Optimize Creatives for UA Strategies in Mobile Gaming

There is no doubt that the quality and optimization of ad creatives are crucial to the success of a mobile game marketing campaign. Staying updated with the latest trends and best practices in creative optimization is essential to capture user attention and enhance engagement and installs. This blog will explore various UA strategies in mobile gaming, offering expert insights on how to effectively optimize your creatives for UA strategies in mobile gaming to maximize their impact.

Importance of creatives for UA strategies in mobile gaming

Creatives are the initial touchpoint between a potential player and a mobile game. Having creatives that are high-quality and engaging can significantly increase the performance of user acquisition (UA) campaigns by attracting more clicks, downloads, and ultimately, generating more loyal users.

Recent studies show that the quality of ad creatives in mobile gaming can be a major factor in your campaign’s success, highlighting just how important they are in mobile game marketing.

Creative optimization for successful UA campaigns

The creative optimization process includes ongoing testing and optimizing ad creatives to boost their performance. This iterative approach helps identify the best visuals, copy, and formats, ensuring ads resonate with their target audience. By optimizing your creatives, you can achieve a higher click-through rate (CTR), improved conversion rates, and a better return on investment (ROI).

Using data-driven insights and implementing advanced testing methodologies can help marketers maximize the impact of their ad creatives, which can lead to sustained growth and engagement within the competitive market.

Creative trends and stats

With mobile gaming constantly evolving, there are a variety of trends that are emerging in the creatives domain. Before we dive into the optimization process, let’s take a look at the current trends and stats on creatives:

1. Rising number of advertisers & creatives

• The number of mobile game advertisers has increased nearly 50% year-over-year, with more than 40,000 monthly mobile game advertisers reported in 2023, which is record growth. An important part of this surge has been the rise in the volume of new ad creatives. For instance, in Southeast Asia, the average monthly volume of mobile game creatives per advertiser is around 135​.

2. Video ads

It is no secret that video ads continue to be one of the top-performing formats in mobile game advertising. Compared to static ads, on average they achieve a click-through rate (CTR), averaging 20-30% higher.

• Expert insights reveal that longer videos (60 seconds or more) are performing exceptionally well. This trend may be due to the rise of story-like ads, which go beyond basic gameplay to include engaging narratives that captivate users.
• According to a report from SocialPeta, video ads boast a much higher engagement rate compared to other formats. This is thanks to their dynamic nature and ability to showcase gameplay effectively, making them more appealing to viewers.

3. Playable ads

Playable ads have been shown to be highly effective in digital marketing. They offer users a trial experience of the game, allowing them to interact directly with the game before making the decision to download it.

The interactive nature of playable ads results in improved user retention and higher conversion rates. Engaging with these ads makes users more likely to install and play the game.

4. High-quality visuals

Ads that include high-resolution graphics and professional design elements usually perform better than lower-quality visuals. This means that users are more inclined to interact with ads that are visually appealing and provide a premium look and feel. This suggests the importance of investing in high-quality design elements for advertising to boost engagement and conversion rates.

How to optimize your mobile game ad creatives?

Here are some effective strategies to get started with mobile gaming creative optimization:

1. Programmatic advertising

Optimizing creatives in programmatic advertising means using automated technology to deliver highly relevant and personalized ads in real-time, enhancing the user experience. Recent insights show that dynamic creatives – ads that adapt based on user data – can boost performance metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates.

• To tailor ads for your game, analyze user behavior and preferences beforehand. If users are interested in puzzle challenges or relaxing gameplay, highlight these features in your creatives. For those seeking a casual gaming experience, showcase colorful, easy-to-understand mechanics or stress-relieving elements. This not only increases user engagement but also optimizes ad spend by targeting the most relevant audiences.
• Also, ensure your ads include visually appealing elements and strong calls-to-action (CTAs). Ads with clear, compelling CTAs and attractive graphics generally perform better in terms of engagement.

2. Rewarded models

Rewarded models in mobile game marketing have risen in popularity with the shift to hybrid-casual and casual games in the industry. As marketers sought new ways for user acquisition and monetization, in-app events have become more important than ever.

