I observed that gaming apps often serve ads for other games, which feels like walking into a Zara store and seeing an H&M ad. This raises the question whether promoting competitor apps is the only viable monetization path and if it hurts user retention.
- Reason 1: No ROAS for other brands because gamers aren’t in a shopping mindset.
- Decision: Allow limited competitor ads because the revenue uplift can outweigh a modest retention dip.
- Decision: Blacklist direct competitors in ad controls when brand protection outweighs ad revenue.
- Reason 2: Limited purchasing power of the gaming audience for non‑gaming products.