iFarm developer chuffed too, but how do the economics work?
Greystripe has released some numbers to show the success of its recently introduced '99 cents per download' program.
What's that? It's an ad model that gets developers to advertise their iPhone apps and games using Greystripe's ad units, but they only pay $0.99 when someone clicks on an ad AND downloads their app.
That's as opposed to paying on a cost-per-click basis (which includes people clicking on the ad but not then downloading the app).
Social gaming firm PlayMesh was one of the first developers to take part, with its iFarm game. Greystripe says it got a 56% conversion rate on clicks, and generated more than 60,000 downloads through the program, helping it top the App Store free app chart.
"It’s important that our mobile ad network provide an engaging ad format that aligns with our social gaming experience," says PlayMesh founder Charles Ju.
Article continues belowAdvertisement
"After signing up for Greystripe’s 99 cent download program, we noticed the conversion rates on iFarm increase almost immediately. We’re very pleased with the success of the campaign, and look forward to working with Greystripe in the future."
We're interested in the economics behind this decision, though. iFarm is free, so PlayMesh effectively spent $59,400 to get those 60,000 downloads.
We'd love to see how those users then translate into (presumably) advertising revenues for PlayMesh, to get a handle on how this model really works.
Not that we're suggesting it doesn't. But the full story would be an even more fascinating insight into the emerging economics behind free iPhone games.
