Basics: Game Game Marketing and Release Process
Hello, today we will be talking about
Advertisement and releasing process of games
Game Advertisement: Concepts and Types
Today, we will learn about baisc concepts of
Game advertisement
And we will also learn about detailed service and
Marketing activities needed for each steps of game release
First, let's start with some keywords
Of marketing and service
So marketing can be divided into
Brand advertisement and UA advertisement
Especially for game ad, the gravity and importance of UA ad
Is growing day by day
Based on the budget scale of the game and its advertisement
UA and branding should be mixed in a balance
For a successful marketing
However, the bigger the budget for the ad
The bigger the portion becomes for branding
That is a point to remember
Let me begin with the brand advertisement
The definition of brand advertisement is
Exposure of image, concept, message, etc. regarding the game
To create awareness of the game brand
And to improve on it
Branding ad has its purpose for organic traffic
Through game brand exposure for the target
For example, all traffic through search
Is one of the biggest goals of brand advertisement
With a lot of brand exposure
Anyone will think about
Searching for that brand
And these come as influx through
Portal website searches
And this is called organic traffic
Or organic influx
Brand advertisement, if with enough budget
It is being executed using a lot of that budget
CPM/CPC-based banner advertisement, video advertisement
Or out-of-home (OOH) advertisement at bus, subway or banners
So these kinds of exposure improves the effect of exposure
And viral marketing is often accompanied to deliver information
Marketing through blogs of internet communities
Is one example of viral marketing
Its downside is that
Measuring its performance is very limited
Next is UA Advertisement
UA stands for User Acquisition
This ad gains or acquires the user directly
Through advertisement
The goal is, through an installable link for the game
It induces target traffic and their direct installment
For UA advertisement
One can track the useage as well as purchase records
So in terms of measuring performance
And improving efficienty
It is much more effective compared to brand advertisement
Because UA advertisement directly acquires users
We often call it nonorganic traffic as well
UA advertisement is a data-driven advertisement
It trakcs major data such as installment, usage time,
Purchase record of the user
And this can improve on cost efficiency
Also, thoes that induce direct installment and plays
Such as CPI, CPA and CPE
Are all branches of UA advertisement
And for UA advertisement, setting the right target
And the ad budget are the two main components
For UA ad, one should check on its efficiency regularly
To have flexibity in changing the target for advertisement
Or the media of advertisement
Now, let me explain some keywords
For game advertisement and services
I mentioned before
Words such as CPM, CPC
And CPI
You need to be familiar with these
So that you can better understand parts about
UA game advertisements
So let's begin with these words
Let's begin with CPM
CPM stands for cost per mile
So every exposure costs the budget
This is a term often used for brand advertisement
Every time a banner is exposed
It will cost some money
Next is CPC
Cost per click
So every click costs for this type
It is for branding page or pre-order page
Or any advertisement that takes user to a certain website
Next is CPI
It stands for cost per install
Every time a user installs it
This will cost the budget
So through the game page link at the app market
This induces donwloads
And we also have CPA and CPE
CPA is for cost per action
And CPE is for cost per engagement
Whenever the app is run
Or whenever the user does something in the app
This costs the advertisement budget
I told you in order of CPM, CPC, CPI
And CPA and CPE
CPM advertisement costs the least
And as we move on, since it induces particular actions
Such as clicks and installment by the users
So the further down, the higher the ad cost is
For CPM or CPC
They are usually used for brand advertisement
CPI, CPA and CPE are often used
For UA advertisement
Next is ROAS
ROAS stands for return on ad speed
This measures the amount of revenue from that particular ad
This ROAS has been increasingly
Recognized for its importance lately
For example, if the ad budget is 1 million won
And if the user traffic with this ad
Results in the revenue of 1 million won
Then the ROAS here is 100%
And it is considered very important
For this ROAS to go over 100%
Next is RPD
It stands for revenue per download
It means the total revenue for a particular period for each download
LTV or lifetime value is something similar
In order to increase RPD, one could enhance BM
Or one could increase
Traffic for loyal users
Next is Retention
Retention means
The ratio for the retained user traffic
When we say D1 Retention
It means the rate of re-visit by any users
That visited the day before
If D1 Retention is 50%
Then, of 100 users from the day before
It means 50 users remain in the next day
That is D1 Retention of 50%
Finally we have IAP and IAA
IAP means in-app purchase
And IAA, in-app ad
