asset formats, while website carousel ads boosted the average clickthrough rate (CTR) about 15%, Twitter found in its testing of the carousel format. The format features edge-to-edge design to fill out a smartphone screen, third-party measurement reporting and accessibility support, according to the company.
Twitter's carousel ads could help drive website traffic for e-commerce companies and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, while app developers are continually seeking ways to improve app installs.

Insight:

Twitter's introduction of carousel ads aims to give mobile marketers more flexibility with their ad creative by letting them tell a more complete brand story in several images or videos. Early test results look promising for the format as marketers seek to drive clickthrough to their websites or app install pages. Website traffic is especially important to e-commerce companies and DTC brands, while app developers including makers of mobile video games are continually seeking ways to boost the volume of app downloads.

Before the pandemic, app install advertising was forecast to surge 32% to $76.2 billion worldwide this year, reaching $118.4 billion by 2022, according to mobile attribution and marketing analytics firm AppsFlyer. The company later said that more than half (54%) of app marketers planned to boost their user acquisition campaigns this year, with 41% saying they would increase their reach and demographics.

For Twitter, the introduction of carousel ads follows a variety of in-house initiatives to improve its ad platform. It recently rebuilt its ad platform architecture and launched its Advanced Mobile Measurement (AMM) program to give marketers better measurement of consumer lifetime value. The social media company also updated Tweet Composer to speed up creative development, and added support for SKAdNetwork, Apple's attribution service, to attribute installs and provide campaign reporting for iOS 14. It also launched Learning Period to improve its advertising algorithms, per its announcement.

Meanwhile, Twitter decided to delay the release of its revamped Mobile Application Promotion (MAP) until next year, when it expects to integrate new industry-standard mobile privacy requirements, the company announced in a quarterly report on Oct. 29. MAP aims to help advertisers drive app installs, conversions or engagements with apps, but was beset with technical problems that hurt revenue last year, CNBC reported.

Twitter's ad revenue rose 15% to $808 million in Q3 from a year earlier as marketers resumed ad spending to reach consumers who have spent more time using social media to stay connected with others during the pandemic. Total engagements with ads jumped 27%, per the company, a sign that its ad targeting was more effective. Twitter's average monetizable daily active usage (mDAU) grew 29% from a year earlier to 187 million, as the company added 1 million users from the prior quarter.