ironSource releases new platform to track playable ads’ metrics

As ads evolve into mini-applications, analytics that capture the new kinds of data they capture will similarly evolve.

Today, in-app video ad platform ironSource is announcing a new In-Ad Data Platform that is designed specifically for playable in-app ads, which are mini-games. COO for Developer Solutions Tal Shoham told me that, to his knowledge, the new platform is providing a previously unavailable level of granular detail about the choices made by users as they move through the ad’s story or funnel.

“With the rise of interactive ad units like playable or interactive video ads, the ad has suddenly become not just part of a funnel, but a funnel in and of itself,” Chief Design Officer Dan Greenberg said in a statement.

“Instead of just tracking an impression and a click, we’re able to access a wealth of previously inaccessible data on what’s going on inside the ad itself.”

Imagine a playable ad with car racing, Shoham said. The platform tracks a user’s choice of car, the various drivers selected by the user, when the race is run, when users drop out of the game, how choices affect the likelihood of users continuing to the brand page and other kinds of data particular to this ad.

This kind of info is beyond simple clicks or video playthrough rates, he noted, adding that playable ads often “are a blackbox,” where the brand sees only page views or installs.

The ad metrics are definable for the specific ad, although almost all of the playable ads currently analyzed by the platform are built by ironSource.