In-app events are excellent for boosting your app’s engagement and visibility on the App Store. These events can include challenges, competitions, live-streams, movie premieres, and more. Since in-app event cards appear in App Store search results, using relevant keywords in your event title can help improve your search ranking.

Discover the best practices for in-app events to reach new users and re-engage current users

Rewarded playtime and rewarded engagement campaigns focus on turning players into all-time winners by rewarding them with real-world monetary rewards or in-game rewards, which reflect positively on crucial metrics such as LTV and retention.

But what kind of creatives do rewarded models use?

Here, the players simply see the app icon and read the offers given to them. The more enticing your offer sounds, the more attention it will get. Unlike traditional creatives, tailor-made offers for rewarded models eliminate the cost of extra creatives and allow for faster and more robust testing and optimization.

Learn more about AppSamurai for games

3. Invest in app store optimization (ASO)

ASO is an effective strategy for boosting app visibility and downloads. It involves optimizing various features of your app’s listing on app stores so that potential users can find it more easily.

• Updating app store assets: Maintain user interest in your app by regularly updating screenshots, videos, and promotional graphics. You can stand out by using high-quality visuals that are regularly updated. In comparison to apps with outdated content, those with visually appealing store assets can see a significant increase in downloads.
• Add high-quality visuals: Clear, professional, and engaging visuals help users better understand what to expect from your app. This helps attract users and build credibility and trust.

Check out these ASO best practices to make your app creatives stand out from the competition

• Incorporate seasonal and thematic updates: Your app store listing can be further enhanced by incorporating seasonal updates and thematic content. Make your app more relevant to your users’ current interests and activities by adding visuals that reflect upcoming holidays, special events, or seasonal themes.
• A/B testing for optimization: A/B testing of app store elements such as icons, screenshots, and descriptions can help determine which variations perform best. The data-driven approach allows you to optimize your app store listing based on user preferences. You can maximize your app’s visibility and appeal by continuously testing and refining these elements.

Find creative inspiration with AppTweak’s ASO Creatives Explorer

With AppTweak’s ASO Creatives Explorer, you can browse the creatives of the most popular apps & games on the stores. It lets you compare in one view the screenshots, feature graphics, in-app events, and promotional content of top apps in any category. Here’s how you can leverage this feature to :

• Competitive analysis: Spy on competitors and uncover key insights for your own creative optimization. Do your competitors follow trends or stick to the same visuals?

For example, when we searched for Netflix, we found it competing with Disney+ and Apple TV, each with unique creative strategies. Netflix and Apple TV focus on TV show characters, while Disney+ highlights movies. Apple TV uses well-spaced screenshots, but Netflix only uses two compared to the five used by others, limiting their ability to showcase features and potentially appearing unprofessional in the app stores.

• Identify trends: Trends and visuals vary by country. For instance, in Japan, screenshots often feature women, while in the US, there’s a mix of genders. With ASO Creatives Explorer, you can analyze emerging trends in app store creatives and user preferences and adjust your creatives by incorporating trending elements. Colors and graphics can also make your app stand out. Use the slider feature in the tool to see the number of screenshots (note the first three are highly visible on iOS in portrait mode).

Final thoughts

High-quality and engaging creatives are essential for any UA campaign, as a strong first impression can greatly impact its success. To optimize your creatives for UA strategies in mobile gaming, here’s what you should keep in mind:

• Continuously refining your visuals through testing and data-driven insights is crucial to driving clicks, installs, and user engagement.
• Remember, creative optimization is more than just aesthetics – it involves a strategy that adapts to changing trends and user preferences. Using dynamic creatives in programmatic advertising, rewarded models, and seasonal updates can significantly enhance your campaign’s effectiveness.
• Effective ASO is a key step to boost your app visibility and downloads. To make your app appealing, regularly update app store assets, conduct A/B tests, and use advanced ASO tools like AppTweak’s ASO Creative Explorer to gain insights into your competitors’ strategies.
• Finally, by staying updated on the latest trends and continually optimizing your creatives, you’ll increase engagement, conversion, and ROI and drive sustained growth for your mobile game marketing campaigns.