Maximizing user acquisition and efficiency with Smart+
Kooapps LLC, a mobile gaming studio and publisher widely recognized in the APAC region, has developed a successful portfolio of casual action games with over 500 million downloads. Among their popular titles is Snake.io, a fresh, competitive twist on the classic arcade game, available on iOS and Android.
With an in-app advertising (IAA) monetization model, Kooapps aimed to attract a high volume of users at an efficient cost to strengthen Snake.io’s presence in the highly competitive US market. The brand's primary objectives were to drive substantial player acquisition cost-effectively by reducing cost per install (CPI) and maximizing budget utilization while boosting user engagement.
Initially, Kooapps focused on Mobile App Install (MAI) campaigns to generate maximum volume, using gameplay creatives produced in-house. To further enhance performance, they adopted TikTok’s Smart+ solution with cost cap bidding, designed to control CPI based on the target bid per install. TikTok Smart+ is an AI-powered performance solution that maximizes returns by automating campaign management, delivering high performance and operational efficiency, and reducing creative fatigue and costs by dynamically managing how creatives are shown to the audience.
Kooapps set up a test campaign on Android using Smart+ alongside a control campaign without Smart+, maintaining identical ad group settings and creatives across both campaigns for a fair comparison. By leveraging Smart+, they optimized budget utilization and maintained a favorable CPI-to-target-bid ratio, significantly improving cost-efficiency and engagement metrics.
The Smart+ campaign delivered impressive results, significantly surpassing the control campaign in key performance metrics. Kooapps achieved a 56% decrease in cost per install (CPI), effectively lowering acquisition costs.
Additionally, the campaign saw a 20x increase in budget utilization, maximizing ad spend efficiency and allowing for greater reach. Return on ad spend (ROAS) also doubled, demonstrating the impact of the Smart+ approach.
Lastly, the Smart+ campaign’s click-through rate (CTR) was 18% higher than the control group, driving stronger user engagement and contributing to overall campaign success.
These results underscored Smart+'s effectiveness in helping Kooapps achieve their growth and efficiency goals in a competitive market, solidifying Smart+ as their go-to solution for cost-effective user acquisition.
Based on the recommendation to use the last seven days of actual cost per install achieved on TikTok Ads as the target bid, the results were much better than the non-Smart+ app campaign, and we are very pleased with the cost cap bidding.
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