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Vuvuzela app hits 3.5 million downloads as dev trumpets AdMob

Moblio.nl trousers tens of thousands of dollars a week

Vuvuzela app hits 3.5 million downloads as dev trumpets AdMob
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If there's to be a better example of opportunism this year, it'll have to go some to top Moblio.nl's Vuvuzela 2010.

While all the talk during last year's Confederations Cup in South Africa – itself dominated by the vuvuzela's worldwide debut – was whether FIFA would take steps to ban the horn before this summer's World Cup, the instrument has instead gone on to be the star of the show.

And it's made a pretty penny for Moblio.nl in the process.

According to a blog post published by head of marketing EMEA at AdMob, Matt Brocklehurst, Moblio.nl's free Vuvuzela 2010 app has been downloaded 3.5 million times from the App Store to date, topping rankings in the UK, Germany, France, South Africa, Argentina, Japan and Australia.

It's Moblio.nl's decision to join AdMob, however, that Brocklehurst claims enabled the studio to make real money from its success.

Money from free

"They needed a quick and easy way to monetise the Vuvuzela 2010 app globally and capitalise on the opportunity the tournament in South Africa presented, so they decided to join AdMob's publisher network on a self-serve basis," Brocklehurst says on the blog.

"Following a simple integration, AdMob adverts appeared within the application: clicks and the revenue grew and grew across the world.

"It has also earned its developers Moblio.nl tens of thousands of dollars a week through advertising revenue."

Vuvuzela 2010, though hardly a bastion of creative endeavour, is nonetheless an example of how free apps can be monetised just as readily as their paid for alternatives.

By opting for advertising over a flat charge, Moblio.nl was able to ride the wave of the latest craze with ease, consumers' enthusiasm not dampened by a need to part with their cash.

[source: AdMob]

Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.