Games & Names #5 - Spooky Marketing!

Stan’s Dispatch ??

Hey there, Digital Quirites! Stan is here, with yet another issue of our cozy-and-cool newsletter. First things first - catch me at DevGAMM in Lisbon between November 16-17. I will talk about how to find promising mobile niches, so if you’re around - I’ll be glad to meet. Hit me up and let’s grab a cup of coffee with pastéis de nata!?

In this issue, we share a great piece on mobile marketing by David Nixon , our friend from Mobile Game Doctor , and also highlight thoughts on crafting the perfect ad. So buckle up, grab your favourite cup, and let's go!

Mobile Apps Market Tidbits ??

For this part I decided to collect the most precious insights form the Mobile Game Doctor's response to AppMagic's overview of Casual Mobile Market. I know how lazy sometimes you (and me!) can get when it comes to big deep dives.

Ineffective Marketing Can Hinder Game Success

Despite a low entry barrier in the casual mobile gaming industry and the presence of many well-designed, engaging games with robust live operations, many still falter due to poor marketing strategies adopted by their publishers.

Considering the intense competition, saturation, high costs, and often suboptimal performance within the game marketing ecosystem, combined with the low entry barrier, achieving success without a distinct marketing edge becomes a daunting task. Therefore, it's crucial to determine the right time/cost balance to achieve market-relevant KPIs and to establish a truly competitive USP.

Time & cost required to reach the viable KPI

In contrast to earlier times, it's now challenging to determine within just a few weeks whether a game's MVP has the potential for success. This is primarily due to the current market landscape where most game genres and sub-genres have been thoroughly explored, usually dominated by a single successful title followed by numerous imitators.

As a result, new entries often struggle to outperform these seasoned and well-established competitors. Modern game studios must be prepared not just to develop a game, but also to invest in full-team live operations and marketing for 9 to 15 months after the soft launch before they can expect to see profitable returns.

Mobile Game Doctor has crafted a comparison table illustrating the differences between game launches in 2014 and those of today. Take a look!

Yet, exceptions always exist!

Observing the booming merge genre, which I detailed in a previous newsletter, it's evident that the market continues its upward trajectory, even amidst the recent industry turbulence. Interestingly, this space isn't dominated by a single title. Instead, it's shared among several games, with two titles, developed by Microfun - Gossip Harbor and Seaside Escape, particularly standing out due to their rapidly increasing cumulative RpD.

Given Microfun's known portfolio performance and team structure, it's reasonable to surmise that they dedicated significant time to understanding the genre's nuances and shifts, pinpointing an opportune segment, leveraging their existing audience and resources to overshadow competitors within that niche. Notably, they strategically launched not just one, but two (!) games, harnessing portfolio effects to promote growth in both titles more efficiently. Time for me to wrap up, but you know where to find more insights! ??

G&N Ep.5 - Creating the Next Hit!

In the previous episode of the “Games & Names” podcast, my co-host Jesse Kroon and I decided to talk about 'the curse of the first hit'. Why big companies struggle so much when creating the next hit? We invited Nikita Tolokonnikov from Tripledot Studios and Vicent Boned Riera from Supercell to join us, and what a discussion it was! I highly recommend checking it out!

In this episode, we talk about:

• why big companies struggle with creating new hits;
• how already successful games and high standards damage games production and creativity;
• the definition of a 'hit' and how these criteria changed in Supercell along the way;
• what are the crucial things for a game to be successful and why risk aversion stands in the way of it;
• why it's almost impossible to emulate a small studio's benefits in a big corporation;
• why Clash Mini and Floodrush (already discontinued) unlikely will become the next Supercell hit

We also share a bunch of game recommendations that we loved recently, including the magnificent Disco Elysium! Stay tuned for the next episodes :)

Author's Vertical ???

Today Michael Kopelovich dropped by to share thoughts on crafting the perfect ad. Michael, the floor is yours!

Thanks, Stan! During my tenure at IronSource's creative studio, collaborating with gaming studios across all genres, I've witnessed the confusion between 'concept testing' and 'version testing' firsthand. When it comes to ad creatives, even seasoned marketers grapple with these testing nuances. So what's the difference? And how to master it? Let's dive in!

