Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) announced today via its blog that it will begin selling app install ads through its acquisition of MoPub. The micro-blogging company estimates its new ad product will reach over 1 billion devices, putting it in striking distance of the number of users Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has.
Twitter dives into lucrative revenue stream
Anyone who has used a smartphone has probably seen app install ads, which pop up pushing users to install some new app. As The New York Times notes, these ads have provided quite a lucrative stream of revenue for competitor Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB). In January, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg specifically mentioned this type of ad, saying that it has “grown incredibly quickly and is one of the best parts of the ad work” they have done over the past years.
The fact that Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) is using MoPub’s ad platform certainly isn’t a big surprise, since it purchased the company back in October. Twitter said back then that it was already planning to fold the ad network’s app install ads into its own product offerings.
How Twitter’s new ads work
Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) said publishers can use just a single tool to purchase ads which are targeted to any of its monthly users or even the 1 billion people who are using any of the mobile apps which receive ads from the MoPub advertising platform. Just by adding app install ads through the MoPub acquisition, Twitter has essentially blown up the number of people who see its ads from just the 241 million users who access its own services every month up over 1 billion.
The micro-blogging company said it has created “a full suite of targeting, creative and measurement tools” to make it possible for its advertisers to “effectively promote” their mobile apps. Currently those tools are being test in a private beta, so these new types of ad promotions aren’t widely being used, but users may see some of them from time to time.
Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) said some of their early beta partners include Spotify, Deezer, Kabam and HotelTonight.
