Mobile advertising for developers: apprupt launches DIY platform

German-based company apprupt is a combination of ad network and mobile application store. It places advertised applications in storefronts that can be embedded on any mobile publication. Claiming to be the first “affiliate network” for apps, today apprupt has announced the launch of a complete self-service platform for application developers.

How does apprupt work?

The apprupt service has two main elements:

The store fronts: publishing partners of apprupt can place a storefront on their app or mobile website. This store front will be populated with applications that will appeal to the publishers audience. So, for example, a mobile website about cars will get served racing game applications or other automotive apps.

Pay-per-download apps: to get your app onto the apprupt service, you have to pay. Developers only pay per successful install of their app on a mobile device.

There is definitely value in this service. For developers, it offers a platform to push their apps that isn’t the Android or iPhone app store, as applications have a tendency to quickly sink from view on those huge stores. Using apprupt, the developer can target their app at a certain demographic of publisher and share the store with a much smaller selection of applications. For publishers it gives added value to their site, because visitors are more likely to find an app they’d like. And apprupt itself makes money from every single transaction.

What’s the news?

apprupt has now gone live with its self-service platform for “appvertisers”. Using this platform, a developer can upload an app, create campaigns, manage their money and access analytics from a single dashboard:

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This is a public beta of the self-service platform – but travel deal app swoodoo and navigation app kaufDA are already live on the service. Over the past few months, apprupt has been in closed beta, and claims to have put several hundred developers on the self-service platform during that time.

What we think?

The warehouse model of application sales is being championed by companies like GetJar and Buzzcity (through its Djuzz games catalogue). But this is the first time I’ve seen a warehouse that is 100% ad-supported. Djuzz only handles free apps, and GetJar has an option to get your app featured through pay-per-download – but apprupt is fully paid. You don’t get onto the network without paying. But with similar free services around, I’m not sure apprupt will be able to gain the momentum to really compete. Developers may be more likely to hedge their bets with the free platform. But if apprupt can get a decent selection of publishing partners, then there won’t be any good reason to not throw a few quid into it.