Demonstrating the value of incrementality for Playrix
A case of positive incrementality with Playrix’s Gardenscapes
With its games consistently ranked in the top 50 grossing apps, Playrix is a pioneer in user re-engagement. They started running app retargeting in 2016 and have experienced great success with their Remerge campaigns.
Their results have shown positive ROAS and return rates but Playrix also wanted to analyze Incremental KPIs to assess the real value of their app retargeting ads compared to their other marketing campaigns.
The challenge
Playrix wanted more transparency and insights. Their teams were looking to learn more about the incremental value of app retargeting and wanted to do the following:
- Target previous purchasers
- Test incremental uplift
- Gain insights
The strategy
To ensure organically-occurring purchases were not being cannibalized nor falsely attributed, we ran incrementality tests to increase campaign transparency and prove added value.
Playrix provided a real-time event stream of their data. The previous purchaser group was later divided into a control and a test group to track all incremental conversions.
We ran concept-level A/B tests on creatives to find the best converting combinations, updating the assets on a monthly basis. Changes included either seasonality (Christmas collaterals) or app updates, such as new storylines and elements.
The results
We ran a continuous uplift test for the live campaign. For this, we used a methodology called “Ghost Bids”, which is based on the Ghost Ads concept developed by Google .
Within the target segment, the total audience found via real-time bidding (RTB) was split into two groups: control group and test group (10% and 90%). We targeted the test groups with ads, while the control group was not exposed to ads (resulting in no additional costs). With a scaling factor, the results from both groups were compared to determine the uplift.
« Over 300% incremental ROAS - validated and measured with a reliable methodology. We love it »
IRINA ZHUKOVA, UA MANAGER, PLAYRIX