Lessmore

The objective

Driving game installs for a new title launch

Lessmore is a European mobile game developer known for the idle game Eatventure. One of its latest releases, We Are Warriors!, invites players to navigate different historical epochs, accumulating resources to recruit new warriors and earning coins by defeating adversaries. To enhance progression within the game, players have the option to either purchase coins or watch ads to accelerate their resource accumulation and advance more rapidly.

Building on its previous success with mobile titles like Eatventure, Lessmore strategically opted for TikTok as the exclusive platform for the worldwide launch of We Are Warriors!. This decision stems from TikTok's massive gaming community, offering the perfect chance to introduce the game to a broad and diverse audience.

The launch's objective extended beyond mere installations. Lessmore aimed to attract highly engaged users who not only actively participated in the game but were also willing to engage with advertisements and invest in in-app purchases. The publisher's focus was to both drive a significant volume of installs and maximize return on ad spend.

The solution

Deploying a comprehensive full-funnel strategy

Prior to the TikTok launch, player journey mapping was conducted by the TikTok team to understand the various aspects of the game influencing in-game progress and ad monetization. This insight was then used to enhance the system with signals, laying a solid foundation for a successful launch.

To attain a considerable volume of cost-effective installs, Lessmore employed a strategic approach. The team initiated a Mobile App Install campaign targeting a diverse audience on TikTok. Once a substantial volume of data was amassed, they transitioned to App Event Optimization campaigns. This progression, starting with MAI and transitioning to AEO, allowed Lessmore to employ a comprehensive funnel approach on the TikTok platform. The combination of these campaigns holds the potential to yield higher ROAS.

Additionally, the broad targeting strategy ensured that the campaigns reached a wide audience, and the implementation of automated targeting optimization within each ad group maximized effectiveness.

Regarding creatives, the campaign initially featured content produced by the publisher showcasing gameplay. In addition to this, Lessmore tapped into the TikTok Creative Challenge to source UGC-style creatives directly from creators themselves. TTCC is a TikTok Creator Monetization Program that empowers creators to craft brand ads that bring their unique and authentic perspectives to the forefront.

To efficiently expand into global markets, Lessmore prioritized the production of creatives in local languages, emphasizing the importance of preserving an authentic TikTok experience for users in different regions. This led them to leverage the TikTok Creative Exchange program, specifically reaching out for creatives in languages such as Korean and Japanese.

This allowed Lessmore to tailor its content to effectively expand into these specific markets. By combining creatives from both TTCC and TTCX, Lessmore gained valuable insights into the most popular creative hooks. This approach enabled the publisher to adapt content for different markets, leveraging these effective hooks and ultimately maximizing exposure.

In essence, the synergy of TTCC and TTCX creatives provided a comprehensive understanding of audience preferences, facilitating the creation of tailored content that resonated well across diverse markets.

The results

High number of installs and increase in revenue

The launch campaign achieved a total of 3,258,347 installs, out of which 1,747,705 were organic installs.

The campaign demonstrated exceptional performance metrics, with the cost per install surpassing the platform benchmark for iOS in the US in the Strategy genre by an impressive 70%. Additionally, the Conversion Rate outperformed the benchmark for the iOS Gaming vertical by a remarkable 65%.

Lessmore swiftly observed a significant impact on its business results, achieving revenue that exceeded the originally set target.

The gaming publisher found value in exclusively launching the game on TikTok, benefiting from the ability to gauge organic growth and receiving comprehensive support from various teams such as Creative, Product and Marketing Science.