Concept Testing

The core principle of concept testing is rapidly grasping your audience's preferences and pinpointing their motivations to discern what truly resonates with them. Let's delve into an example from Royal Match by Dream Games and examine the ad concepts they're currently running:

Let's breakdown these 3 concepts and understand their core difference in approach and targeting:

• "Gameplay": Bright, colorful, and all about the action. This ad puts the match-3 fun front and center. It's for those who love the thrill of making those tiles explode and getting lost in the game's core mechanics.
• "Save the King": Drama, anyone? This one mixes the gameplay with a mission: save the king. As Royal Match's signature concept, it's unmistakable to anyone familiar with mobile gaming. This ad is for those who want a touch of narrative alongside their gameplay.
• "Influencers/UGC": Simon Cowell playing Royal Match? Yep, that's a thing. By bringing a star into the mix, this ad targets those who think, "If it's good enough for Simon, it's good enough for me."

Now that we've explored the different ad concepts that Royal Match utilizes, let's peel back another layer. Within each concept, there exists a world of versions—each tailored to enhance a specific aspect of the ad or target a distinct player base. Welcome to version testing: where we tweak and twist to discover the perfect iteration.

Version Testing

After identifying a winning concept, version testing becomes the heart of the ad optimization process. This phase is where the bulk of the effort lies, as teams tirelessly iterate to find that "Hero Creative".

Now, let's imagine for the sake of this example that the UA team has indicated, after analyzing performance metrics, that the "gameplay" concept shows promising potential. Given the green light to proceed to the iteration or version testing phase, the creative team, armed with this insight, begins experimenting with different ad creatives.

Now, let's say the 'Save the King' concept showed promising results. With this feedback, the creative team worked on different variations of this theme: saving the king from a fire, from drowning, or from a snake.

Perhaps we want to explore the third concept. Suppose that the 'Influencers/UGC' concept also demonstrates potential. Here, leveraging the power of celebrity endorsement can appeal to a vast audience who trust or admire the influencer.

One might show Simon Cowell engrossed in a match, another could feature a different celebrity tackling a challenging level, and yet another might depict a behind-the-scenes look of a star's reaction after achieving a new high score. Each version taps into the fanbase of the influencer, but also offers different angles on how the game integrates into their lives.

In Conclusion

In the fast-paced world of digital marketing and gaming, success hinges on understanding and resonating with your audience. Concept testing lays the foundation, but through version testing and careful iteration, ads truly shine. With a blend of data-driven insights and creative flair, every campaign can become a masterpiece. As you dive deeper into optimizing your ads, may these insights guide you towards consistently resonant campaigns.

Want to have the best ad creative insights on the market and have understanding of your competitors' marketing campaigns? Then don't forget to check AppMagic's Ad Intel tool!

Reading recommendations ??

1. Scopely achieved $7B in user spending. Discover the publisher's portfolio dynamics, their top-performing titles, and as an added insight, AppMagic's perspective on the factors behind the success of Monopoly Go.
2. Interview with Candy Crush franchise general manager Todd Green about future of the game series. Todd shares his perspective on the increasing ad-driven nature of the flagship series, the new "match-3" game contender "Royal Match", King's prioritization of its four "Candy" games, and whether the company is considering a direct-to-consumer approach to avoid the 30% IAP fee imposed by Apple and Google.

Smarter every day ??

Don't forget to catch up with 'Games & Names' newest episodes:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

In an informal 'friday-dinner-with-friends' atmosphere, we chat with industry experts and share actionable insights. Game design, UA marketing, narrative, production, running a company, or creating one – our topics are wide and broad, just as our smiles. So grab a cup of tea or coffee, tune in, and spend an hour with us!

Acknowledgments and farewells ??

Many thanks to you, dear reader, for staying with me until this part - I hope it was worth your time! :)

Also, grand merci to everyone who participated in the creation of the content:

• Mike Kanarek, Head Of Marketing at Mobile Game Doctor
• David Nixon , CEO at Mobile Game Doctor
• Jessi Kroon, Senior Game Designer at Product Madness;
• Michael Kopelovich, Data Analyst at ironSource
• Neil Long, Founder of Mobilegamer.biz
• Diana Levintova, PR & Partnership Manager at AppMagic

One more thing! ??

We’re really curious about your feedback. So don’t forget to like, share, and tell us what you think in the comments! Good luck and have fun ??