The world of advertising can be finicky at times. Knowing where to place ads, how much to spend, and what types of creative to use for which demographics is an art unto itself. Apple just released an illuminating report about its own App Store ecosystem, which revealed that a staggering half a trillion dollars were generated globally in 2019 alone. For brand marketers, however, Apple’s numbers paint a more somber picture: only $45 billion (a little over 8%) of total App Store revenues worldwide came from in-app advertising.

Figuring out the advertising equation in the kids gaming market is possibly even more difficult. According to Interpret’s GameByte report, which looks at the behavior of kids age 3-12, ads in other game apps were cited by just 3% of participants as a main source of hearing about new games to download to a smartphone, tablet or iPod Touch. All mobile game ad types pale in effectiveness compared to other primary sources.

Friends, family, and YouTube have all been cited much more frequently by kids as ways to discover new mobile games. For advertisers, spending on placement online, on television, or on social media are all options that are better remembered than in-game ads as influential by respondents. Commercials on TV and the internet were tied at 18% as ways that kids learn about new mobile games to download.