SparkLabs' "Performance-Driven Advertising Trends 2024" report analyzes thousands of creatives from the past 12 months, highlighting four key strategies for ad performance. First, cross-genre mechanic borrowing in gaming ads leverages popular mechanics from other genres to appeal to broader audiences. Second, gamification elements are now prevalent in non-gaming apps, with about one-third of top non-gaming ads incorporating such features across categories like fashion and fintech.
Third, the concept of meta-play extends beyond borrowed mechanics, introducing game mechanics that transcend core gameplay to enhance brand appeal. Fourth, CTV advertising has emerged as a powerful channel for immersive brand experiences, reaching new audiences at scale. The report also details how SparkLabs integrated generative AI into its creative workflow, saving 1,600 hours that would have been spent on manual tasks.
This efficiency allowed the team to deliver high-performance ads while focusing on innovation. Actionable best practices are provided to help advertisers implement these trends and achieve top-tier results. The insights are data-driven, based on analysis of thousands of creatives produced by SparkLabs.
Generative AI boosts creative success rates by 118% and saves 1,600 hours by automating tasks. Key to adoption: embrace change, share knowledge, and focus on workflow improvements. SparkLabs increased AI usage 170% in 2023, proving AI's potential for high-impact ads and resource efficiency. Overcome plateaus with open communication, AI task forces, and continuous learning.
AI integration in ad creative workflows boosts efficiency and expands creative possibilities, akin to the shift from paper to digital. SparkLabs tripled AI use for concepting and production. Cross-genre mechanics and CTV ads offer new engagement avenues. Fostering an adaptable team culture is crucial for leveraging AI effectively.
Mobile market rebounded in 2023 with record $171B consumer spend. Apps drove growth at 11% YoY to $64B. Generative AI exploded 7x. Travel apps surged 13%. Mobile ad spend reached $362B.
Gen AI apps have become the primary growth engine of the non-gaming market, with revenue surging 232% YoY to $6.1 billion between Q2 2025 and Q1 2026. The US leads with 38% of global revenue, while Japan and Korea emerge as key growth markets. AI Assistants are increasingly concentrated, with ChatGPT dominating, but vertical segments like AI Companions, AI Agents, and AI Image & Video offer fragmented, high-growth opportunities. Lessons from Plaud highlight success through vertical focus, deep localization, and precision advertising. For ad ops, targeting vertical AI segments and localized user acquisition strategies present significant opportunities.
AI is reshaping digital advertising as platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini become new discovery channels. Key findings: ChatGPT ad impressions surged 7x since March 2026, and AI-related ad spend tripled in Q1 2026. Early advertisers are concentrated in Shopping, Software, Travel, and Financial Services. AI assistants drive referral traffic to retailers, with Walmart and Target exceeding 1.5% GenAI share. Competition among AI platforms is intensifying, with Claude gaining professional users. For ad ops, integrating AI into media plans and optimizing for AI-driven discovery is critical.
Cross-platform measurement resolves the common problem of fragmented, device-level reporting that inflates ROAS and misallocates budgets. By unifying customer identity across web, mobile, CTV, and other surfaces, marketers gain a single view of LTV and attribution. AppsFlyer provides this via CUID stitching and Product Line grouping, enabling real-time, deduplicated insights without manual BI work. Key benefits include accurate cross-platform ROAS, elimination of duplicate attribution, and reliable data for AI-driven optimization.
Google Marketing Live introduces generative AI for ad creative, enabling brand-aligned asset generation, immersive shopping ads, visual storytelling on YouTube, and AI Overviews in Search. These tools scale production, boost conversions, and improve consumer confidence.
TikTok launches Agentic Hub, a marketplace for AI-powered advertising solutions built on TikTok for Business MCP. It connects AI agents to advertisers' tools, enabling automated campaign creation, management, analysis, and optimization. The ecosystem includes first-party and third-party AI skills from partners like HubSpot and Wix. Advertisers can reduce manual work, gain insights, and make data-driven decisions. A limited promotion offers ad credits for new SMB accounts spending $100-$1500 within 30 days, with restrictions on eligibility.
The blog highlights the strategic rationale for a TikTok merger, emphasizing the performance advertising gap where TikTo...
The article examines how identifiers like those from Google and Facebook flow across e-commerce sites via standard integ...
AppLovin explains its AI-driven advertising platform, Axon 2, which has quadrupled ad spend to a ~$10B run rate. The eng...
AppLovin CEO Adam Foroughi refutes a short report questioning its e-commerce ad business and pixel practices. He highlig...
User acquisition on a budget is achievable through a mix of organic and low-cost paid strategies. Key tactics include op...
Performance issues like crashes and slow load times directly reduce user retention and LTV. With 60% of users uninstalli...