Players
challenge fate.
Heaven Burns Red
attracts new players.

A dramatic role-playing game released by Wright Flyer Studios × Key, Heaven Burns Red brings together more than 50 unique characters for players to fight alien invaders. The game’s developer, Wright Flyer Studios, increased new customer downloads while optimizing cost-per-install with Apple Search Ads campaigns across the Today tab¹, product pages, the Search tab, and search results.

The Results

39% higher return on ad spend than similar ad platforms.

58% lower cost-per-install for Today tab campaigns than similar ad platforms.

40% improvement in cost-per-install with ad variations than default ad.

20% more new customers acquired by the Today tab campaigns.

The Challenge

Leading up to the first anniversary of Heaven Burns Red, the Wright Flyer Studios team wanted to scale visibility on the App Store and maximize quality acquisition. They needed to drive awareness with new players beyond their core audience of existing fans and role-playing gamers. Aligning the creative of their one-year anniversary campaign across platforms would also be critical to maximizing momentum and delivering strong return on ad spend.

With ads on the Today tab and product page, we were able to reach new audiences during our one-year anniversary campaign, significantly improving key metrics like cost-per-install and return
on ad spend.

Kosuke Kato,

Senior Manager, Marketing at WFS, Inc.

The Solution

Drive discovery with ads on the Today tab and product pages for key campaigns.

In addition to search results campaigns, the Wright Flyer Studios team invested in ads on the Today tab to drive app discovery with more potential gamers. With Today tab ads, they positioned their brand prominently on the front page of the App Store, where hundreds of millions of people go every week to discover and download apps. The team monitored key performance indicators like cost-per-install to adjust bids and stay competitive.

“Our Today tab delivered a strong volume of downloads while driving a cost-per-install that was 58 percent lower than other ad platforms,” says WFS, Inc., Senior Manager of Marketing Kosuke Kato. To further boost reach and connect with new audiences, the team also invested in ads on product pages which appear at the top of the You Might Also Like list to users who have scrolled to the bottom of relevant product pages. Download volume from the Today tab and product page campaigns accounted for 40 percent of total downloads driven by Apple Search Ads.

Improve ad relevancy to boost performance.

With ad variations based on tailored custom product pages set up in App Store Connect, the Wright Flyer Studios team was able to better capture the attention of potential players. They highlighted famous characters (Angel Beats!) in these customized ads to appeal to the widest audience possible. Players who tapped these ads landed on a custom product page with relevant ad creative highlighting these characters, gameplay, and app features — offering audiences a seamless experience.

“In the first year after our game launched, Apple Search Ads helped us drive strong acquisition, especially with players searching for our brand terms,” says Kato. “With custom product pages, we were able to optimize our creative approach and offer more relevant App Store experiences for different customer groups. This resulted in better efficiency, too: The cost-per-install was 40 percent lower compared to the default ad.”

Company Snapshot