They literally mean in-app purchase products and advertisements
Let's not learn about types of game advertisement
These are the executable ad types
We have banner ad
Or DA
DA stands for display ad
It's the most common type of ad
That we see at online or mobile web
It is executed to improve on exposure effect
Next is native ad
It is simliar to content, as a very natural ad type
Such as a Newfeed at Facebook
Or a feed at Instagram
This is also called 'informational ad'
When we are on Facebook or Instagram
We sometimes get confused whether it is a content or an ad
That's what this native ad does
Through informational ad, it reduces aversion by the users
And simultaneously it strives to
Work as a proper ad
Next, reward advertisement
With the lock screen or Offerwall of a smartphone
It rewards the users whenever they conduct
Certain action on the advertisement
For example, we have the popular app 'Cash Slide'
And all other point charge stations
Are examples of reward ads
The downside of reward ad is
That the rate of cherrypickers can be very high
Next is rewarded video ad
It rewards the users who watch the video ad
By providing some in-app rewards
It is often used at IA
And it is a model used for ad monetization
I'm sure many of you are familiar with it
When you play a game
With some video ads that reward you afterwards
That is an example of the rewarded video ad
We also have unrewareded video ad
This video ad does not have any rewards
Its main goal is exposure through video
In-video advertisement
It is exposed within a video content
You can skip this after certain seconds
The usual YouTube video ads
Are examples of in-video ads
We also have playable ad
This allows for users to experience
The product or servies of the ad
It is often used for game advertisement
Finally we have retargetting ad
This shows the users again
Their considered products
And it has a high conversion rate
This allows for re-exposure to interested users
For example, let's say I looked at sometihg at an online shopping site
And I ended up not buying it
Then, when I am on a different website
The banner there will expose
The product I looked at once again
This is the retargetting advertisement
These types of ad are executed through ad media
And their performances are measured
Let me now talk about media with a lot of case studies
And their performance measuring tools
Let's start with the types of media
There are many types of media
But let's begin with network advertisment media
Google Ads, Facebook Ads
Apple Search are some examples
The advertiser does not need to contact each and every site
This ad media will execute the ad
On various webpages
This is the most popular form of media
At UA marketing
Next is portal or large-scaled online media
This uses media products of Naver, Daum or Kakao
And it exposes the advertisements there
Though the exposure rate is high, they are also more expensive
Next we have YouTube and video media
Using video media at YouTube or AfreecaTV
This media usually executes video ad
And we have game web communities
As you know well, we have Inven, Ruliweb and more
Banner ads at such game community sites
Are called game community media
We also have influencer and viral media
This executes advertisement of the game
Through YouTubers or bloggers
It can work along brand ad to provide extra information
And it can improve on the exposure rate
It can set some keywords so that with portal search
They can expose the post by that blogger as related search result
That is an example of viral marketing
Finally we have offline media
Theater, public transportation, physical banners
In executing mass-scaled brand marketing
Offline media is used as suplementary media
To increase exposure
A balanced mixture of all these is called
A media mix strategy
With the media mix strategy
It is very important to bring out the maximum effect
Out of the limited budget
For UA advertisement
It is as importnat as to execute the advertisement
Is to measure the performance and effectively relocate the ads
With thise, it is expected to decrease the cost for execution
And increase the ad efficiency so that
In the end it results with a high rate of ROAS
There are companies that provide major marketing performance tools
Such as Appsflyer, Adjust, Singular
There are many companies as such
And they provide demo versions
So by using these demo versions
One can learn the strengths for each
And select the one that is the most suitable for the need
For IA or in-app ad
There are similar solutions
For execution and management
Some major services include
Google AdMob and Unity Ads
These two are the top two of the market
Therefore, in order to apply IAA to one's game
Through Google AdMob or Unity Ads
One can execute the in-app ad and measure the performance
Game Release Step
I've been talking about general information
About game advertisement, centering around mobile games
Now, I will talk about the major activities
Needed for actual preparation and execution
In different steps of release, including ad execution
Let me revisit the steps for release that I coveres last class
And continue with further explanation
The order was internal review, FGT, CBT
Open beta and soft launching
First, let me talk about the major activities
At internal review and FGT
