Gamers unleash superpowers.
MARVEL SNAP drives global growth.

With a Today tab ad, the team at Nuverse placed MARVEL SNAP prominently on the front page of the App Store — making it some of the first content that people see when they begin their App Store visit. They created this placement with ad creative based on custom product pages set up in App Store Connect, and highlighted the latest app updates, seasonal gameplay, and popular Marvel characters.

To further boost awareness and influence a broader audience, they also invested in ads on the Search tab, which are featured at the top of the suggested apps list. “The Today tab ad brought us huge exposure at a low cost, attracting a wider range of gamers,” says Nuverse Head of User Growth Zhaokun Qian. “Ads on the Search tab reached an even larger audience, helping us connect with potential players before they narrowed in on a specific search. The combination of multiple ad placements on the App Store drove high-value acquisition within the first month of launch.”

The Nuverse team also created search results campaigns separated by keyword theme to capture strong intent on the App Store. With brand campaigns, they attracted potential players searching for core terms related to the Marvel universe. With Search Match, the team drove keyword expansion automatically, identifying new, relevant search terms and extending reach to even more gamers.

“Search results campaigns are the main way we drive quality acquisition and valuable conversions with Apple Search Ads. The players acquired through these campaigns stay in app longer and make more in-app purchases,” says Qian.

Focused on optimizing for efficiency, the Nuverse team closely monitored search results campaign metrics like impression share, conversion rates, and long-term value. To stay competitive, drive impressions, and maximize control over budget, they increased bidding on high-performing keywords and moved them to exact match while placing lower bids on non-brand and generic keywords in broad match. During key marketing activations and holidays, they also increased overall investment in Apple Search Ads to capture increased demand and boost return on investment.

With custom product pages, the team also tested creative to optimize click-through rate and conversions. “We were able to quickly test the key factors of creatives that work well on other channels as well as the engagement around seasonal updates in the game and new in app events,” says Qian.  “Apple Search Ads helped us understand the core creative elements that audiences prefer, so we can continuously optimize for relevancy, reduce costs, and attract the most engaged players.”