[Case Study] Profit of $1300 on Browser game offer with Popunder Desktop ad format

[Hilltopads]

The diversity of advertising platforms and formats allows advertisers to reach their target audience in various niches. In this article, we will explore how to launch an advertising campaign for browser games on HilltopAds, one of the leading advertising networks. Browser games provide unique opportunities for attracting players, and HilltopAds can become your reliable partner in this process.

This guide will walk you through the essential steps for a successful Browser game campaign on the HilltopAds platform.

Key points of the case study​

Offer: Browser game
Offer source: Direct Advertiser
Traffic source: HilltopAds
Ad Format: Popunder desktop
Ad campaign period: 16 - 22 October
GEO: US
Spending: $538,3
Conversions: 179
Earnings: $1 391,5
ROI: 158,5%

Settings of the ad campaign at HilltopAds​

Before launching an advertising campaign on HilltopAds, you need to register as an advertiser. You can register using this link.
Next, to create an advertising campaign, you need to:

• Go to the Manage Campaigns section
• Click the Add Campaign button
• In the campaign creation section, select the Popunder desktop ad format
• In the Traffic Channels section, choose Mainstream high and medium activity
• Set up the ad frequency per user - 1 display in 24 hours
• In the GEO section, choose - US (the United States of America)
• If needed, you can also set campaign limits or display schedules.
• Specify CPM ($1.35)
  Note: pay attention to the Traffic Volumes graph in the top right corner, which calculates premium, minimum, and recommended CPM rates.
  
  
  

Get ready to track results​

Next, it's essential to set up the Postback to track the results of your ad campaign.
Note: for a detailed description of working with Postback and the available placeholders, check out our guide.

In simple terms, for the final URL of the offer, we need to insert parameters to pass conversions and source IDs. The parameter for passing conversions is click_id, and the source ID is zone_id.

As a result, our Final Destination URL should look like this:
https://my_offer.net/?&click_id={{ctoken}}&s1={{zoneid}}

• {{ctoken}} - HilltopAds parameter for passing conversions.
• {{zoneid}} - HilltopAds parameter for passing source ID.

Note: in general, you can add absolutely any parameter from the available options that is necessary for further campaign analysis. However, remember that it is essential to include the click_id parameter in the final link to pass conversions.

Optimization​

During the first 3 days our campaign shown following results:

• 53 conversions
• $154,14 spent
• $271,7 earned

On the fourth day, we set up auto optimization to inactivate non-profitable traffic sources and increase CPM rates.
Note: Auto Optimization is a tool for automatically adding non-performing traffic sources. Thanks to this feature, the HilltopAds system removes non-profit sources from your advertising campaign and adds them to the BlackList.
We configured auto optimization according to the following rules:

• Optimization period is 48 hours
• If a specific source ID has more than 2,500 ad impressions
  AND
• generates less than 1 conversion,
  
  then that source ID (zone) will be automatically added to the BlackList.

We paid attention to the Traffic Volume tool and decided to set up higher rates than it was recommended - $1.57

After setting up the auto optimization tool and increasing CPM rates over the remaining 4 days, the earnings percentage from the advertising campaign significantly increased. According to the statistics, we achieved the following:

• 126 conversions
• $384,12 spent
• $1 119,8 earned.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Final Results and Areas for Improvement​

Over the course of the full 7 days of running the advertising campaign using the Browser game offer, the following metrics were achieved:

• Total Costs (Revenue) - $538,3
• Total Earnings (Profit) - $1 391,5
• ROI (Return on Investment) - 158,5%

ROI is one of the key indicators in digital marketing that allows you to assess the profitability of an advertising campaign. In simple terms, ROI shows you the percentage of advertising investments that you have managed to recover through earnings from the ads.

The formula for calculating ROI is:
ROI = (total earnings - total cost) / total cost * 100%

As a result of launching the Browser Game offer in the US for 7 days, we completely recouped the investment in the ad campaign and earned an additional +$850 on top.

Launching an advertising campaign for browser games on HilltopAds offers unique opportunities for growing your gaming audience. By following these steps and optimizing your campaign, you can achieve a high ROI and increase the profitability of your advertising activities. HilltopAds offers a variety of tools and options for a successful browser game campaign launch.

Recommendations from the HilltopAds QA-team​

To get high results we recommend you do the following:

1. Before you analize results, get more than 40 000 impressions per GEO;
2. Launch ad campaigns specifying CPM rates higher than recommended CPM;
3. Use a bright and easy for understanding pre-landing page;
4. Check if there are any promo offers that can be added on your pre-landing page;
5. If you promote a game that works by CPS (cost-per-sale) or Revshare, set up passing of micro conversions to track, for example, registrations;
6. If you work with Anime game offers, create a campaign targeted to Anime websites (to do it, please contact your personal manager).