The average global gaming CPI rose 30% over the past year to $0.56, while top-tier installs now cost about $4.22 on iOS and $2.97 on Android. Every studio is bidding on the same ad networks for the same players, and your cost per install (CPI) shows it. The creative refresh helped for two weeks. Then the numbers drifted back. An OEM ad network can give game marketers a way out of that loop.
An OEM (original equipment manufacturer) builds the phone, such as Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, or vivo. Its ad network places your game on the device itself: in the native app store, across on-device surfaces, and even on a new phone’s very first boot.
Our view is simple. OEM inventory deserves a permanent line in a gaming user acquisition (UA) budget because it behaves differently from the networks you already buy. Teams that treat it the same tend to burn their first test budget.
Key takeaways
- Different supply: An OEM ad network usually sells first-party placements owned by the phone maker, so it reaches players that SDK-based networks and social platforms miss.
- Real scale on Android: AVOW’s OEM partners cover 86% of the global Android market, with 1.85 billion daily active users across 13 OEMs.
- Formats built for games: Dynamic Preloads, app store featuring, and on-device display each serve a different stage of a game’s growth.
- Measure for value: Gaming campaigns run best against D0/D7/D30 return on ad spend (ROAS) targets with in-app events streamed from your mobile measurement partner (MMP).
- Proven with studios: Funvent Studios passed 2.5 million installs in a single month, and Tripledot Studios beat its EMEA targets by 20%.
What is an OEM Ad Network?
OEM ad networks sell advertising space that the phone maker owns and runs. You don’t buy impressions inside someone else’s app. You buy placements in the manufacturer’s own surfaces: its app store, browser, themes, lock screen, notifications, and device setup flow.
That ownership changes how the channel works for a game:
- No SDK intermediary: Placements live on the OEM’s first-party surfaces. Dynamic Preloads, for example, need no SDK implementation or technical integration.
- On-device targeting: OEMs target by appographic signals (the apps a player has installed), time spent in app categories, past behavior, device type, and geography.
- Clean traffic: Traffic comes straight from the OEM’s own private marketplaces with no third-party resellers in the chain. Major MMPs verify AVOW’s OEM ad units as fraud-free.
The reach is bigger than most game marketers expect. AVOW’s 13 OEM partners cover 86% of the global Android market and 1.85 billion daily active users. AVOW’s consistent presence and top-10 placements in the annual AppsFlyer Performance Index highlight the quality and effectiveness of OEM ad inventory.
Why do OEM ad networks matter for mobile games?
OEM ad networks reach players where the usual channels can’t. More than 50,000 apps hit the Google Play Store every month, and they all compete for the same search and social impressions. Plenty of players never search at all. They find games through preloads on a new phone or a carousel in the manufacturer’s app store.
The geography matters too. AVOW’s OEM partners hold 91% market share in Africa, 87% in Southeast Asia, 84% in India and 75% in CIS countries. Even in Europe, the figure remains at 57%. For a studio chasing growth in Android-first markets, that’s where the players are.
Then there’s dependency risk. When a handful of platforms drive most of your installs, one algorithm or policy change can flatten your funnel overnight. Diversifying is as much a hedge as a growth play.
Honestly, incrementality matters more than reach. When Zephyr Mobile ran OEM campaigns across 30 countries, AVOW ensured no overlap with the studio’s existing UA partners—new players, not recycled ones.
Which OEM placements work best for games?
The right placement depends on what your game needs right now: a launch spike, steady paying players, or presence in a new store. Use the main formats based on that goal.
| Format | Where Players See It | Best Fit for Games |
| Dynamic Preloads (Google PAI) | Installed from Google Play when a new or factory-reset device first boots | Launches, broad casual titles, early category ranking |
| Out-of-box experience (OOBE) | Same moment, but installed from the OEM’s own app store (e.g., Huawei, Xiaomi) | Reaching new device owners in OEM-store ecosystems |
| On-device display | App Vault, browser, themes, app store, lock screen and folders | Performance UA and retargeting against ROAS and retention |
| Alternative app store featuring | Samsung Galaxy Store, Xiaomi GetApps, Huawei AppGallery, OPPO Store, vivo V-Appstore | Visibility spikes, live events and seasonal promotions |
| On-device branding | Splash screens, lock screen feeds, push and top banners | Big launches and brand-led titles |
Dynamic Preloads (delivered through Google Play Auto Install, or PAI) deserve a closer look. Use them when you want cost-per-install reach among opted-in players and support for Google Play ranking.
