INTRODUCTION

Over the past two decades, Digital Marketing has transformed global marketing through

the deployment of the following electronic media and tools to implement metrics-based,

objective, relational, and interactive marketing: social media, television, radio channels, SMS,

email, search engines, websites, mobile apps, electronic billboards, and social networks. (Ellis-

Chadwick et al., 2019). According to Moe and Ratchford (2018), interactive marketing is no

longer limited to just direct marketing or internet marketing. It permeates virtually every aspect

of the marketing organization, requiring sales and advertising to consider targeting algorithms

and product recommendation engines.

On the other hand, according to the study of Parker et al. (2016), revealed that the

growth of digital platforms has displaced traditional intermedia not only by creating a new type of

superpower of omnichannel marketplace spanning online and offline retailers but also changed

business models from a linear supply chain pipeline to a complex network of producers and

users in an interconnected ecosystem. Rapid technological advancement has brought about

diverse opportunities for interaction and the diffusion of information, which has changed the way

people communicate with each other, gather information, listen to music, and watch movies. At

the same time, these fast developments have been creating several problems for society by

paving the way for the unauthorized duplication and use of digital products (Akbulut, 2014,

Quiring et al., 2008, Wang and McClung, 2011).

 This research draws on and contributes to two streams of interactive marketing — Ads

on game or the so-called playable ads and video ads. By providing an interactive and immersive

experience, playable ads create excitement and curiosity, which leads to higher engagement

rates and more time spent interacting with the ad. This can ultimately lead to better conversion

rates (Atakan, 2023). And According to Xiaohan Hu and Kevin Wise (2021), Video ads and

playable ads are both used to endorse apps. Playable ads are a new type of digital advertising

that combines interactivity with gamification, while video ads are traditional ads in video format.

The Gen Z are basically living online. They are sharing almost every part of their life

through social media platforms, buying goods from all over the world via e-commerce websites,

even partially running their businesses via smartphones. Because of this shift the mobile

entertainments gains more followers every year with the abundance of free games and

applications (Andrey Kostov, 2020). Consumers clearly love to use apps, so the opportunity is

there.

The adoption intentions of mobile applications can be investigated by employing the

decomposed theory of planned behavior. Numerous empirical studies have been conducted to

gain insights into the factors that influence the downloading and adoption of mobile applications.

Notably, the extended theory of planned behavior model has been utilized to elucidate the

motivations behind individuals' decisions to download mobile applications (Cheng et al., 2015).

The factors identified as significant influencers of the downloading intention of mobile

applications encompass attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control (Hung et al.,

2016).

The study used this theory to extend Gen Z's assessment of the two interactive

marketing strategies: playable advertisements and video advertisements, by having a

comparison assessment of each attribute as a part of digital and interactive marketing. Second,

researchers will evaluate how the both interactive ads influence Gen Z's downloading behavior

towards money-making apps by examining their attributes in responding. Finally, this paper

investigates how interactive marketing is more effective and compare the significant difference

between playable ads and video ads, affecting the users downloading behavior towards money-

making apps.

Over the past two decades, Digital Marketing has revolutionized global marketing by

deploying various electronic media and tools, such as social media, television, radio channels,

SMS, email, search engines, websites, mobile apps, electronic billboards, and social networks,

implementing metrics-based, objective, relational, and interactive marketing strategies (Ellis-

Chadwick et al., 2019). According to Moe and Ratchford (2018), interactive marketing has

evolved beyond direct marketing or internet marketing, permeating every aspect of the

marketing organization, necessitating sales and advertising to consider targeting algorithms and

product recommendation engines.

On the contrary, Parker et al. (2016) found that the growth of digital platforms has not

only displaced traditional intermedia but also created a new omnichannel marketplace,

transforming business models from linear supply chains to complex networks in an

interconnected ecosystem. Rapid technological advancement has presented diverse

opportunities for interaction and information diffusion, altering communication, information

gathering, and entertainment consumption. Simultaneously, these developments have led to

challenges, such as unauthorized duplication and use of digital products (Akbulut, 2014; Quiring

et al., 2008; Wang and McClung, 2011).

 This research contributes to two interactive marketing streams: Ads on games (playable

ads) and video ads. Playable ads provide an interactive and immersive experience, generating

excitement and curiosity, leading to higher engagement rates and increased interaction time,

ultimately improving conversion rates (Atakan, 2023). According to Xiaohan Hu and Kevin Wise

(2021), video ads and playable ads are both employed to endorse apps, with playable ads

combining interactivity and gamification, while video ads maintain a traditional video format.

The Gen Z demographic predominantly lives online, sharing their lives on social media

platforms, engaging in global e-commerce, and even partially running businesses via

smartphones. This shift has fueled the popularity of mobile entertainment, with an abundance of

free games and applications gaining followers yearly (Andrey Kostov, 2020). Consumers

demonstrate a clear affinity for using apps, offering significant opportunities.

The adoption intentions of mobile applications are explored through the decomposed

theory of planned behavior. Numerous studies have investigated factors influencing the

downloading and adoption of mobile applications, employing the extended theory of planned

behavior model to elucidate motivations. Key influencers of downloading intentions encompass

attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control (Cheng et al., 2015; Hung et al.,

2016). This study extends the assessment of Gen Z's behaviour of two interactive marketing

strategies, playable advertisements and video advertisements, by conducting a comparative

analysis of each attribute in the realm of digital and interactive marketing. It is impossible to cover

all the potential factors. Furthermore, researchers evaluate how these interactive ads influence

Gen Z's downloading behavior towards money-making apps. Finally, the paper investigates the
effectiveness of interactive marketing, comparing the significant differences between playable

ads and video ads in affecting users' downloading behavior towards money-making apps.