Soon you will be able to play games without even installing them

Search engine giant Google has always been known for being rather innovative in their products and services. This time, they’re showing just a little more of their innovation with their new ad format, Trial Run Ads. As the name suggests, this application allows users to try an app in an ad without needing to install it.

Sounds impossible right? Well, we thought so too.

This magical ad triggers a pop up in search results and allows users to stream the application (for now it’s only for games) for up to 60 seconds. The purpose is to allow users to try out the application before deciding whether or not they want to download it. According to Google, one in four applications downloaded is never even used because of the shortening mobile attention span of the average user.

Trial Run Ads attempts to curb that by letting users really get a feel of an application before downloading them, thus benefiting both the user and the app developer. This application is only in its beta stage though, but Google has unveiled this to app developers so the ball is in their court now and it is up to them to decide how to best utilise this feature. With proper and effective implementation, this looks like it could be a very interesting feature.

Besides this nifty app Harry Potter-y, Google is also starting the beta for Interactive Interstitial ads that utilises HTML5 to create interactive mobile advertisements. It will let advertisers completely customise the advertisement to their liking and give them the freedom they need to use HTML5 instead of standard templates and pull data dynamically. It is truly customisable and can allow advertisers to include the app’s value proposition and functionalities to suit advertisers who are looking for higher user engagement.

This example provided by Google shows how Zalora has incorporated the ability to let their users swipe down on an app to discover an exclusive offer. Do note that all of these are still in the beta stage so there is still plenty of room to improve. Though with ads slowly becoming more interactive and fun, are we actually approaching a time where we won’t be annoyed by pop up ads anymore?

[SOURCE, VIA]