On IP Content & User Acquisition With Anna Gumbatova from ZiMAD
This story originally appeared on the MAF blog.
For this interview, we sat down with Anna Gumbatova, Head of User Acquisition at ZiMAD.
ZiMAD is an American game developer and publisher, best known for their mobile puzzle game, Magic Jigsaw Puzzles. For this game, ZiMAD partnered with many renowned IPs, bringing popular characters and themes to life in their puzzles.
To find out more about this, we asked Anna a few questions about the effects of IP content in mobile games on user acquisition.
Anna, can you tell us about yourself and your role in ZiMAD?
I’ve been part of the gaming industry for the past 13 years. I started this journey as a User Acquisition Manager. In this role, I planned and managed UA campaigns for multiple games and apps, built partnerships with top ad networks & platforms, and most importantly — gained valuable experience in this rapidly growing industry.
For the last four years, I have been working at ZiMAD as the Head of User Acquisition. Some of my focus areas include coordinating and testing UA strategies, setting up and improving team processes, and enhancing our tools and infrastructure.
ZiMAD is one of the first mobile gaming studios to use IP from big names like Disney in its games. For those unfamiliar with the process, can you explain how IP collaborations work?
As you probably know, Intellectual Property (IP) refers to a broad category of intangible assets (e.g. inventions, artworks, designs, characters) owned by a company or individual and legally protected from unauthorized use.
Through IP collaborations, companies secure permissions and arrange financial terms to use these assets for creating a product, service, or campaign. Companies often seek partnerships with IPs that have a strong brand identity and a substantial fan base to leverage their popularity and recognition.
In gaming, established IPs can provide rich backstories, well-developed characters, and a detailed universe, allowing developers to create deeper and more immersive experiences.
Besides enhancing gameplay, IP integration can be of great help in building the community around the game. When games have strong IPs, this often drives users to create content, participate in discussions, and generate organic buzz.
Some famous examples of games that successfully leveraged famous IPs include Pokémon GO by Niantic, Inc., Marvel Contest of Champions by Kabam, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and The Simpsons by EA, different Harry Potter games, etc. Featuring well-known brands and characters has helped these games stand out and catch more attention in the crowded market.
What made you consider incorporating IP content into your games?
I have to say that ZiMAD has been building partnerships with major brands since 2016.
Over the years we worked with brands like National Geographic, Sony, Cartoon Network, UNESCO World Heritage, Nickelodeon, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and LIFE.
Most of the mentioned partnerships were made for our flagship product, Magic Jigsaw Puzzles, with over 150 million users globally. Since 2011, Magic Jigsaw Puzzles has gathered 40,000+ puzzle collections with various themes in one place.
For us, it’s only natural to always look for new and fresh content to include in the game.
By adding branded content, we strive to get our players excited and boost their engagement and loyalty. Plus, it helps us attract a wider audience, increase the game’s visibility, and ultimately — improve overall business performance.
What are some things to consider when choosing an IP to work with? For example, should the IP fanbase and the game’s audience share some demographic traits?
The choice of IP depends on the collaboration goals and what you want to achieve.
But, generally speaking, yes, the audience fit and the brand fit is super important. The chosen IP should align with the company’s values and strategic goals, as well as the demographics and preferences of the game’s userbase. At the end of the day, the collaboration should feel authentic and mutually beneficial.
The stronger the connection between players and the brand — the higher the potential return on investment.
Additionally, it’s important to assess the market potential of the collaboration. This includes the demand for the IP within the target market, the size and engagement of the existing fan base, cultural and social relevance, and the originality it may bring to your game to help stand out in the competitive market.
With this in mind, you can better evaluate the collaboration’s scalability, monetization potential, and financial projections.
It’s also essential to consider the resources available — both financial and technical. On the financial side, it’s important to consider licensing fees, royalties, and costs required to incorporate and maintain the IP. On the technical side, make sure you have the technology and expertise to support the development and integration of the IP.
How has incorporating IP content influenced your games’ user acquisition strategies and have you noticed any differences in UA metrics?
The first thing I want to point out here is that all aspects of the marketing strategy, including UA, need to be discussed with and approved by the partner. This includes communication channels and messages, UA partners and traffic sources, targeting, creatives, and how the IP is mentioned and presented.
Of course, these approvals can take time and can impact the marketing team’s workflow.
As for the UA strategy itself, our basic approach doesn’t change much when collaborating with major brands. We always tailor our marketing efforts to match the interests and preferences of our target audience and try to personalize their user experiences. This defines the ways we communicate with our potential players and the channels we use to reach them.
The results we saw from these collaborations were quite impressive — some channels showed a 40% increase in CTR and a 20% increase in СR. This allowed us to drive more impressions with fewer investments.
On the ASO side of things, we also noticed a significant performance increase — the conversion to install rate of our landing page went up by more than 2x. Depending on the platform, we were able to get a 20% to 30% organic lift (we support the Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store, and Microsoft App Store).
Finally, I have to mention that marketers using an IP should be aware that these new audiences may engage with the game differently, affecting engagement rates and LTVs. For this reason, the strategies and KPIs that the UA team is working with might need some adjustments.
How exactly do you approach promoting a game with IP integrations? Do you prioritize spreading the word about it across your ad creatives, app store assets, or social media?
We use all of the mentioned channels, including in-game promotion of the IP integration.
We have quite a large and loyal audience on our social media channels, so we always try to engage them effectively. So, when announcing new releases, we often prepare interactive formats to engage our current player base and attract new players.
Generally, we put great value on consistency in messaging and communication across our marketing channels.
How does the use of well-known IP content affect user retention and engagement?
This largely depends on how well the IP’s audience aligns with the game’s core audience. If there is a good match, then engagement metrics should remain consistent or may even improve thanks to including more exciting and unique content.
Then again, if the IP attracts a completely different audience, this might negatively affect engagement and retention.
In your experience, is it more effective for a game to incorporate a timeless IP (e.g. Disney or Marvel) or something currently trending (e.g. popular new TV show)?
I think it all comes down to the same factors we discussed earlier — audience match, market potential, scalability, and monetization potential.
One important thing to keep in mind is that modern players get jaded easily. They tend to get bored quickly and require constant stimulation and innovation to remain engaged. So, make sure to also evaluate the collaboration’s potential to keep players engaged in the long run.
How do you see the role of IP content evolving in the mobile gaming industry over the next few years?
I believe that IP content in the mobile industry is set to become even more important.
Many gaming companies are including IP content as a key part of their strategy and innovation. With this approach, they get to leverage cross-media strategies, boost player engagement, and explore new technologies and monetization models.
