Etermax Used In-App Messages to Increase Gameplay by 87%

In the crowded world of mobile games, it takes more than a little playfulness to stand out. From established franchises to novel newbies, every game developer needs to constantly experiment if they want a cut of the $68.5 billion industry.

International technology company Etermax knows this. In order to continue captivating users with their trivia-focused content, the company constantly tests new ideas and iterates on success. And it’s working—they’re a leading game company in Latin America, with marketing penetration in 180+ countries. Their most popular app, Trivia Crack, has over 500 million installs.

Etermax saw an opportunity to measure the impact of communications on user engagement by developing an interactive IAM campaign through Braze.

Stepping Up Your Game with A/B Testing

With the goal of testing IAM effect on app engagement, Etermax created a reward-focused campaign in Triviathon, the single mode mini-game within Trivia Crack. In the game, users earn coins for answering questions during missions, which take place once every 12 hours.

To kick things off, they created three groups:

• Group One (Control): This group of users had missions for coins all week long, like normal
• Group Two (Credits): These users had missions for coins from Monday to Friday, and for credits (a higher-demand in-app currency) on Saturday and Sunday
• Group Three (Credits plus IAM): This segment had the same missions as the credits group, but were kept informed via in-app message

Group three received IAMs starting Monday showcasing teasers of the upcoming higher-value challenge, as well as an IAM during the weekend that deep linked to the game.

Additionally, Etermax took a cross-channel approach, complementing the IAMs with a News Feed Card that was active from Monday to Sunday, and adding a CTA with a deep link to the game starting Saturday.

"Iteration is a key part of the innovation process,” said Ricardo Ocaña, Lead Product Owner at Etermax. “Our team performs a large number of experiments on a daily basis to find out new mechanics that keep our trivia fans engaged and entertained. Braze helps us enhance the effect of our efforts by maximizing our communication with our players in a quick and flexible way.”

Etermax Results: Increased Gameplay Throughout the Entire Week

Users in group three showed stronger engagement as soon as the first IAM was deployed. Overall, there was a substantial difference: Group three had a 50% increase in users playing a Triviathon mission, a 35% increase in users finishing a mission, a 22% increase in games during the week, and an 87% increase during the weekend.

There was no discernable difference between group one and group two.

When it comes to driving user engagement, IAMs can be a simple, powerful tool for reaching your goals.

Final Thoughts

No modern marketing strategy is complete without a thoughtful testing strategy. It’s an almost-too-simple way to ensure your brand is achieving the best engagement possible. To learn more about useful tactics and what tests you should be running, check out our deep dive into campaign testing.

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