The global gaming market was valued at $173.70 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $314.40 billion by 2026. Much of this exponential growth is on the account of the global lockdown that had to be reinforced due to COVID-19 that made people stay home and many of them turned to game platforms for entertainment.
Although the opportunities for game developers are massive, there’s also a cut-throat competition and a not-so-easy-to-please customer base that must be tapped into. Therefore, gaming companies need to make the most out of their marketing efforts by capitalizing upon every marketing avenue just like these three gaming brands did with their Facebook campaigns.
1. Netmarble
Netmarble is one of the top publishers of mobile games globally. In November 2020, the gaming company had launched A3: Still Alive Globally.
Their Objective
For their latest launch i.e., A3: Still Alive Globally, Netmarble sought to maximize app installs while keeping a low cost per install.
Approach & Solution
To launch their latest game, Netmarble developed various ad creatives, which included many videos. The gaming company decided to use both Automated App Ads and manual mobile app install ads to test the efficacy of both these solutions. Netmarble ran mobile app install ads in the U.S. and Automated App Ads in other markets to avoid auction overlap.
The Netmarble team kept a close tab on the performance of both campaigns over the first three days. Once they realized that Automated App Ads were performing much better than mobile app install ads, Netmarble decided to focus all its energy and spending on the expansion of its Automated App Ad campaigns in the U.S.
The Result
The Facebook campaign was a major marketing success for Netmarble as it helped them with a 77% incremental lift for app installs. Also, it drove a 55% lower cost per incremental app install and a 32% lower cost per incremental day 2 retention.
2. NetEase
NetEase is one of the largest internet and video game companies in the world with over 20 years of experience in the industry. NetEase was collaborating with Marvel to deliver Marvel’s first online battle arena game, MARVEL Super War.
Their Objective
NetEase wanted to explore new ways to effectively engage its audience and encourage app installs for the game’s soft launch in Thailand.
Approach & Solution
NetEase engaged key opinion leaders on Facebook who delivered walkthroughs of the game via Facebook Live. Through their commentary, they also interacted with the audience, thereby, providing them with a good source of entertainment.
Fans were captivated by the dynamic and beautiful world of the Marvel universe through Facebook Live and mobile ads resulting in both Marvel fans as well as fans of multiplayer online battle arena games flocking to the MARVEL Super War. Also, In-Stream Rewards that provide gamers with in-game rewards in lieu of watching designated live streams, urged people to continue playing the game.
The Result
NetEase used a combination of different Facebook solutions to attract more players to MARVEL Super War at a much lower cost per acquisition. The success of their Facebook campaign can be gauged from the 50% lower cost per install from ads that featured key opinion leaders. Also, there was a 3.4-point lift in favorability from ads that featured these key opinion leaders. There was also a 0.8-point lift in unaided ad recall from ads with key opinion leaders.
3. Me2Zen
Me2Zen is one of the leading social casino and card game developers for mobile apps and is headquartered in Hong Kong.
Their Objective
Me2Zen was looking for creative new ways to get gamers excited about Solitaire TriPeaks Journey, its classic solitaire card mobile game. Also, it wanted to boost its Facebook ad performance.
Approach & Solution
Me2Zen had been using video ads previously but decided to use Facebook’s playable ads as well to give its potential customers a “try-before-you-buy” experience. These playable ads were focused on Facebook users who were either interested in casual games, solitaire games, or other solitaire apps.
Me2Zen chose a series of gameplay elements within Solitaire TriPeaks Journey to come up with a simple yet attractive snapshot of the game. These were later converted into playable ad assets and shown to customers, alongside eye-catching video ads.
These playable ads gave the potential customers the chance to play an immersive preview of the game and featured a CTA for game installation after the colorful demo.
The Result
The Facebook campaign was a massive success for Me2Zen and helped it achieve many of its objectives. The campaign led to a 10X increase in CTR and a 50% growth in ROAS. Also, there was a 9% reduction in cost per install and over 3X increase in in-app purchases.
Wrapping Up
With a high number of users that cuts across different age groups, countries, and genders, Facebook offers a great marketing avenue for brands that wish to reach out to multiple customer segments at a time. Through its various features like playable, automated, and video ads, brands can easily help the customers engage with them and related to their brand idea. Also, Facebook Live offers a great opportunity for customers to directly engage with the brand with any representative of their choice. All that you need to do is to figure out how you can leverage Facebook’s massive marketing potential.