Game District

The objective

Expanding global reach with a high-impact TikTok launch

Game District, one of the leading mobile gaming companies in the METAP region, has firmly established itself in the mobile entertainment industry, achieving over two billion downloads across its diverse game titles.

Their new game, "My Supermarket Simulator," is a hybrid casual simulator game where players manage their own supermarket, order products, and expand their store. In this game, players have the option to watch ads to earn virtual currency, accelerating their progress, or they can choose to make in-game purchases to obtain these resources more quickly.

Game District aimed to make a major launch capitalizing on the excitement surrounding supermarket-themed games. Selecting TikTok as one of the key partners for the campaign, they leveraged the platform's vast and diverse gaming community. The primary goal of the campaign was to acquire high-quality users on a global scale.

The solution

Leveraging a synergy of TikTok's creative tools to expand into multiple markets

To meet the campaign objectives on TikTok, a comprehensive and strategic media plan was put into place, focusing on both performance optimization and creative diversification to engage a globally diverse audience.

As this was a new title launch, Game District opted for the special New Title Launch (NTL) program. The NTL program provided the client with a robust suite of support features to optimize their campaign's success, including incentive plans, product, measurement, and creative support.

Game District aimed to capitalize on TikTok's vast reach and its ability to engage with a broad audience, particularly targeting players over 18 who possess greater purchasing power. To build a vast user base, the publisher strategically focused on broad targeting, utilizing Mobile App Install campaigns. This approach was particularly effective given the game's model, which benefits from a large audience engaging with content. Additionally, the campaign leveraged TikTok’s App Profile Page, enhancing iOS user engagement and improving the quality of conversions.

This innovative creative approach significantly contributed to the campaign's efficiency, engaging targeted markets through tailored content. The game launch initially concentrated on English-speaking markets, pinpointing other high-performance regions for more customized content creation.

The strategy aimed to not only meet the global average but also to showcase exceptional performance in specific markets such as the US, Canada, and Australia, thereby refining the content strategy through real-time data analytics.

For content tailored to English-speaking audiences, Game District leveraged the TikTok Creative Challenge (now available in TikTok One) to generate a variety of UGC-like content that seamlessly integrated creator performance with gameplay. To enhance the campaign further, a substantial array of creatives was developed for selected markets with TikTok Creative Exchange (now available in TikTok One). These markets, particularly Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Arabic-speaking ones, demonstrated a strong affinity for hybrid casual games.

This creative approach helped tailor content specifically to meet the diverse preferences of the global audience targeted by the campaign, ensuring that the creatives resonated well with different cultural and regional contexts.

The New Title Launch program significantly enhanced campaign engagement and effectiveness, thereby improving overall performance and reach. Additionally, the NTL offered backend support that ensured competitive eCPM rates, allowing the system to optimize and load more impressions, which in turn drove increased downloads.

The results

Impressive campaign performance and rapid ROAS achievement

The campaign delivered outstanding results, particularly among iOS users who exhibited significantly high purchase values. Notably, the campaign achieved a conversion rate of 10.84%, with TikTok's Day 7 Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) exceeding the next highest competitor in the media split by 30% for both iOS and Android.

Furthermore, the Day 1 retention rate for TikTok iOS stood at a robust 47%. TikTok iOS Day 7 ROAS exceeded the target by 27%, indicating that the campaign resonated particularly well with the audience.

"My Supermarket Simulator" ranked as the #4 most downloaded app globally in September 2024, and impressively reached the #1 spot on Android. TikTok’s strategic support significantly contributed to these achievements, enhancing the game’s success.

Additionally, the campaign benefitted from the New Title Launch program, which provided backend support to enhance visibility and engagement through optimized impressions.