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Update Your App's Creatives Throughout the Year
January 25th, 2018
by Anh Nguyen
COO & Co-Founder at Gummicube, Inc
As the seasons change and new apps hit the market, it’s fundamental that developers make captivating changes to their creatives to curate a unique app store experience. Users definitely do notice and appreciate when apps put the extra effort into making graphics relatable to the upcoming season or holiday. On top of highlighting an app’s features and functionality in current app store graphics, it’s recommended that developers apply seasonal changes to attract users. This can help set their app’s creative apart from other relevant apps in the space that don’t incorporate seasonality into their graphics. By utilizing App Store Optimization (ASO) best practices, developers can create stunning, one-of-a-kind creatives (icon, screenshots and preview video) that encourage users to download year-round.
Convert Users Year-Round
Apply the same mindset that businesses apply when decorating their stores to match the time of year: it’s important that developers make changes that are relevant to their app in relation to the season and current trends. By understanding what attracts consumers from season-to-season, developers can incorporate key elements into their app store graphics that are likely to make users convert: 1. Icon The icon is the first visual representation that users will see. If applicable, it must immediately reflect the current season. Creating a variation of the current icon with a bit of holiday flare will help an icon stay current while also voicing relevancy to the season. In the same way, icons should be memorable and easily recognizable. Take for instance the icon below. 
The snowflake communicates what the current season is and familiarizes users with the spirit of the holidays while also staying relevant to the app’s branding.
2. Screenshots
Similar to the app icon, developers need to immediately display core features, gameplay, recognizable characters, and elements that reflect the season.
Look at
the screenshot below: 
Screenshots can be thought of as advertising posters that highlight exciting features, promotions and more. The app above perfectly captures how users can utilize their collage editor to make cards for the holidays and the New Year. It’s common practice that developers incorporate callout texts with high-volume keywords that emphasize the app’s core features. This common practice needs to be applied to call out specific seasons and any new seasonal artwork. The combination of seasonal callout text and images will instantly let users know what different features, products, characters, etc. are available. However, developers need to take precautions with callout texts. The callout text language needs to be clear and visually easy to glance over, or it could cause screenshots to appear cluttered and possibly confusing. If a user cannot decipher the message, then the added holiday effort will go unrecognized.
3. Preview Video
While the screenshots serve as advertising posters, the preview video is used to illustrate the game in action. If an app is currently featuring summer deals on in-app content or products, the preview video is a good creative asset to reflect such seasonal changes. Despite the auto-play feature for preview videos on devices running iOS 11, the poster frame is still a valuable creative space. This image needs to be reflective of its core features and the changes the app has seen tied to the season. Developers can even incorporate high-volume keywords that emphasize the time of the year to encourage users to click “get”.
Importance of Seasonal Creatives
Developers must always consider changing their creatives as seasons come and go, and incorporate ASO best practices while developing other creative assets. The icon, screenshots and preview must clearly address the app’s core features and the current time of year to successfully convert users. Without ASO, developers are less likely to entice users with seasonal elements that reflect what attracts them. Make sure to follow ASO best practices to create visually appealing creatives to reflect the current season and to surely impress users!
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