And let me add more details for each
For internal reviwe and FGT
What is being monitored is whether
The result corresponds to the production purpose
And whether it is complete as a product
What is verified here includes
Entertainment of core content and basic play cycles
And the parts of game for assessment include
Graphic, core play, play scalability
Play motivation management, control or playability
Degree of play fatigue and completion
Of course, based on the game in production
These parts needed may differ
But basically, these core parts of the game
Are monitored and verified
And this objective assessment is very important
Next step is open beta
The market reaction for the selling points
As well as the quality of the service operation list
Are assessed
For open beta
Since it targets a massive scale of users
It is possible to assess these many parts
First impression of the game, its binding
Meaning, how immersive it is for the users
And the basic balance in the game
And system stability are all assessed in this step
As I already told you, for open beta test
One can use Google Play Open Test track
To execute this test
In order to secure testers
If the game is targeting global audience
It is run in English
And the aim is more than 150 downloads per day
Anyhow, through open beta test
It needs a big scale of users
For the meaningful test results
So it is recommended to aim for
More than 150 downloads a day
With this, one can assess
The key drop-off points in the onboarding process
And complement them
Let's move on to soft launching
Soft launching checks whether the BM is working as intended
And whether the post-release strategy
Is appropriate at the preparatory steps
What is checked includes installation conversion, retention
Purchase conversion, ad view conversion, and ROAS
It is the pre-release step
For a final rehearsal
The game will be in service through Google Play
At some number of countries
For Apple, after the launching
Activities such as pre-order is no longer possible
So soft launching usually takes place
Through Google Play
Securing testers also happens in English
Same with open beta
It is recommended to have more than 150 downloads per day
Based on the target country
It is needed to prepare a UA plan that includes
Local language or minimum number of testers per country
Since BM is all included at soft launching
It is very important to complement things such as
IAP, IAA monetization performance assessment
In terms of contnet, it should be checked whether
All points to improve from open beta have been improved
And in terms of monetization, it is needed to
Check in detail such as PUR and ARPU
Finally, major indicators such as
Retention, RPD, and ROAS
Should all be checked through soft launching
And the game is only officially released after
Adequate improvement and assessment on these
Now, let me talk about the activities
That take place after the release
One is about service stability
Another, about the basic sustainability
And finally, it is about scaling up the service
Let's take a look at them in order
For the first two weeks after release
The priority is service stability
It is important to detect critical issues
And to resolve them
And to distinguish and control abusers
As well as to have management advisory on
Early game reviews
Through KPI monitoring and response early on after the release
It is very important to go over possible hacking or errors
And to have an appropriate response to them
Even in terms of brand image construction
Service stability is a very important asepct
In a way, the succes or failure of the game is determined
Mainly based on the speed of response
In these early two weeks
So this is the most important step in that sense
Securing stability of the server and the client
Since it is the first influx of a massive scaled traffic
There can be a lot of unpredictable issues
That arise at this point
These need to be tackled with speed and flexibility
If there is an issue, it is very important to
Tackle it early in the service
It is important to secure the reliability
Early in the service through such
Only after securing service stability
Can there be good reviews
And actual execution of more services
So in two weeks after the release
One should really strive to detect critical issues
And tackle them in order to increase
The service stability for the game
Next is securing sustainability until week four
This is where one secures the end content
Through retention D30 binding
It is also when monetization momentum is built
Through securing BM
And it is also when UA is optimized
Through ROAS management
These four weeks include
Adjusting contnet balance and
Optimizing product lineups
UA optimization is also taking place here
It is important to decrease the CPA cost
As much as possible in the four weeks
So this is when the monetization momentum
Is built early in service
Markets with good response can be selected
And areas with good UA or ROAS performance
Are prioritized in marekting
It is when product lineup is finalized
Through purchase analysis
For example, unpopular products should be renewed
And 3D products could be added
And product balance and cost-effectiveness can also be
Adjusted quickly during these four weeks
