Your app ad networks probably deliver the same players to your game as they do to every rival title in the mobile gaming top charts. The Google Play Store has over 2,607,536 apps, and almost 312,078 are gaming apps. The irony is that all of these gaming apps compete for the same ad inventory under the same bidding logic. That means traditional reach is crowded, shared, and increasingly expensive.
Most UA plans skip a layer of inventory entirely: the phone itself. That’s where OEM advertising for mobile games comes in. Smartphone manufacturers (OEMs) show your game during device setup, in their own app stores, and in other on-device spots.
Traditional ad networks still belong in your marketing mix. They shouldn’t be the whole mix. As OEM channels add reach your competitors haven’t touched, mobile game developers also gain targeting based on what players actually have installed. OEM adds the missing layer as traditional channels blur together.
Key takeaways
- Saturation is the hidden cost: Traditional mobile game ad networks share overlapping inventory, so extra spend often buys the same audience at a higher price.
- OEM channels sit on the device: AVOW’s OEM partners hold 86% of the global Android market and reach players outside search, social, and SDK networks.
- OEMs target by what’s installed: installed apps, category usage, and device type, not just audience lookalikes.
- Coverage is regional: AVOW’s OEM partners cover 91% of Android in Africa and 87% in Southeast Asia.
- One contract, 13 OEMs: an aggregator removes the need to onboard with each manufacturer.
Why are traditional app ad networks hitting a ceiling?
Most game marketing plans use the same tools: Google Ads, AdMob, Unity Ads, and a mediation layer to manage different ad networks. For a breakdown of these networks and their ad formats, see our guide to the best gaming app ad networks. This approach works, but it also creates limits.
The catch? Everyone speaks it. When every advertiser in your genre bids on the same ad space through programmatic advertising, costs climb, and audiences overlap. Your rewarded ads end up reaching players who have likely seen your competitors’ creatives too.
Ad mediation helps you earn more from your current players, but it doesn’t bring in new ones. Adding another traditional ad network to your user acquisition plan usually finds the same players at a different cost, so the main growth challenge stays the same.
How is OEM advertising for mobile games different from ad networks?
OEM advertising for mobile games means placing ads on inventory owned by smartphone manufacturers, such as app stores, lock screens, browsers, app folders, and setup screens. AVOW’s 13 OEM partners account for 65% of the global mobile market.
Here are a few ways mobile OEM advertising stands out for gaming apps:
- Device-level targeting: OEMs let you target users based on installed apps, app categories, time spent in each category, device type, and user behavior.
- Clean supply: Campaigns run on OEMs’ private marketplaces, with no third-party traffic. Major mobile measurement partners verify that AVOW’s ad units are fraud-free.
- Genuinely new audiences: OEM inventory lets you reach players you can’t find through social, search, or SDK networks. This is a blind spot in most mobile marketing plans.
Which OEM Channels Work Best for Gaming Apps?
Each OEM channel addresses a different growth challenge. The next sections explain how each one works for specific use cases.
| Channel | Where players see it | Best for |
| Dynamic Preloads | New phone setup (first boot or factory reset) | High-intent installs at scale |
| On-device display ads | App stores, browsers, themes, app folders | Performance UA and retargeting |
| Alternative app store featuring | OEM stores such as Galaxy Store and GetApps | Visibility and install spikes |
| On-device branding | Lock screens, splash screens, push, top banners | Launches and seasonal moments |
Dynamic Preloads: Be the first game on a new phone
Dynamic Preloads suggest your game to users when they first start or reset an Android device. With Google PAI (Play Auto Install), partners like HONOR, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and Transsion targetwhich apps to recommend based on device type, country, and operator.
Installs download straight from Google Play and count toward Google Play rankings. Huawei and Xiaomi run a similar flow, called OOBE (out-of-box experience), through their own app stores.
On-device display ads: Target what players already play
You can target users who play similar games, find new players, retarget lapsed players, and optimize for in-app events, retention, and ROAS. Some platforms have entry rules. For example, Xiaomi requires your game to be on GetApps and to meet certain ROAS targets.
Alternative app stores: Get featured where players browse
Alternative app stores like Xiaomi GetApps, Huawei AppGallery, and Samsung Galaxy Store give your game its own storefront and premium placement. The Galaxy Store, for example, reaches over 155million active users in Europe
On-device branding: Own the big moments
Lock screen, splash screen, push notifications, and top-banner ads help build awareness before a launch or seasonal update.
Do OEM channels actually perform for mobile game developers?
Yes, especially when studios use OEM campaigns together with traditional channels. This combination delivers the most noticeable growth.
Zephyr Mobile ran campaigns on Xiaomi across 30 countries, adding OEM inventory to its search, social, and programmatic mix with zero fraud tracked on its MMP.
Funvent Studios used Dynamic Preloads and display across Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo, and its founder put it simply:
“Our targets for installs, ROAS, and retention were ambitious — and AVOW helped us exceed every one of them. Their team was hands-on, responsive, and focused on performance from day one. AVOW understands the dynamics of growing gaming apps, and their strong partnerships with top OEMs set them apart.”
Kiran Babu, Founder, Funvent Studios
See the full results in our Funvent, Tripledot, and Zephyr case studies
How should gaming companies add OEM channels to their marketing strategies?
OEM marketing works best as an extra layer on top of your current strategies. The main idea is to use OEM to reach more people without replacing your existing channels.
- Begin with regions where Android is most popular. AVOW’s OEM partners cover 91% of the market in Africa, 87% in Southeast Asia, 84% in India, and 57% in Europe.
- Set up your measurement tools first. Connect your MMP and post-install events before launching your first ad campaigns. AVOW works with all major MMPs.
- Consolidate the paperwork. An aggregator gives you one contract and one point of contact across 13 OEMs, instead of onboarding with each manufacturer separately.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Why are traditional app ad networks less effective for mobile games now?
Traditional ad networks have become saturated, causing rising costs and overlapping audiences. Most gaming apps compete for the same ad inventory, so additional spending often just reaches the same players at a higher price.
Q2: What is OEM advertising for mobile games, and how does it differ from traditional ad networks?
OEM advertising places ads directly on inventory owned by smartphone manufacturers—such as app stores, lock screens, and device setup screens—reaching users outside traditional SDK networks. This gives access to genuinely new audiences and device-level targeting.
Q3: What are the key benefits of OEM channels for gaming app marketers?
Key benefits include reaching untapped audiences, advanced targeting based on device and user behavior, clean, verified, fraud-free traffic, and the ability to run campaigns on private marketplaces.
Q4: What is OOBE, and how is it different from Google PAI?
Both suggest apps during new-phone setup. PAI installs from Google Play on HONOR, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and Transsion devices, while OOBE runs through Huawei’s and Xiaomi’s own app stores.
Q5: Do OEM platforms have entry requirements for games?
Some do. Xiaomi display, for example, requires your game to be listed on GetApps and to meet certain ROAS targets.
Q6: Which regions should I start OEM campaigns in?
Start where OEM coverage is highest: Africa (91%), Southeast Asia (87%), and India (84%).
Your next players are unboxing new phones
Traditional app ad networks will keep doing what they do well. But if your mobile game’s growth has flattened, more of the same auction won’t fix it. OEM advertising for mobile games puts your title in front of players before any other ad network can. Most app marketers still route their digital marketing through the same few platforms. Meanwhile, the players nobody has reached yet are setting up new devices right now. The point is simple: growth comes from reaching users on new devices.
Put your game where they already are. Let the rest of the gaming industry fight over the same ad space.
See how Dynamic Preloads and on-device placements fit your game’s UA plan → Book a demo!
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