The Mobile Ad Arms Race Is On—and AI Just Loaded the Ammo
In a mobile advertising world where attention is currency, Liftoff’s 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index makes one thing clear: the brands winning the battle are those rewriting the rules. The seventh edition of the report dissects what’s working across 4.7 trillion impressions, 263 billion clicks, and 1.1 billion installs. Spoiler alert—static banners are officially on life support.
Here’s what’s reshaping performance marketing in mobile: immersive interactivity, smarter “metaplay,” and creative AI that goes far beyond A/B testing. With a data set covering January 2023 through May 2025, Liftoff’s insights are timely, telling, and packed with implications for advertisers in both app and gaming sectors.
Interactive Ads: From Niche Tactic to Mainstream Strategy
Interactive ad formats aren’t just flashy—they’re sticky. For top consumer apps, spend on interactive creatives jumped 20% YoY in 2024. These brands are elevating classic ad units like carousels and scratch-offs by adding real-time elements that entice users to stay and engage.
By contrast, advertisers outside the top tier showed only a 2% lift—suggesting that innovative interaction isn’t just a nice-to-have, but a competitive moat.
Playable Ads: Games’ Secret Weapon for Conversions
In the world of mobile gaming, playable ads are no longer optional. Liftoff found that top-spending game advertisers allocated 35% more of their budgets to playable formats compared to others.
Why? Because they work—really well. Top-tier advertisers saw impression-to-install rates 8x higher with playables, while lower-spend games saw a staggering 16x jump. For marketers still pushing trailers, this is a wake-up call.
Metaplay Creatives: Playing Beyond the Game
“Metaplay” ads—where the creative diverges from the core gameplay to appeal to broader audiences—are gaining traction. But nuance matters. The top-performing brands weren’t just layering gimmicks; they tailored metaplay elements to match publisher audiences, resulting in a 93% higher installs-per-mille.
Think of it as gameplay cosplay: strategic storytelling that hooks new user segments without betraying the brand’s core identity.
UGC Isn’t Just for Influencers Anymore
User-generated content is fast becoming table stakes, especially for social and utility apps. Liftoff reports an 11% uptick in UGC spend among top advertisers—nearly 30% among social and utility apps alone.
Why the surge? According to Liftoff’s Creative Director, Soren Steelquist, it comes down to authenticity. “UGC works because it’s relatable. People trust people,” he said. And now, even programmatic campaigns are getting the UGC treatment, driving home that real voices outperform polished scripts.
Gen AI: From Production Assistant to Creative Director
The report confirms what many in AdTech already suspect—generative AI isn’t just a tool, it’s a force multiplier. Top advertisers are using Gen AI to remix their best-performing assets into 3D visuals, dynamic playables, and custom ad experiences.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, brands are fine-tuning what already resonates—and doing it at scale. Liftoff’s Chief of Staff, Creative, Yann Zeller, frames it best: “Attention is the commodity. AI is how we personalize storytelling to earn it.”
For mobile marketers, the implications are clear: the creative edge is no longer defined by polish but by personalization, interactivity, and agility. Whether you’re building a social app or the next breakout game, scalable, AI-enhanced creative isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.
This year’s index isn’t just a snapshot of where the industry is; it’s a blueprint for where it’s going. And judging by the numbers, brands who delay experimenting with playable formats, UGC, and AI-infused iterations will be left on the loading screen.