And based on content consumption rate by users
Updates as response to that should also take place
During these four weeks
It is to make sure that highly loyal users
As well as high-ranking users do not drop off
Due to lack of content
So by checking the rate of consumption
This is a step to prepare for
Further updates for the content
Finally, it is a scale-up step for the service
After four weeks
Service is scaled up
It is only when the service has been stabilized
And when the service is
Considered sustainable
That's when service scale-up takes place
Here, in order to acquire organic users
One could launch an omnichannel branding campaign
And expand the performance UA based on ROAS
And in order to increase RPD
Various aspects such as the content are monitored
Being store-featured, or in collaboration
Or having UA budget increased
Are some indicators of
Stable and competent service
And that's when things such as
Marketing or advertisement budget is executed
In order to let in
A bigger scale of users
If, using all means, it is considered that
The game's prospects are positive
And that the more users there are, the more benefits
Then it is very important to prioritize
Acquiring organic traffic using all means
For example, getting launching-featured at the store
And expanding CPI-based advertisements
Or through big-scaled advertisement using such as influencers
These are important methods to induce more traffic
And even with inducing a big scale of traffic
ROAS management is always very important
Therefore, a selective stratey is needed
Such as focusing the advertisement more on
Areas with higher ROAS
Data Analysis and Security Response
These were the major activities based on steps in release
Finally, let's learn about
some important things for the live service
Such as data analysis and improvement
So this is about data collection and analysis
There are three irreplaceable aspects
For acquiring needed information
First is BI
Or business intelligence
It is in charge of daily monitoring for major business indicators
Or even real-time monitoring in order to
Detect problem and observe the indicators
And we have MMP
That stands for mobile measurement partner
It's now an essential tool for UA Self Serving
LTV, ROAS, funnel conversion traits
Are observable through this
As I told you last class, Appsflyer
Adjust, Singular are all
Examples of MMP
Finally, LOG
Its aim is to secure raw data
For user profiling
Various things are possible with LOG
Customer assistance service
Or for providing solutions for problems
LOG comes in as very handy
Therefore, a system that
Analyzes and maintains LOG
Is also an essential part of everything
Let me go over what LOG is again
LOG analysis not only looks at user behavioral patterns
But also balance between content and products
Response to abusing
Recovery actions for problems
It is an indispensable part for such live services
And with funnel analysis
One can use LOG analysis
To observe the early breakaway sessions
What is important is how to plant major LOGs
For analysis of major KPI
In fact, the more in detail the better it is for LOG
Especially for early onboarding
In order to see the breakaway spots
In installing or usage steps
Then planting LOG in detail
To conduct funnel analysis for such
Will allow for analysis of breakaway sessions
At early onboarding stages
Same thing, with balance
Monetization or watching the ad
LOG analysis allows for various details
And this data allows for planning ahead
For a better service based on it
Therefore, LOG analysis
Is a very important aspect
And when service is in release
There are a few points
To remember
First is to minimize client dependency
In responding to unpredictable issues
What is prioritized is the timing
Whether it can be tackled
Quickly or not
Determines the breakaway scale by the users
For this, rather than keeping
All information intact for the clients
An immediate patch through game server
Will allow for quick responses
If one tries to rebuild through client
And then provide the service again
As you already know, Google or Apple
All clients go through screening
Which takes at least a day
So rebuilding through client patch
Will take at least one or two days
In order to resolve an issue
If such information is in the server
And the game server adds the patch right away
It only requires around half to an hour
To quickly respond to the issue
Therefore, it is important to upload
Important data or data tables ahead at the game server
And to use such in client patch for a quick response
That is one strategy to take
So there are some things that are
Better managed at server data table than in client
Language pack, product and event management
Game mode settings and balance
When there is an issue with such data
Rather than rebuilding for rescreening
One can change the information on server
And through sync maintanence with the client
It allows for an immediate response
And thus a quick solution to the problem
Finally, security
It is never enough to emphasize the importance of security
Some major hacking cases include
Memory hacking, repackiging, and payment bypass
In order to respond, we need things such as
Parameter obfuscation, server verification
Binary tampering detection, receipt verification, and etc.
