Thanks to outstanding results and premium user experience, playable ads have become a crucial tool for Japanese and Korean games looking to acquire high-quality users both locally and globally.
In markets dominated by banners and video ads, the immersive and interactive nature of playable ads has reshaped user engagement, facilitating international expansion for games.
According to UA data from Mintegral:
- ● Playable ads have been shown to increase IVR by over 85% in Japan and Korea, and 40% in mature markets such as Europe and the US.
- ● In Japan and South Korea, the Day 2 retention rate of users acquired via playable ads is 10-13% higher than those converted by standard video ads; in Europe, the US, and China, this increase ranges from 5-9%.
Recognizing the effectiveness and ROI of playable ads, MondayOFF, one of Korea's leading hyper-casual game publishers, partnered with Playturbo to use 3D playable ads for titles including Sneak Out 3D, Time Walker 3D, Agent Twist, Tiny Run 3D, and Wacky Jelly. Several of their games achieved top rankings in the US, Japan, South Korea, China, and other countries.
To further enhance campaign efficiency
, MondayOFF also iterated and optimized the ads using Playturbo, rapidly creating multiple variations of playable ads.
How did Mindworks help MondayOFF build those high-quality playable ads? What were the secrets behind their success? Read our Wacky Jelly case study to learn more.
+57.48% 62.11%
IVR Improvement CTR
Customized playable ads to acquire high-quality players
MondayOFF is a leading hyper-casual games developer and publisher in South Korea, with over 3 million MAUs in the US market soon after its launch in 2018.
Growing at such a fast pace, MondayOFF has quickly become a leading company in South Korea’s hyper-casual gaming industry. The company currently has nearly 50 hyper-casual games around the world and has had its games ranked among the top 10 free games downloaded on iOS in 33 countries and regions so far.
Wacky Jelly, one of Monday OFF's leading hyper-casual mobile games, has won the hearts of many players with its cute design and innovative gameplay. To expand its user base, MondayOFF leveraged playable ads as a booster to help it ramp up in the global market.
When building custom ads for MondayOFF’s Wacky Jelly, we developed a complete set of creative strategies based on in-depth research, combined with the game’s core gameplay elements to quickly engage players and reach strong conversion rates:
1. Pick the game’s most fun and eye-catching levels
After in-depth research into the game, we identified "engaging" and "visually appealing" as key elements to highlight to align with target players’ game preferences. We chose two specific levels from the game to feature in the creative:
● The "bald bodyguard" image stood out with its humorous and attention-grabbing character, quickly piquing user interest.
● The "Coke bottle cap" level offered straightforward gameplay, lowering the entry barrier for and improving the retention and conversion rates.
2. Enhancing User Experience with Positive Feedback Mechanisms
To reduce player churn and boost the playable ad’s retention rate, we made some enhancements while preserving the original level design:
● Facial Expression and "Bullet Screen" Effects: In the original game the bodyguard remains neutral regardless of player success or failure. We added facial expressions—smiling or angry—corresponding to different outcomes. We also added flying“bullet comments” in the background to reinforce positive feedback that will keep players engaged and reduce bounce rates;
● Add background music and amplify the relaxing “jelly effect”: To emphasize the game's core "jelly-like" bounce effect, we enhanced the sound effects and chose complementary background music to go with it.
3. Thoughtful level design set to sustain player interest
To prevent player churn, we set the number of playable levels to two across our ads:
Playturbo's testing indicated that featuring two levels in the demo allows advertisers to fully showcase the gameplay while keeping the game fresh. This approach reduces the churn rate and maximizes conversions while keeping the players interested and excited about the game.
Enhancing UA performance with Playturbo
The high-quality playable ads produced by Mindworks yielded tangible user acquisition results. To capitalize on this success, MondayOFF utilized Playturbo to optimize and iterate the custom playable ads provided.
With Playturbo, MondayOFF adjusted parameters such as the wig's spinning speed and generated multiple ad versions for A/B testing. This approach not only saved a significant amount of production costs and time, but also improved the UA outcomes as it enabled advertisers to identify the creative combinations that resonated with target users.
As a result of Mindworks' creative expertise, Wacky Jelly’s playable ads saw a 57.48% increase in IVR as well as a CTR of 62.11%, helping to send the game into the Top 10 Casual Games download charts in the US, attracting a great number of quality players across different regions and markets, including the US, China, Japan, and Korea.
Key Takeaways from Playturbo
● Know what players like and get their attention: conducting thorough user research to understand user preference is the golden rule, so you can create informed ad design and level selection that resonate.
● Fun ≠ complex; reducing churn is key: the ultimate goal of playable ads is to get users to download, so advertisers should find a good balance between many elements including gameplay difficulty, level settings, and interaction mode. Don’t make the level design too complicated or you will lose players.
● Make the best of your ad through constant iterations: having fresh ads is becoming increasingly important in the fight for user acquisition. This is why you need to consider tools like Playturbo to iterate your existing ads, which will reduce costs and improve your ad effectiveness, while not needing to produce dozens of new ads from scratch every time.
