Playable Ads — A new ad format for Meta

Starting from zero

This started as an unfunded experiment, and I scoped it end to end: the one-pager, the success criteria, the redesign. The bar was simple. Beat a traditional video ad. We ran a baseline test on Facebook to check, and in most campaigns playables matched or beat video. Further down the funnel the margin was decisive.

Initial experiment on Facebook Feed.

The data was enough to make the case, but I didn't pitch it with a deck. I built working prototypes, vibe-coded in Figma Make. Rough, but functional enough to show in context. A ten-second demo communicated the concept faster than any document could. Leadership got it immediately. The conversation went from "explain this format" to "when can we test it."

The experiment became a funded workstream.

The dual-CTA problem

Since the earlier single-CTA version had killed the install path, the fix was obvious: put both "Install now" and "Try demo" in the same ad unit. No dual-CTA model existed on Instagram, so I designed five concepts for how it could work on Reels.

I fought for the mid-scene overlay. Getting a new CTA pattern onto Reels meant a rigorous review, so I anchored the conversation with aggressive concepts first (playables on impression, full-surface takeovers), then presented mid-scene as the measured alternative. It worked.

Different variants of Dual CTA in mid-scene

Before and after. Left: the single-CTA control that removed the install path. Right: the approved dual-CTA design that keeps both options in one ad unit.

Shipping meant winning a separate design review for every surface across both apps, working with each format owner in turn. iOS and Android each needed their own solution.

End to End Flow

The user encounters a video ad with two CTAs: "Install now" for users ready to convert, and "Try demo" for users who want to interact first. Tapping "Try demo" opens the playable, an HTML experience inside Meta's in-app browser, where the user demos the app with a persistent install CTA anchored at the bottom. On iOS, Apple's SKOverlay (a native component that shows basic app metadata) lets users install without leaving the ad.

Designing Android's SKOverlay from scratch

Android has no equivalent of Apple's SKOverlay, so I designed one. Same goal (app metadata, ratings, one-tap install) but built from scratch for a platform without the convention. The work got Google involved; they started building a native Android version of the floating CTA, so users could install straight from the hovercard.

Apple's native SKOverlay component. Android had no equivalent, so I designed one from scratch, this lead to conversations with Google having their own SKOverlay equivalent.

What I cut

I designed multiple iterations of playable ads on impression: letting users interact with the demo directly on the surface, no post-click transition. It was the most ambitious concept and I pushed hard for it. It got rejected. I agreed with the call.

Playables on impression. Rejected.

Users don't expect an ad to behave like an app. Dropping a game straight into a Reel breaks how people read the surface. That post-click tap matters: it's the moment a user chooses to enter the demo. Take the choice away and the format just feels invasive.

Advertisers adopted the format immediately. They were already producing playable assets for AppLovin, so running them on Meta required no additional creative production. It also opened a path beyond gaming into e-commerce and other app verticals, anywhere letting people try the thing first makes the download feel less of a gamble.

Two people and a prototype turned into a pitch that put the format live across both apps, won a dedicated team, and secured a fully funded roadmap within App & Gaming Monetization.