Dive Brief:
- Yahoo is testing app install ads with an initial group of advertisers in hopes the move will jumpstart its mobile business.
- The current group of advertisers includes online gaming companies like Kabam, GREE, and Machine Zone, and Yahoo is also reportedly working on an app discovery service.
- Yahoo's plan mimics Facebook's shift to mobile with its own app download ads.
Dive Insight:
Because Facebook has been so successful in growing its mobile business with app download ads, it makes sense that Yahoo would test the waters. Although Yahoo claims to be a "mobile-first" company, there has been little action to support that claim. The app download ads could prove to be a big step toward validating its mobile business.
