Axlebolt

The objective

Leveraging a seasonal game update to convert new paying users

Axlebolt is a globally recognized mobile gaming studio with HQ in Cyprus, established with a passion for creating engaging games by a team of dedicated gamers. The studio is renowned for its flagship action-packed mobile shooting game, Standoff 2, which has garnered immense popularity on both Android and iOS platforms. This title has achieved remarkable success with over 200 million downloads and boasts a robust monthly active user base of 25 million, indicating its widespread appeal and strong player engagement.

Standoff 2 differentiates itself with a series of dynamic seasonal in-game events, each introducing exciting new content like maps, characters, and weapons to keep the gameplay experience fresh and captivating. These seasonal updates play a pivotal role in maintaining user interest and driving the game's continued growth. Notably, the Halloween update is a major event for Axlebolt, where players eagerly anticipate unique additions. In a recent Halloween update, for instance, the game expanded beyond new maps and skins to introduce novel characters such as Vampires and Zombies, adding a thrilling twist to the gameplay.

Axlebolt actively leverages TikTok for its user acquisition campaigns. This time, to announce the update, Axlebolt aimed to maximize its impact, making a bold statement to attract a new audience with the ultimate goal of converting them into high-quality paying users.

The solution

A full-funnel approach with branding and performance stages

To meet its objectives, Axlebolt embraced a comprehensive full-funnel strategy, encompassing both branding and performance campaigns. This approach unfolded in several stages.

The team kicked off the campaign with a bespoke Branded Effect, crafted to replicate the key element of the game update—the introduction of the two new characters. The concept, produced in-house by the TikTok team, utilized a quiz format with a 3D mask. Users could discover their Halloween persona by selecting answers within the quiz.

A Branded Mission was launched simultaneously with the Branded Effect going live. Branded Mission is a TikTok ad solution that allows advertisers to crowdsource authentic content from creators and turn top-performing videos into ads. Creators were encouraged to use the Branded Effect, fostering genuine enthusiasm for the game across the platform. The Branded Mission, with the hashtag #SO2VampireOrZombie, successfully engaged over 1,070 creators who showcased their creative prowess by crafting Halloween costumes and adding eerie elements to enhance the atmosphere and joy.

Axlebolt also employed TopView ads to encourage users to participate in the Branded Mission. The TopView utilized creators to illustrate the workings of both the Branded Mission and Branded Effect.

Following the branded campaign, Axlebolt gathered the audience segment that engaged with the Mission elements via TopView. They then transitioned into a performance phase, converting these users into purchases through retargeting. The retargeting campaigns, segmented by operating system (iOS and Android), were designed to re-engage and guide this audience through the sales funnel.

The result

Achieving brand awareness and a performance surge

To measure the campaign's impact on awareness, Axlebolt launched a Brand Lift Study. The study revealed a remarkable 20.8% increase in brand awareness, surpassing the market benchmark by 11 times.

The Branded Mission generated more than 8.6 million engaged video views and 1,500 creator-produced videos, along with almost 73 million views for the hashtag ##SO2VampireOrZombie.

The subsequent performance campaign achieved a 40% lower cost per acquisition per paying user compared to Axlebolt's initial KPI.

This success underscores how a well-designed branding campaign resonates with the audience, positively impacting performance.