History

In the past, WeatherBug was working directly with anywhere from six to eight different ad networks and exchanges - plus all of their respective SDKs. WeatherBug wanted to more effectively meet their CPM and revenue targets, ideally through simultaneous ad calls, but didn’t want to implement additional ad network SDKs. The issues that came about as a result of so many SDKs and having a waterfall monetization setup led them to embrace in-app header bidding.

InMobi has been a key monetization partner for WeatherBug in North America for the past four years, consistently helping them see quality ad revenue. For example, in looking at the last six months of 2017 compared to the first four months of 2018, WeatherBug saw an increase in eCPM and an overall revenue jump of 15%.

Approach to Header Bidding

In March 2020, WeatherBug introduced header bidding to their mobile apps. This allowed them to dramatically reduce their SDK load, connecting instead to demand partners through server-to-server OpenRTB connections. In addition, in-app header bidding enabled them to implement dynamic pricing while reducing latency through server-to-server connections and fewer passbacks. By moving away from waterfalls, WeatherBug was also able to boost eCPMs through increased competition for each and every impression.

Results

Even in 2020, with consumers spending much more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WeatherBug continued to see positive results from its partnership with InMobi. Not only did they see a 50% increase in monthly ad revenue from InMobi between January to December 2020, but they also saw a 170% increase in quarterly ad revenue from InMobi between Q1 to Q4 2020.

The move to header bidding has been especially fruitful for WeatherBug. They saw a 91% Increase in ad revenue from header bidding between April to June 2020 and InMobi was able to deliver 3x higher eCPMs between Q1 and Q4 2020.

“WeatherBug’s commitment to the unified auction and success therein can be traced back to early conversations and projects with innovative technologies like InMobi’s. It’s been wonderful seeing the relationship and methodologies evolve over time, and as the industry throws us curveballs, it continues to behoove us to stay close to innovative partners. We’re excited for the future!” - Mike Brooks, SVP of Revenue at WeatherBug.