Here is an analysis of the global non-gaming App user acquisition marketing trends for February 2025, based on ad data from 50 countries/regions and 28 global media platforms, according to AppGrowing's report.
In February 2025, the top three categories by share of active advertising apps in the global market were shopping, tools, and finance.
However, the category with the highest share of newly launched advertising apps for the month was entertainment, while tools also accounted for over 10% of the total.
In terms of advertising volume trends, shopping apps continued to be the main driver of ad spending, followed by entertainment, tools, travel, and finance.
The travel category saw a significant increase in ad volume, entering the top five for the first time.
Regarding the distribution of ad creative types and video lengths, in February, image-based ad creatives accounted for 54.92% of total ads, while video creatives increased to 43.25%, maintaining an overall distribution similar to the previous period.
In terms of video length, videos under 15 seconds remained dominant, making up 36.68% of the total, while the share of videos longer than 60 seconds grew slightly to 19.73%.
01.Top Non-gaming App Developers & Apps
According to AppGrowing data, in February, among the Top 30 app advertisers, the top three were TEMU, TikTok, and Shopee.
Short drama app publishers remained highly active in advertising, with eight short drama-focused developers making it into the Top 30, all of which were Chinese companies.
NewLeaf Publishing rose to 7th place, while SKYWORK AI PTE LTD climbed further to 16th place. Meanwhile, NETSTORY PTE. LTD. entered the Top 30 for the first time this period.
Looking at the Top 30 most advertised products, the top three were Temu, TikTok, and Shopee 2.2 SPayLater, remaining unchanged from the previous period. However, Temu's ad volume decreased by 0.67% compared to the previous month.
Short drama apps as a whole continued to see strong growth in advertising volume. ReelShort's ad volume increased by 18.73% month-over-month, breaking into the Top 5.
NetShort, a new entry on the list, saw a staggering 264.12% increase in ad volume, making it into the Top 30 for the first time. According to available information, this app is developed by the Chinese publisher Maiya Culture(麦芽文化), which focuses on bringing translated dramas to global markets.
Additionally, TikTok continued to ramp up its advertising efforts. Besides TikTok itself remaining in second place, its lightweight version, TikTok Lite, also saw a surge in ad placements, with a 132.62% increase in ad volume month-over-month, moving up into the Top 15.
02.Top Apps in Selected Catagories
In this period, AppGrowing selected four categories for in-depth analysis: social-live streaming, short dramas, productivity, and AI image generators.
Within the social live streaming advertising Top 6, the top spot was claimed by BIGO LIVE, an app by Joyy Inc.. After undergoing compliance adjustments at the end of last year, the app was relisted on Google Play, quickly regaining its position as Joyy Inc.'s top revenue-generating product overseas. According to Diandian Data, BIGO LIVE’s revenue in January increased by 160.5% compared to the previous month.
Among the Top 6 most advertised short drama apps, most were familiar names from previous rankings. However, NetShort was a newcomer, entering at fourth place.
In the Top 6 productivity app advertisers, Microsoft Copilot ranked first, with most other apps in the category being closely tied to AI.
As for the Top 6 AI image generation apps, the top three were Metart, MyMood AI, and Fotorama.
With the AI boom continuing, AppGrowing recently launched a "Top AI Website" feature, focusing on over 40 AI subcategories, tracking AI product iterations and market trends, helping users quickly find high-quality AI products, and seizing the next breakout opportunity.
03.Ad Creative Case：NetShort
NetShort was launched in July 2024, developed by Maiya Culture(麦芽文化). After more than six months of initial market preparation, this short drama app saw explosive growth this year.
According to AppGrowing data, NetShort's advertising volume surged throughout February, with daily ad placements exceeding 12,000 by the end of the month, and a single-day peak reaching over 16,000 ads.
Unlike other major short drama publishers that focus on deep localization by producing native short dramas, NetShort follows a "translated drama" approach, simply adding translated subtitles to existing Chinese short dramas and releasing them directly to global markets.
This approach offers two key advantages:
- It allows for rapid expansion by flooding the market with high-volume content.
- For small and mid-sized publishers, it provides a cost-effective way to compete against leading players in the short drama space.
Regarding ad creatives, NetShort's advertising materials primarily adopt a "high-drama highlight clips + translated subtitles + voiceover narration" strategy, which has been well-received in local markets.
For example, the short drama creative features Chinese domestic works but presents the plot summary in the target market's language, allowing the audience to quickly grasp the storyline. It keeps users engaged with a series of dramatic highlights and twists. The video opens with an eye-catching beauty, followed by classic tropes such as illegitimate children, wealthy family disputes, and scheming female antagonists, continuously building emotional tension. In the end, a suspenseful hook encourages users to download the app to continue watching.
