The global gaming industry is expected to grow from $229.16 billion in 2021 to $545.98 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 13.20%. This rapid growth can be mainly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns that forced people to stay indoors and look for different sources of entertainment to keep themselves engaged.
While the drastic boom may sound like good news to game developers, the industry would certainly attract new players due to its solid growth. Therefore, gaming brands must try to capitalize on the potential of existing marketing platforms to market themselves better just like these three gaming brands did with their Instagram campaigns.
1. XFLAG, Inc.
XFLAG is a mobile game development studio based in Tokyo that specializes in core games and wanted to build traction for its latest release Monster Strike.
Their Objective
XFLAG wanted to reach a wider audience and bring more users to spur player re-engagement.
Solution & Approach
XFLAG decided to introduce Instagram ads to capitalize on Instagram’s ever-increasing user base. It used a split test to test the efficacy of adding Instagram to its current practices and compare its ongoing Audience Network campaign with its new campaign.
XFLAG had used Facebook ads in the past to bring back dormant users to its mobile game. However, the introduction of ads in the Instagram feed helped it further attract more players back to the game.
The Result
XFLAG’s Instagram campaign performed quite well and led to a 51% increase in impressions along with a 61% surge in unique mobile app sessions with Instagram, compared to the ones without Instagram. Moreover, their cost per action was also reduced by 38%.
2. Sozap
Sozap is an interactive gaming company based in Sweden that was trying to create a buzz around its flagship game, Armed Heist.
Their Objective
Sozap wanted to drive app installs for Armed Heist and achieve a higher return on ad spend while bringing down its cost per acquisition and first-purchase cost per acquisition.
Solution & Approach
Sozap teamed up with its agency yellowHEAD to create an impressive video campaign that revolved around an Armed Heist narrative. The video clearly introduced the Armed Heist brand while fully fitting the mobile screen that played a key role in immersing the viewers in the game’s atmosphere.
The ad creative elements were fully related to the Armed Heist brand and included a countdown bar resembling a bomb wick. The bar burned down slowly along with the Instagram Story bar. Moreover, a faded motion blended around the Swipe Up call to action to encourage people to swipe. Sozap’s campaign targeted adults in the age group of 18-54.
The Result
The Instagram campaign exceeded Sozap’s expectations and resulted in an 82% lift in return on ad spend while decreasing the cost per app install by 45%. Moreover, the first-purchase cost per acquisition decreased by 53%. Also, 68% of Armed Heist’s total iOS revenue came from Instagram Stories.
3. Rovio
Rovio is a Finnish video game developer based in Espoo that had created the game Angry Birds.
Their Objective
After the massive success of Angry Birds, Rovio wanted to see if creating custom creative for ads in Instagram Stories would help it drive installs for its sequel, Angry Birds 2.
Solution & Approach
Rovio used Instagram’s unique vertical space to show a bird launching across the screen, hitting the other side of the phone, and then sliding down the vertical plane.
Rovio targeted the ads to a Lookalike Audience of its gaming base in its most relevant markets. It also ran a conversion lift study to ensure that it tracked the results with the utmost accuracy. The gaming company saw strong results at the end of the campaign.
The Result
The Instagram campaign performed outstandingly well for Rovio as it resulted in an 82% increase in app installs for Angry Birds 2 among audiences who saw the custom made-for-stories ad creative compared to a 68% increase among users who saw the repurposed creative. The strongest increase happened on Android devices. Other than that, Rovio also saw an 11% lower cost per install on iOS with the custom creative and a 7% lower cost per install on Android.
Bottom Line
Instagram’s visual nature provides marketers a great medium to showcase their content and reach maximum potential customers. Its wide range of features, which include several video and ad solutions, helps companies make the utmost impact with their content and drive maximum engagement from their target audience. All that you need is a sound strategy and some quality content to back it up with.