App install advertisements aren’t uncommon on some social networks. Facebook has plenty of them, allowing users the opportunity to download a game or other related app to their devices instantly, with the push of a button. The results have been terrific for Facebook, resulting in a substantial part of their revenue growth. Now, it appears that Twitter is giving this practice a try.
The Next Web is reporting that the social media company will test an all-new system that displays advertising for direct app installs. The program has already kicked off for some users today, showing a “suggested apps” section with large, hard-to-miss advertisements for programs sponsored by RelayRides, AsAforRally and other companies, who tie in their official Twitter accounts with the apps.
As you can see from the image above, the pop-up ad is hard to miss, taking up nearly the entirety of the screen. However, users shouldn’t be worried about them blocking their activities, as it can be found by “swiping right” on the menu screen, which will then take them to the aforementioned “Suggested Apps” section.
The campaign hasn’t fully launched yet, but some users have already taken notice, noting not only the size of the ads, but also the “side-swiping cards” that show off additional apps that can be installed, as seen below.
While this will no doubt help Twitter’s advertising side — and thus bring in a slightly larger revenue with its user base — there’s a question as to how obtrusive they could be in someone’s feed. This “testing ground” limits them to a certain section, but Twitter has put smaller ads in an active feed before, and it could be likely that these will find their way into said feed, which could irritate those who just want to keep an eye on messages from friends and others within their social network. The large size, and having to skim past them if there’s no interest in installing the ad, could get in the way of the experience.
Twitter has yet to note just how much of an effect this ad campaign will make on the entirety of its network, since it doesn’t have a large outreach on its massive audience just yet. So it’s a matter of waiting and seeing what kind of effect it has in the long run. However, here’s hoping that the company keeps the program firmly balanced, so users don’t have to scroll past everything just to get to their messages. It’s still a social network, after all.
