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Case Study: Scale and Discover with Source-Based Ideation!

The current gaming market is so saturated, that increasing the number of game installs has become more challenging than ever. Despite our efforts to explore numerous executions, finding fresh ad creative ideas has proven difficult.

Hi! I’m Hüsamettin, the Growth Manager at Sunday, Germany’s leading hyper-casual publisher. At Sunday, our mission is to empower game creators and shape the future of the industry with our comprehensive solutions. In this case study, I will share insights into our recent success with the game Spinner Merge, which has surpassed an impressive milestone of 10 million downloads.

I’ll discuss our strategic focus on testing new concepts within Spinner Merge and the impact it has had on our growth and user engagement. By constantly experimenting and evolving our approach, we strive to stay at the forefront of the hyper-casual gaming market. So, join me as I delve into the details of our journey, highlighting the challenges we faced, the strategies we implemented, and the exciting outcomes we achieved.

Challenge

Our repeated attempts at experimenting with iterations, elements, and approaches in our marketing videos proved to be quite challenging. We found ourselves in a dire need to discover a new, game-changing strategy. It became evident that we needed a fresh and innovative approach to stand out in the highly competitive and crowded gaming market, capturing the attention of gamers in a unique way.

Strategy

To overcome the challenge, we developed a comprehensive strategy to upgrade the way we generate new video creative ideas. It includes the following key elements:

• Data-driven insights: We analyze player preferences, trends, and engagement metrics using analytics and market research to gain valuable insights.
• Collaborative teamwork: We foster a culture of idea-sharing and innovative thinking by encouraging collaboration between our creative and development teams.
• Iterative experimentation: We embrace a rapid prototyping and testing approach, allowing us to quickly refine our concepts based on user feedback.

By implementing these strategic elements, our aim is to create captivating and impactful video creatives that resonate with our target audience and significantly boost installation numbers.

Execution

Following our comprehensive research, we decided to implement several key additions and twists to our videos:

• Level number on top: We included a visible level number display, giving players a clear indication of progress within the game.
• Game mechanics (connect and draw): We introduced engaging gameplay mechanics based around connecting and drawing elements, adding a new layer of engagement for players.
• More spinners to merge: We increased the number of spinners that players could merge, creating an impression of additional opportunities for strategic decision-making and progression.

We conducted A/B tests to understand how much impact we could have with these changes. Surprisingly, we found that altering the mechanics in our video assets had the most significant effect.

Impact

Implementing the Source-Based Ideation process yielded impressive results that we were hoping for. By adopting this approach, we achieved a substantial 27% increase in Installs Per Mille (IPM). In just two weeks, the overall number of installs ramped up by 70% in the United States alone. When we analyzed the data by source, we discovered that two of the three primary install sources grew 2.3 and 2.4 times more than usual. Surprisingly, LTV remained the same as install numbers grew higher.  Furthermore, the introduction of our newest video asset led us to discover new install sources, expanding our reach even further.

Future

Encouraged by the impact of source-based ideation, we have implemented this approach across our other games, resulting in improved performance throughout our portfolio. Source-based ideation has become an integral part of our creative ideation process, enabling us to consistently generate innovative ideas and drive success in the competitive gaming industry.