In the highly competitive mobile app market, effective game promotion is critical to sustainable success. Targeted advertising not only attracts new users but also drives engagement, boosting retention and long-term player commitment. DreamPlus Games, a mobile game developer, partnered with VK’s buying team to elevate retention metrics for their RPG Game of Khans, achieving remarkable results:
- A 40% increase in the D1 retention rate
- A doubled D7 retention rate
Promotion goals
The aim was to improve performance of existing campaigns with a focus on retention growth:
- Increase Day 1 and Day 7 retention rates
- Scale the advertising budget while keeping CAC at USD 35 or below
Mechanics
Over 20 ad campaigns were launched, targeting two key actions: app installs and in-app actions. This allowed testing of diverse creatives and strategies. The best results came from three ad campaigns, which were then scaled in terms of budget.
Budget optimization was managed at the ad set level, enabling more agile strategic adjustments. A lowest cost bidding strategy paired with daily budget caps ensured better traffic optimization and more precise metric control.
Targeting settings
Ads were tailored to audience segments by age, gender, and interests:
- Imported audience: men aged 18–75 interested in Game of Khans and similar RPGs. Ads displayed across all available platforms and placements.
- Imported audience: men and women aged 18–55 who use rival games. Automatic ad placement.
- Broad audience: men aged 18–45. Ads placed on OK and VK platforms.
- Men and women aged 18–55 who install or engage with gaming apps (targeting by app category). Ads placed on OK and VK platforms.
- Men aged 18–75 who install or engage with gaming apps. Ads prioritized vertical video placements.
A total of over 200 ad variations were developed.
Results
- A 40% increase in the D1 retention rate
- A doubled D7 retention rate
Campaign optimization and strategy adjustments significantly improved KPIs. The campaign positively impacted the client's strategic and business metrics, enabling substantial budget scaling and continued active promotion of the game.
Precise optimization of campaigns, audience segmentation, gender/age distribution, and timely placement adjustments were key to achieving targets.
Egor Erokhin, Traffic Manager at VK:
“To hit our target KPIs, we adopted a new creative approach that avoided overpromising gameplay experiences. This directly improved retention. After stabilizing D1 retention, we focused on identifying audiences with long-term engagement potential through rigorous segmentation. UA campaigns require constant iteration – creatives, audiences, and budgets must adapt daily to market shifts. Complacency risks performance decline.”