And it is also very important to keep a blacklist
To block black users in terms of
Their accounts or devices
For game security
In fact, it is hard to have a fundamental solution
However many patches and responses one takes
There are many cases where
Hackers break through again
But what is important is to have basic security measures
So that it keeps regular users from
Such methods
10 hacking cases early on in the game with a good performance
Compared to 100, 1000 cases
Including non-professional hackers
They are completely different in
The gravity and frequency of the response
Therefore, even when considering hacking as something inescapable
It is important to make sure that
Regular users cannot participate in such
And that is a very important security measure for stabilizing service early on
Today, I covered a general overview of game advertisement
As well as necessary activities based on game release process
In addition to the process of ad execution
Let me summarize the key points from today
Game advertisement should have a banace of
UA advertisement and brand advertisement
Due to limited budget, it is needed to measure the ad performance
And attempt for higher ROAS
It is especially important to utilize UA ad
Which is easy to measure for performance and is efficient
While it is important to execute ad and provide service
It is also very important to utilize
Such as MMP or Appsflyer
And it is also important to ustilize data LOG analysis tools
To optimize marketing strategies
And strive for user retention and increase in RPD
Once a game is released, it cannot be reverted
Therefore, adequate amount of testing and proving
Is required before the official release
And this is the top priority of all
Espeically a final runthrough is required through soft launching
On content, BMA balance, security and ad efficiency
And the official release should have these polished
That was on game release and advertisements
Thank you
Game Advertisement's Concept and Types Advertisement Field
Brand advertismsent: Advertising to create and increase awareness of the game brand by exposing images, concepts, and messages about the game
UA (User Acquisition) advertising: Advertising that directly acquires users through advertising
Ad Types Display Ad (DA): online, mobile web ad
Native ad: Natural advertising similar to content Rewarded ad: Advertising that rewards users when they take action on an advertisement
Rewarded video ads: Ads that provide in-app rewards to users who watch video ads Non-rewarded video ads: Video ads that do not provide compensation
In-Video Ad: Ad that is displayed within video content and can be skipped after a certain period of time Playable Ad: Ad that allows users to experience the advertised product or service
Retargeting Ad: Ad that re-displays products that customers have directly viewed and are considering purchasing
Pre-release Pre-release preparatory measures
Self-review/FGT: Checking fun elements of core content, basic play cycle, etc. Open beta: Checking first impressions, game binding, basic balance, system stability, etc.
Soft launching: Checking installation conversion, retention, purchase conversion, ARPU, ad viewing conversion, ROAS, etc.
Release & Live Service stability: Detecting and resolving serious problems, screening and suppressing black users, product evaluation management, etc.
Sustainability: Securing end content, monetization momentum, UA optimization, etc. Service scale-up: All-round branding development, ROAS-based performance UA expansion, prevention of RPD decline, etc.
Data analysis and security response Essentials for Data Collection
BI(Business Intelligence) MMP(Mobile Measurement Partner) LOG
The End