Gaming is one of the largest industry sectors in the world. There are a number of firms all around that world that bring new games to the market every day. The job is not done by just releasing the game, it is also necessary to make people aware of it, and that is not a cakewalk. With the launch of PS5 now, game companies are investing money like water in developing and marketing their games. So, for you, the competition is high.
Why do you think the “Among Us” game became popular? The sole reasons are gameplay and marketing. Research shows that the global gaming market is expected to surpass the USD 200 billion mark by 2023. These facts support the point that if you have a quality product and knowledge about marketing tactics, you can skyrocket your game’s success.
And, of course, you have Instagram for marketing purposes. Here are some of the best Gaming ad campaigns done on Instagram.
Check out these Instagram Campaigns by 3 Gaming Brands
1) Sozap
Run Time:
15 May - 15 June 2019
Target Region and Audience:
Worldwide, Ages 18-54 years
Performance:
The performance of the one-month long Instagram campaign undertaken by Sozap was off the charts. The firm garnered an 82% lift in return on ad spend, and a 45% decrease in cost per app install.
Goal:
The key objective of the Stockholm based gaming company was to elevate the number of app installs for its game Armed Heist. Besides, Sozap also wanted to increase the value of return on ad spend.
Approach and Buyer’s Journey:
Sozap partnered with media agency yellowHEAD to create highly intuitive Instagram ads. These ads contained videos of various scenes in the Armed Heist game that entirely marketed about the gameplay.
The firm made sure that the video ads fitted the phone’s screen to provide the users with a more immersive experience. Moreover, to hold user attention till the end, the video scenes were continuously changed.
To add a bit of taste of the game to the video ad, the ad timer bar was integrated with a bomb wick that burned as the ad proceeded. While including all these brilliant aspects in the ad, a “Swipe Up” call to action button was included to make users install the game.
These highly engaging video ads were played in Instagram stories that targeted people of ages 18-54 years.
Results:
The one-month-long campaign fostered some brilliant results for the brand; the gaming firm witnessed a:
45% decline in cost per app install
68% of total iOS revenue came from Instagram Stories
53% decrease in the first-purchase cost per acquisition
82% lift in return on ad spend
Products Used:
Instagram Stories
2) XFLAG
Run Time:
2018
Target Region and Audience:
Japan
Performance:
The uniquely formulated ad campaign by XFLAG. Inc. yielded remarkable results at the end of it. The company saw a 51% increase in the impressions with Instagram than without it.
Goal:
Motivated by their successful Facebook ad campaign, the gaming firm aimed to get more users for its game, Monster Strike, via Instagram ads.
Approach and Buyer’s Journey:
The firm knew the importance of leveraging social networks for marketing. As they previously used Facebook for back lifting their user base, this time, they decided to harness Instagram for it.
Hence, to target gaming lovers, XFLAG decided to use ads in Instagram feeds to bring back dormant users as well as new users. For comparing the performance of the ads, the gaming firm used a split test.
They compared their previous audience network campaign with their existing one that also contained Instagram and discovered brilliant results.
Results:
The 2018 Instagram ad campaign led to the following results in the end.
61% boost in the number of unique mobile application sessions.
38% decline in cost per action.
51% increase in the number of impressions.
Products Used:
Instagram feeds, Photo ads
3) Rovio
Run Time:
2018
Target Region and Audience:
Worldwide
Performance:
The plan to create custom creatives for the Instagram ad campaign turned out to be marvellous for Rovio. The campaign delivered an 11% lower cost per app install on iOS with custom stories creative.
Goal:
The pillar goal of the ad campaign undertaken by Rovio was to boost app installs of their Angry Birds 2 game. Besides, they also wanted to find out if creating custom creatives for ads was better than reusing the ones used on other platforms.
Approach and Buyer’s Journey:
As the firm previously created ads for Instagram that used creatives repurposed from those used for other media channels, this time, they built custom creatives to test ads specifically in Instagram stories.
With this approach, they made vertical creatives that contained a video of a bird launched from a slingshot. It then hits the other side of the screen and falls down. This was solely for engaging the user in the gameplay.
These ads were targeted to a lookalike audience of its gaming base, and to track success, a conversion lift study was run. To further make the user install the app, an “Install Now” CTA was embedded at the bottom of the ad.
Results:
The ad campaign ran by Rovio brought the following results in the end.
82% increase in the Angry Birds 2 app installs who saw customized ad creative as compared to those who saw repurposed creatives that were 68%.
14-point higher increase in installs among the audience.
7% lower cost per install on Android.
11% lower cost per install.
Products:
Instagram Stories
Wish to create your own Ad Campaign?
Well, all these ad campaigns are just examples, and all of them vary based on a number of factors. If you are planning on designing your ad campaign, it is necessary to find out your target audience in the first place. After all, if you will have an audience, then only your campaign will succeed.
Moreover, as there are many tools that you can harness, it is best to take inspiration from the cases discussed above. These may not be the exact ways of carrying out your ad campaign, but they will surely provide you with enough knowledge to choose the right one.
In the end, it is equally necessary to plan your approach and customer targeting steps. Without them, you may not excel in your mission.