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As 2025 unfolds, video advertising continues to dominate the digital marketing landscape, evolving into a critical tool for brands aiming to capture attention and drive results. But what sets a high-performing video ad apart in this competitive space? From short-form content to interactive end cards, the formula for success is both data-driven and nuanced. Let’s explore the strategies and trends shaping the future of video advertising and how brands can capitalize on them for campaign success.
The Challenge: A Market of Installs… and Uninstalls
In today’s crowded marketplace, brands face a brutal reality: the majority of people who install your app uninstall it the same day they downloaded it.
According to Appsflyer’s 2025 Uninstall Report, nearly 47% of apps are deleted within 30 days of being downloaded. In some categories, the problem is even worse. Gaming apps — notorious for impulsive downloads — see over 1 in 2 uninstalled within the first month. Dating apps aren’t far behind.
Then there’s the stark reality of Day 1 drop-off. The majority of uninstalls happen within the first 24 hours. Users download out of curiosity, but when the experience doesn’t immediately deliver, they’re quick to hit delete. As Appsflyer points out, the “exploratory” nature of installs in categories like gaming and dating makes this risk especially high.
Other factors drive uninstalls too:
- Storage limitations on devices, particularly in developing countries.
- Privacy concerns, as users grow wary of permissions and data collection.
- Broken promises between flashy ad campaigns and actual in-app experiences.
The takeaway? Marketers are fighting an uphill battle. With nearly half of new installs lost in a month, brands can’t afford to treat retention as an afterthought. The truth is retargeting is mission-critical from Day 1 of when you launch your app.
But here’s the problem: many retargeting ads are static, ignorable, and forgettable. To win back attention in 2025, marketers need a new approach. And that’s where interactive ads can help.
How Interactive Ads Supercharge Retargeting
Unlike static banners or passive video, interactive ads invite users to engage. They create micro-experiences that remind users why they downloaded in the first place, and why they should come back.
Here are three powerful ways interactive ads can enhance your retargeting strategy:
1. Playable Ads that Revive Dormant Gamers
Imagine a user who downloaded your puzzle game during a UA campaign but churned after Day 2. Weeks later, they see a playable ad on their favorite news app.
In just a few taps, they’re rotating tiles, solving a mini-challenge, and racking up points. Just as they’re getting into it, the ad ends with a message: “Ready for Level 2? Open the app to continue.”
Here’s a playable ad that gives them a taste of the fun they’ve been missing. By tapping into muscle memory and the dopamine of small wins, interactive ads reignite the excitement that led them to install in the first place.
For gaming apps, this type of retargeting does two things:
- Reawakens dormant users by reminding them of the core loop.
- Reduces uninstall regret by showing that the game has evolved or become more rewarding since their last session.
2. Product Carousels that Close the Loop for Shoppers
Consider an e-commerce brand with high cart abandonment. A shopper browses a pair of sneakers, adds them to their cart, but never checks out.
Instead of a static banner that says “Don’t forget your shoes,” the user is served an interactive carousel. They swipe through the exact sneakers they viewed, plus similar styles in new colors. Each image links directly to checkout via deep link.
This experience works because it mirrors the psychology of window shopping. Instead of a blunt reminder, the ad replicates the feeling of browsing, with the added convenience of purchase just a tap away.
Interactive carousels also leverage personalization. By tailoring the creative to the user’s browsing history, the ad feels more like a continuation of their journey than an interruption.
3. Interactive Quizzes that Spark Curiosity
Entertainment and QSR (quick-service restaurant) apps are prime candidates for interactive re-engagement. Picture this: a lapsed streaming subscriber sees an ad that says “What should you binge tonight?” After tapping through three quick choices — genre, mood, and time commitment — the ad spits out a personalized recommendation: “Your match: The Summer I Turned Pretty, streaming now.” With one tap, they’re back in the app.
Or for a QSR: “Build your perfect meal in 15 seconds.” The user drags a burger, fries, and drink into a tray, then gets hit with a coupon: “Come back for 20% off your order.”
Why it works: quizzes and build-your-own playables harness curiosity and co-creation. The user invests a few seconds of attention, making the result feel personal. That micro-investment dramatically increases the likelihood of re-opening the app to finish the action.
Hot Takes: Retargeting with Interactive Ads
If uninstalls are the disease, creative is the cure. But not just any creative — interactive creative. Here’s what’s working now:
- Keep It Simple
The best interactive ads are immediately clear. A short instruction (“Drag to build,” “Tap to play”), a sense of urgency, and a reason to act now. Complexity kills performance. - Go Longer with Playables
Counterintuitive but true: longer playables are starting to outperform. They blur the line between an ad and a demo, drawing users deeper into the experience and increasing re-open rates. - Show, Don’t Tell
High-performing playables minimize text. Aside from a tagline, basic instruction, and CTA, the gameplay itself drives the message. Users don’t want to read, they want to do. - Cut It Off Early
The cliffhanger approach works. Ending a playable right as the fun starts — at the end of a level, or just before unlocking a reward — drives users back to the app to finish what they started. - Experiment with 3-Page Ad Flows
On networks like Unity and Vungle, pairing a 30-second rewarded video with a playable and a final IEC (interactive end card) locks in performance. This layered flow keeps engagement high while giving multiple opportunities to re-engage. - Leverage Custom Product Pages
Apple and Google both recommend them, yet most advertisers don’t use them. Aligning interactive ads with tailored app store pages for promos, events, or new features closes the creative loop and boosts conversions by making the post-click journey seamless.
Takeaways
- Nearly half of installs are lost within 30 days. Gaming and dating apps are hit hardest, but no category is immune.
- Retargeting is essential and interactive ads outperform static formats by transforming ads into experiences.
- Whether it’s a playable demo, swipeable carousel, or curiosity-driven quiz, interactive units make re-engagement feel rewarding rather than intrusive.
- Creative is the lever: simplicity, longer duration, cliffhanger cutoffs, layered flows, and custom product pages are all driving stronger results in 2025.