Trailmix Games Triumphs with 30% Increase in Installs

two phones on top of each other with trailmix app showing
PUBLISHER
Trailmix Games
APP
Love & Pies
HEADQUARTERS
London, UK
REGION
Global
Highlights
33%
reduction in CPI
29%
higher tutorial completion rate
30%
boost in DE installs
Background

UK-based Trailmix Games was founded in 2017 with the belief that “snackable” games can make a positive impact on people’s lives.

The mobile gaming veterans describe their mission as combining powerful storytelling with the best free-to-play mobile games. The Supercell-backed company’s first game Love & Pies, released in September 2021, quickly became a big hit on the merge-2 puzzle scene and generated millions of installs.

Challenge

Trailmix was finding it tricky to effectively reach untapped audiences in a super competitive and crowded mobile gaming genre.

The gaming company knew it had to devise a different game plan to stand out from the big and well-established companies. Beyond its unique and innovative gameplay mechanics, it needed to steer away from what its competitors were doing.

Trailmix needed to look beyond its core ad networks and social channels and spice up its strategy with something new. The team needed to leverage alternative channels that offer a new and different approach to reaching and engaging quality audiences. Channels which, at the same time, utilize different ad solutions and not the standard solutions used by core ad networks.

phone screen showing users earning energy with trailmix
phone screen showing users earning in-app currency with Trailmix
Solution

Trailmix discovered adjoe and its unique rewarded ad unit, Playtime. This time-based rewarded model, combined with adjoe’s exclusive inventory, offered a promising opportunity for Trailmix to diversify its marketing mix and reach new audiences. adjoe’s network is proven to capture and engage users who are unaccessible through other platforms. 

Trailmix found that unlike other traditional rewarded formats, Playtime provided a visually appealing and highly engaging way to promote its hit puzzle game, which ultimately drives repeated gaming sessions and greater user attachment. This format not only compels users to try out the hit merge mystery game – it also drives them to continue playing and become more hooked on gameplay. 

Despite worries regarding the usual questionable quality of rewarded traffic with other channels, such as the more standard rewarded channels, Playtime’s unique rewarded model reassured the Trailmix team that they could rely on quality from this channel.

Impact

After launching its first campaigns in the US, adjoe’s Playtime outperformed its primary growth channels by a long way. Trailmix saw that the tutorial completion rate for Love & Pies increased by around 30% and adjoe’s users displayed higher engagement as well as promising gameplay progression. 

With adjoe’s team and Playtime’s granular targeting capabilities, Trailmix also managed to use its budget more effectively and reduce its CPIs by 33% by bidding more accurately on each demographic segment and traffic source. The Trailmix team thus avoided overspending on lower-performing segments and allocated any surplus to the top performers.

Impressed by this success, Trailmix extended its reach to other markets, including Germany. They prioritized mobile interests of their target market and leveraged “app targeting” campaigns. Within a month, adjoe’s activities helped boost installs by 30% in the German market.

Within a month, adjoe’s activities helped boost installs by 30% in the German market.
two phone screens showing love & pies app by trailmix
Looking Forward

Following this success, Trailmix remains committed to scaling Love & Pies – and the company has identified room for further growth. With the company’s team expanding, it also plans to set its sights on creating new compelling hit-worthy games as well. 

With adjoe as a trusted partner and a solid part of its UA mix, Trailmix is confident in its ability to surpass its current limits and achieve unprecedented growth. The company plans to launch new GEOs with adjoe and explore new promotions.

bitmoji creative of Said, UA Manager
“As a puzzle game maker, we face stiff competition from some of the biggest players in the industry. However, with adjoe as our trusted advertising partner, we’ve been able to surpass the user acquisition limits that we encounter on other media sources.”
Said Yilmaz
UA Manager at Trailmix Games

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