TextNow Significantly Improves Mobile App Inventory Monetization with LiveRamp and InMobi

146% lift in eCPMs on iOS | 73% increase in fill rates on iOS

  • 146%

    Improvement in eCPMs on iOS: lift for native ads

  • 35%

    Improvement in eCPMs on iOS: lift for banners

  • 73%

    Increase in Fill Rates on iOS: lift for banners

Challenge

Increasing Monetization on Opted-In Users in a Privacy-First Environment

In April 2021, Apple officially released iOS14.5 and began enforcing their AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) framework, requiring all apps that collect and use data to ask users for permission to share their Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), Apple’s mobile ID. 

For advertisers, this caused a significant shift from business as usual. Brands had long relied on granular audience engagement in-app, but with most iOS users now less addressable at the device level, many were planning to either shift budgets to more addressable and measurable media. 

TextNow, one of the largest providers of free phone service in the US, was determined to implement a sustainable monetization strategy for their in-app advertising. With more than 10 million monthly active users, it was imperative to leverage a solution that would enable them to partner with identity providers and continue offering their opted-in users a free experience in a privacy-centric environment.

Following the rollout of Apple’s ATT, TextNow partnered with InMobi and LiveRamp to enrich how our logged-in, opted-in user base transacts programmatically with ATS. The results we’ve seen from ATS through InMobi’s UnifID give us confidence that we can continue to grow our business without sole dependence on device-based identifiers. As we navigate the ever-changing identity landscape, we are both proud and fortunate to have LiveRamp and InMobi on this journey with us.
Evan Thor, Director,
Ad Monetization and Operations at TextNow

Solution

Leveraging LiveRamp and InMobi to Improve Monetization and Enable Addressability

To ensure advertisers could continue reaching their audiences, TextNow leveraged their existing partnership with InMobi to further monetize their advertising inventory globally in an increasingly post-IDFA world. In 2021, TextNow adopted InMobi’s UnifID, a unique solution that allows app publishers and developers to quickly implement multiple identity solutions—such as LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution—all through one integration, and increase the addressability of opted-in users. 

TextNow was one of the first mobile publishers to support ATS through InMobi’s UnifID, enabling them to connect their authenticated audiences directly to marketers for people-based audience activation. This meant that advertisers would be able to identify, reach, and engage with their consumers at scale across mobile devices and channels using LiveRamp’s pseudonymous, people-based identifier, RampID. By integrating with UnifID and ATS, TextNow’s consented iOS inventory became more addressable and more valuable when using a people-based identity solution enhanced by authentications (i.e., user logins). 

Addressability has become more important than ever for Textnow and our other publisher partners. We believe that our UnifID solution and our partnership with LiveRamp are key to helping publishers make their inventory more addressable and better monetizable in a privacy-first environment. And the enhancement in yield that TextNow has seen after implementing UnifID is a testament to our belief.
Saurav Dutta, Director,
Product Marketing and Ecosystem, InMobi Exchange

Result

TextNow Sees an Uplift in Mobile App Inventory Monetization through Improved eCPMs and Fill Rates

Improvement in eCPMs on iOS

  • 146% lift for native ads
  • 35% lift for banners

Increase in Fill Rates on iOS

  • 73% lift for banners

A 1.5x increase in eCPMs demonstrates TextNow’s ability to sell ad placements leveraging a people-based identifier at a higher competitive price. SImilarly, a 73% uplift in fill rates highlights the demand from marketers willing to bid more on TextNow’s addressable inventory. 

Thus, authentications connected to a people-based identifier, such as RampID, are demonstrably more valuable and effective for mobile in-app publishers seeking to implement an alternative solution to device-based identifiers with InMobi and LiveRamp. 

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