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888 Casino SKAdnetwork Programmatic UA case study

How we beat CPA KPI by 58% for 888 Casino iOS app

Download the PDF version of the case study

We worked with 888 Holdings to promote its casino app on iOS in the UK. Being one of the world’s leading betting and gaming companies with internationally renowned brands, 888 Holdings is known for the notorious quality of its products.

Results at a glance:

58%

lower CPA than the KPI

365%

campaign scaling in 3 months

Campaign goals

The ultimate goal of the campaign was to bring users to the app who would convert by making an FTD (First-Time Deposit), with a certain CPA being a KPI of the campaign.

SKAdNetwork campaigns process

For post-iOS 14.5 / SKAdNetwork campaigns, we use a contextual distance approach to determine the relationship between the partnered advertiser apps and the apps where the ads are shown. Our platform’s machine learning-powered natural language processing (NLP) enables us to understand the contextual relationship between these apps in great detail. With this information, we can model and bid based on the contextual distance between each app pair. This allows us to effectively target ads to the right audiences and improve the overall effectiveness of our campaigns, even without IDFA.

Processing over 2.5M QPS (ad requests per second), our in-house DSP is integrated with all the major exchange platforms. For each auction, we analyze dozens of features to run effective UA and retargeting campaigns. Our machine learning algorithms target audiences based on real-time request data and aggregated data from our DMP, which helps us reach the deep-funnel events KPIs.

Campaign results

Campaign scaling and CTA

Our initial approach based on the contextual distance between the promoted bundle and the publisher app brought results at a CPA (FTD – First-Time Deposit) well above the KPI. In the first month alone, we were able to acquire users who would make their first deposit at a CPA 58% below the KPI.

Shortly after our ML collected enough data to define which audience segments would convert by making the FTD and those that wouldn’t, we started to gradually scale the campaign.

By month 3, we were able to scale the campaign by 365% while maintaining the CPA well below the KPI.

FTD CVR

From the beginning, while targeting the audience segments based on the context distance and outperforming the CPA, we were able to bring the impressive install-conversion CVR.

By continuing to improve the model to target higher-converting segments, we were able to boost the FTD CVR by almost 20% while scaling the campaign.

Creative testing

To display the highest-performing creatives, we use a MAB (multi-armed bandit) algorithm. By continuously testing the different creatives, the algorithm determines the “creative champions” and increases their share of the overall campaign spend, all while continuing to test the remaining creatives. This approach helps to improve the overall performance of the campaign.

The graph below displays the IS (impression share) per creative on week 1 vs. week 10 for some of the creatives. As seen on the graph, the spend is adjusted based on the creative performance, and the “creative champion” (the creative that brought the highest FTD CVR at the lowest price) receives a higher impression share while the other creatives are still being tested.

“The keys to our successful partnership with Persona.ly are communication, transparency, and professionalism. From the beginning, they supported us with all the technical integration as well as the strategic business plans, and the results were not late to come.”

Shai Sofer, User Acquisition Manager at 888 Holdings

About 888 Holdings

888 Holdings is one of the world’s leading betting and gaming companies. Headquartered in Gibraltar and listed in London, the Group operates from 15 offices worldwide and employs over 12,000 people globally.

The Group owns and operates internationally renowned brands, including 888casino, 888sport, 888poker, William Hill and Mr Green. In addition, the Group operates the SI Sportsbook brand in the US in partnership with Authentic Brands Group.

Nadav Nadler - Customer success manager Persona.ly

“I really appreciate our collaboration with the client. Our communication has been very open and transparent, and they have been very clear about their goals. Combined with the great product, it has been a great partnership, and we look forward to continuing working with them.”

Nadav Nadler, Customer Success Manager at Persona.ly

About Persona.ly

Persona.ly is a mobile-first DSP operating worldwide. Using our proprietary bidder and machine-learning algorithms, we offer transparent, performance-driven, highly targeted UA and retargeting solutions at scale with access to over 2.5 million ad auctions per second. We are trusted by Nexon, Papaya Gaming, Rapido, Games24x7, Ubisoft, Tilting Point, and many others.

Persona.ly strives to be more than just a vendor for its partners, but a partner that helps generate actual value, growth, and broad marketing insights that can be used across channels

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