For store featuring, Samsung’s Essential Games Pick (EGP) stands out. It’s the Galaxy Store’s most prestigious featuring slot: a full-screen video or image greets players when they open the store, then shifts into a banner as they scroll. App store featuring across OEM stores can lift installs to 3x your daily volume.
How should you plan and measure an OEM campaign?
Treat an OEM campaign like a performance channel with its own learning curve. Skipping the setup or judging too early wastes the test. Follow this order:
- Connect your MMP first: Enable in-app event data streams so campaigns can optimize toward D0, D7, and D30 ROAS rather than raw installs.
- Get listed on alternative app stores when the placement requires it. It’s strongly recommended for gaming display campaigns, and some placements require it. Samsung Galaxy Store slots work only for games already on the Galaxy Store.
- Test broad, then concentrate: Start across several OEMs and regions, then double down on the geos that deliver on ROAS and retention. Launch in-app purchase (IAP) titles in at least 10 countries, while in-app advertising (IAA) titles run best worldwide.
- Respect the learning period: Plan for a four-week learning window with a steady daily budget. Watch week one for direction, and save the verdict for after the algorithm has learned.
- Bid for intent, not installs: Fixed CPI feels safe, but it loses auctions for high-intent players and plateaus once cheap inventory runs out. Optimized cost per click (oCPC) with a daily budget lets the OEM algorithm adjust bids to each player’s likelihood to install. Pair it with ROAS ad groups for efficiency and retention-focused ad groups for lifetime value.
Step five is where most teams overthink it. The OEM sees on-device behavior that no outside demand-side platform can, so its optimization has better signals to work with. Give it room.
What Results Have Game Studios Seen?
The proof sits in the studios already running OEM campaigns. Three examples show the range:
- Funvent Studios: The team behind tile-matching puzzle game Tiledom combined Dynamic Preloads with display placements across Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo. It passed 2.5 million installs in August 2025 alone, with 18% D7 ROAS, 19% day-one retention and 8.5% day-seven retention, beating its 8% goal.
- Tripledot Studios: The London-based publisher of Solitaire and Woodoku paired display ads with preloads via Google PAI across Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo and Samsung. Campaigns came in 20% above target in EMEA and delivered 15% higher performance than other preload channels.
- Zephyr Mobile: Zephyr promoted Get Color and Hey Color on Xiaomi devices across 30 countries, on a performance model optimized toward down-funnel events such as activity levels and ROAS. It met its engagement and performance goals with zero fraud tracked on the MMP.
Zephyr’s CMO summed up the operational side:
“We are very satisfied with our partnership with AVOW: the team is extremely knowledgeable about the OEM industry and its potential, and seamlessly managed our campaigns across over 30 countries. They undoubtedly played a key role in our global user acquisition activity.”
Vladimir Yarkin, CMO, Zephyr Mobile
FAQs
Q1: What is an OEM ad network and how does it differ from traditional ad networks?
An OEM (original equipment manufacturer) ad network sells ad space directly on device surfaces owned by phone manufacturers, such as app stores, lock screens, and during device setup, giving direct access to users beyond third-party apps.
Q2: Why should game marketers consider OEM ad networks?
OEM ad networks provide reach to audiences that SDK-based and social ad networks often miss, especially in Android-first and emerging markets. They offer unique placements, clean traffic, and can diversify UA efforts while reducing dependence on major platforms.
Q3: What are the key steps to running a successful OEM campaign?
Connect your MMP for measurement, get listed on required app stores, start broad to identify high-performing geos, respect the learning period, and use optimized bidding strategies for intent and value.
In conclusion
Your next million players are probably already holding an Android phone you aren’t advertising on. OEM ad networks put your game in front of them at the moments that matter most: unboxing a new device, browsing the native store, and unlocking the phone. That makes OEM a channel worth adding now, not later.
Start with your MMP connected, a broad multi-OEM test, and a four-week runway. Bid for intent. Then scale what the data proves.
See how OEM ad networks fit your game’s UA mix → Book a demo.
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