Discover how one UA leader turns gameplay data, UGC, and smart timing into measurable mobile growth
Disclaimer: The opinions represented here are those of the individual and do not necessarily represent those of their current or former employer.
In the fast-evolving world of mobile apps and games, there’s no single magic formula for marketing success. But learning from industry experts can give senior marketers a roadmap to refine their workflows. We recently spoke with Pauline Berger, Lead User Acquisition Manager at Million Victories, the studio behind Million Lords, to uncover how she drives growth and retention in today’s competitive landscape. Pauline’s decade-plus experience in mobile gaming has taught her to balance creative strategy, player engagement, data challenges, and more.
Watch the full interview below, or read on for a selection of key takeaways.
Key Takeaways
Every app or game is different, and a strategy that works for one product might flop for another. Pauline emphasizes that senior marketers should resist copy-paste formulas and instead adapt their UA approach to their product’s unique gameplay and audience. This means identifying the right KPIs and signals for your app (beyond the generic install or purchase metrics) and focusing on what truly indicates success for your users. The key is to build your acquisition and targeting plan around the behaviors that matter most in your specific app.
“There is no single formula that works for every game. It can be completely different for each one. You have to adapt your audience building to the gameplay and the game design. For a game like Million Lords, we look at purchase events but also engagement signals. It’s very specific to our game: which league the player is in, how many battles they’ve fought, how many cities they own. When I worked on Otome (story-based) games, it was a completely different logic. We focused on where the player was in the story and how fast they were reading through chapters.”
For example, global mobile publisher Voodoo had to recalibrate its marketing approach when evolving from hyper-casual titles to the new hybrid-casual genre. Voodoo recognized that keeping players invested in games like Mob Control meant adapting their UA and re-engagement tactics to fit a more enduring gameplay loop. They challenged their assumptions and tested new strategies to find what clicks for these longer-lifecycle players. As a result, Voodoo now leads this space with resilient franchises, proving that tailoring strategy to your product’s unique audience can unlock sustainable growth.
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In Pauline’s experience, a single great creative can be a game-changer for marketing performance. Encourage your teams to experiment with different concepts, formats, and messaging to identify what strikes a chord with your target audience. So, test widely! Double down on high-performers, and don’t shy away from new trends like UGC or interactive playables. A robust creative pipeline not only improves user acquisition, it can also boost re-engagement in retargeting campaigns by reminding users why they loved your app in the first place.
An authentic UGC approach can bring a relatable voice to the ads and enhance their appeal, resulting in a strong uplift in re-engagement and conversions. In fact, Adikteev is one of the few partners using UGC at scale in retargeting, and the payoff is clear: more genuine connection with the audience and better campaign performance.
Interested in applying these strategies? Check out Adikteev’s platform to see how our data-driven solutions can streamline creative testing, user segmentation, and retargeting for your app marketing campaigns.
Pauline stresses that marketing teams should work hand-in-hand with product teams to keep players interested beyond the install. For senior marketers, an actionable step is to build retention drivers into your workflow: plan regular content updates, in-game events, or loyalty programs and coordinate marketing efforts around them. By treating retention as a core part of the marketing workflow (not solely a product responsibility), you’ll plug the “leaky bucket” and greatly improve LTV and ROI on your acquisition spend.
“Beyond UA, player engagement and retention are critical for a game like ours. The player lifecycle is very long at Million Lords… making re-engagement essential to our app’s longevity… We’ve implemented a system of seasons in our game, resetting every two weeks to keep competitive players interested and committed. We even focus some retargeting on users who get a four-day protection from attacks, giving them a clear incentive to return once that period ends.”
Million Lords provides new goals and competition on a regular basis and coordinates launches with marketing support, ensuring that even veteran players always have something new to strive for. The marketing team can then capitalize on these resets by re-engaging lapsed players when a new season starts or highlighting the latest features in their messaging. The payoff is evident in Million Lords’ engagement stats, with average play times of over 1.5 hours per day (and nearly 5 hours for top-tier players), a well-orchestrated retention strategy translates into exceptional user loyalty.
When it comes to re-engaging lapsed users, timing and relevance are everything. A common mistake is blasting dormant users with generic “come back!” ads or emails without considering when and why they left. Pauline suggests a more strategic approach: retarget users when you have something new or valuable to offer them. As a marketing leader, ensure your workflow includes setting up such trigger-based campaigns. Analyze your user journey for the points where a nudge can make the biggest impact – it could be X days after last use, or when a limited-time event is live, or after a user’s saved items go on sale – and align your re-engagement messaging to those moments.
Product Madness has spent a lot of time tailoring its re-engagement window, reaching out to lapsed players much sooner than the traditional approach. The goal was to invite inactive users back to experience new game content and events while those updates were fresh. Product Madness adopted the 3-day window as their new default after seeing that relevant, timely outreach enriches the player experience and increases participation..
The mobile marketing landscape is constantly changing, from privacy regulations to shifting user expectations. Top marketers must be agile and innovative with their data strategies, while also holding onto core principles like honesty with users. Pauline’s advice is twofold. First, in an era of limited data, don’t be afraid to adopt new tools and models. Second, Pauline underscores the importance of authenticity in marketing. In the rush to lower CPIs or hit short-term targets, some marketers resort to misleading ads or gimmicks that might snag installs but ultimately attract the wrong users. Craft marketing messages that truthfully represent your product and appeal to the audience that will love it, even if that means a higher upfront CPI.
“Strategy games come with a high cost per install. While some competitors use ads that don’t reflect actual gameplay just to lower CPI and acquire more users, we choose a different path. We prefer honest, transparent advertising that attracts players who are genuinely interested in our game. It might mean a higher CPI, but it ensures the players we get will actually enjoy and stick with the experience. We believe this approach yields better retention and lifetime value, making our marketing spend more efficient in the long run. It’s really about quality over quantity for us.”
Other leading marketers also recognize the value of truth in advertising. Sharath Kowligi, a marketing lead at DieNo Games, recently noted that ads aligned closely with actual gameplay are far more likely to attract and retain genuine users, whereas misaligned or “fake” ads lead to disengagement and churn. This integrity not only “ensures long-term commitment” from the right users, it also reinforces your brand’s credibility. So, stay adaptable with your tech and data, but also stay true to your product and audience. By doing both, you build a marketing machine that’s resilient to change and anchored in authentic user value.
In a space as dynamic as mobile marketing, staying effective means staying adaptable. From smarter user acquisition to creatively timed re-engagement and honest storytelling, Pauline Berger’s insights offer a powerful reminder: long-term success is about building workflows that align with real user behavior and authentic value. Whether you're refining your UA funnel or embracing new data models, the most impactful growth comes from marketers who stay curious, collaborate cross-functionally, and never stop testing. To keep up with Pauline, follow her on LinkedIn.
Ready to learn more? Discover how Adikteev can partner with you to elevate your app’s marketing, from user acquisition to re-engagement, with innovative technology and a commitment to your long-term success.