playSTUDIOS, a global leader in casual games

playSTUDIOS (Nasdaq: MYPS), the creator of the groundbreaking playAWARDS loyalty platform, is the publisher and developer of award-winning mobile games, including the iconic Tetris® mobile app, Solitaire, and its casino-style games such as Pop! Slots, myVEGAS Slots, myKONAMI Slots, and MGM Slots Live.

Client

playSTUDIOS

Challenge

Revealing the true incremental impact of a paid marketing channel

Solution

Implemented a carefully designed geo test using Meta's GeoLift Python package

Result

Re-allocate $600K marketing spend to better performing channels, improving ROI significantly, and contributing valuable calibration data to playSTUDIOS’ MMM model

Revealing Paid Marketing Channel's True Impact

With an increasing investment in a major paid marketing channel, playSTUDIOS sought to address key questions about the channel's performance for one of its leading games: (1) What is the incremental value of this channel in driving installs and revenue? (2) How do paid campaigns interact with organic growth, and what adjustments can optimize overall performance? These questions were critical not just for assessing the channel effectiveness, but also for fine-tuning a broader MMM model that would serve as a cornerstone of playSTUDIOS’ marketing strategy.

Designing, Running and Analyzing the Geo Test

Test Design

Using Meta's GeoLift Python package, U.S. states were chosen as the geographic units, with states divided into test and control groups. To ensure an accurate comparison, the control states were weighted to closely match the demographics and market conditions of the test group, and to allow the detection of a small effect size of 5% with sufficient 80% power.

Capturing Meaningful Data

In the test group, the channel’s activity was paused, while the control group maintained consistent daily spending. The geo test spanned 28 days, providing sufficient time to capture meaningful data on installs, revenue, and ad spend.

Real-time Monitoring

Throughout the test, the teams monitored performance through a real-time dashboard, which offered ongoing insights and ensured the test remained on track.

Calibrating playSTUDIOS MMM model

This experiment was one of four geo tests conducted as part of a larger project to calibrate playSTUDIOS’ Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) efforts, reinforcing the value of the geo test results in shaping broader marketing strategies.

Shifting $600K to Better Performing Channels & Improving ROI Significantly

Revealing Organic Cannibalization

The geo test revealed that the impact of the channel on user acquisition was subtle but measurable. While the test group (where ads were paused) experienced only a marginal decrease (1.17%) in installs compared to the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. This suggested that for this specific game, the ads cannibalized organic traffic rather than driving significant standalone growth.

Assessing the True Impact of the Channel

In terms of D1 & D7 revenue, no substantial short-term lift was observed between the test and control groups. The results indicated that this specific paid marketing channel didn’t play a pivotal role within the broader marketing mix for playSTUDIOS’ specific game.

Optimizing marketing spend

These findings enabled playSTUDIOS to re-allocate $600K from their annual marketing spend to better performing channels, improving their ROI significantly, and contributing valuable calibration data to playSTUDIOS’ MMM model.

"Bell's expertise in geo testing has been a game-changer for our team. Our collaboration with Bell has provided valuable insights through geo testing, helping us better understand the nuanced impact of this specific channel. Together we've applied these learnings to refine our broader marketing mix model and ensure a more data-driven approach to maximizing the value of every marketing dollar."

Michael Kozak, Head of Data Marketing, playSTUDIOS Israel