• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, August 17, 2015

Use of mobile apps can be fleeting — and a continued problem. But there is help: ad retargeting.

“Installs have become the new click,” says Nicholas Galante, programmatic manager of DirectAgents, speaking at MediaPost's Programmatic Insider Summit. Post install metrics show seven out of ten mobile installs drop off, with a low likelihood those who drop will use the app after seven days, says Galante.

What the answer? Ad retargeting. “Staying activity in touch with your user base,” says Galante.

In working on Sony Entertainment's Crackle, the online digital video network, DirectAgents found results. The objective: Turning installs into active users. With ad retargeting for Crackle, Galante says the number of apps that were opened --“that we drove [leading] to our ultimate event” -- were 83%. “That is an unbelievably promising metric for our first test.”