Seasonal UA campaigns: best practices & creative testing

Creatives: the same old performers or seasonal visuals?

The first question to ask is: how do seasonal campaigns differ from regular ones? At first glance, it seems like the same process: you brainstorm an ad, check out competitors, create adsets, make a campaign, and that’s it. But it’s a bit more complex.

In terms of production, seasonal creatives aren’t much different. It’s the same process: idea generation, adapting successful formats, and regular testing. However, there’s one detail — holidays offer more freedom for experimenting with characters and atmosphere. Christmas and New Year, for example, allow you to play on viewers’ emotions, creating a warmer and more positive atmosphere.

Top performers always work, even during holidays

It often happens that top-performing creatives outperform specially prepared holiday ads during regular times.

The popularity of top performers can be attributed to the fact that they are already “warmed up” by ad networks and tested over time. Sure, you can create new Halloween-themed creatives every year, but what if an old Christmas ad still works? Marketing leaders sometimes say, “It’s like throwing away a Christmas tree — seems like it’s time, but it’s hard to do when it still looks great.”

Tip: Don’t be afraid to reuse successful creatives from the previous year. Include them in your new campaign with minor updates — it can save time and money.

When is it time to refresh creatives?

Any UA manager will tell you their daily job is micro-monitoring metrics and rotating creatives. This is the backbone of any campaign. Every day, you need to check what works, what doesn’t, where to boost performance, and when to switch off a creative that has stopped delivering results. This isn’t limited to seasonal campaigns — it’s a constant routine.

Creatives can start to “die” just a couple of weeks after launch, but that doesn’t mean they’re immediately useless. Some top-performing ads can run successfully for years. There are even examples of creatives delivering results for five years straight without losing their effectiveness. But, unfortunately, there are opposite cases where an ad quickly loses its magic and stops performing, even after two or three iterations.

Tip: Test creatives in small batches (3-6 creatives) to avoid overwhelming ad networks and to get more accurate results. Be ready to quickly replace creatives that start losing their effectiveness.

Planning seasonal campaigns is an art of balance. If you have a top-performing creative that consistently works, it’s tempting to keep it running and not invest in something new. But over time, all creatives can “burn out.” Ad network algorithms change, and no one can predict when a creative will stop performing. That’s why it’s crucial to continuously refresh creatives and test new ideas.

Our team’s experience shows that a good creative “takes off” immediately and across all key networks. If an ad performs well on one platform, there’s a high chance it will deliver results on others. This is the sign of a true top performer.

Tip: If you notice a top creative’s performance declining, try re-uploading it with minor changes — such as adjusting the opening frames. This can retrain algorithms and restore its effectiveness.

How much to spend on testing?

One of the main questions is how much money to allocate for creative testing. Every new idea requires investment, and the results don’t always meet expectations. On average, companies set aside specific budgets for tests, knowing that for every top performer, there are several failures. But that’s normal. Without testing, a company will stagnate, and eventually, all creatives will stop delivering results.

Tip: Aim for 75-100 installs per creative to gather statistically significant data. This will help you determine which creative to scale and which to turn off.

When to integrate Sensemitter for ad creatives analysis

By analyzing players' emotions with Sensemitter’s eye tracking and facial coding technologies, we provide valuable insights that can help you increas conversion rate into instal and click-trough rates. But in order not to brake an established workflows within user acquisition departments, with all our clients we usually discuss when it’s teh most effective to integrate us. 

1. During the creative brainstorming phase: to support ideation with data. We provide additional data and analysis to back up your creative brainstorming, enabling your team to make more informed decisions and generate ideas based on evidence.

2. Before adding new creatives to existing campaigns: we streamline ad testing by evaluating creative concepts in batches, reducing guesswork, and enabling data-driven iterations instead of relying solely on trial and error. This way, you’ll identify the most effective version before A/B testing with traffic.

3. When you need to optimize underperforming creatives or campaigns: If a creative is nearly hitting the mark, we help pinpoint areas for improvement, turning a “good” creative into a top performer without starting from scratch. 4. Anytime you need the knowledge to build a best-practices playbook: Over time, we help build a library of best practices and insights tailored to your games and audience, allowing your team to learn from previous experiences and apply those insights to future projects.

Seasonal campaigns are a great opportunity for experimentation. Although top-performing creatives might outperform new themed ones, don’t hesitate to try new things. It’s important to remember that the market and audience are constantly changing, and what worked yesterday might not deliver the same results tomorrow.

How we convert emotions into metrics

For this reason, we conduct non-ordinary playtests and ad creative tests. The problem of any questionnaire is, participants’ observations are filtered through their subjectivity, and we can’t access their experience directly. Were they angry at the train hitting the character, or were they aroused by it? Were they sad reading the dialogue, or were they aggravated? It’s hard to answer these questions yourself, and we don’t expect study participants to have this level of self-awareness.

The subjectivity of answers сomplicates turning them into actionable data. Moreover, it’s harder to connect them to metrics. That’s why we aim to scientifically break down players' experiences using AI neurobiological tools and behavioral research methodology. This way, we leave no room for guessing and connect all dots between emotional perception and metrics.

In this article, we’ll explain how we utilize the power of AI and who will benefit from our services.

How we Track Emotional Responses

We utilize quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative research includes a huge number of participants. It’s required if you’ve already got hypotheses to check on a statistically significant audience. This method is used mostly in ad creatives analyses. 

Qualitative research, on the other hand, doesn’t provide big numbers, but it digs deeper into players' perceptions. Our researchers ask participants a wide range of questions, gathering not only their emotional responses on core mechanics and meta, but also feedback on interface usability. It’s needed to form hypotheses and is mostly used in playtests. 

Now let’s move to the research itself. Everything starts as usual: we record user interaction with the object of study and then ask a series of questions. 

Then, the magic happens. Apart from playtests, we armed ourselves with two powerful neurobiological AI research tools: 

Each tool follows its purpose. Eye-tracking lets us create heatmaps that follow where users are looking, defining their points of attention. Heatmaps are used in ad creatives & ASO analysis, where it’s important to ensure that players pay attention to certain details and are not disturbed by flickering popups.

How

Facial coding is the most powerful tool in our arsenal. It tracks emotional responses, showing us where players' attention weakens or sharpens, which enriches our analyses with valuable insights.

Are players intrigued by the new mechanic or simply unable to understand the flow? Are prizes in Battle Pass appealing enough to join the run? Are players engaged enough to buy a bundle on this stage of the game? Answers to these questions can be found in this research. Let’s dig a little deeper.

What Exactly do we Track, and How to Convert it to Relevant Metrics

In a nutshell, facial coding works like this: we observe how players perceive the object of study during an interaction, collect the participants' data, and build an arousal curve. Arousal is the level of emotional engagement of the audience during interaction with content. 

Let’s split the process stage by stage.

First, we measure a regular player’s facial expression to find its neutral state. Then we analyze their reaction throughout their interaction with the object of study with face-scanning AI.

We recognize seven emotions: neutral, happy, surprise, anger, sad, fear, and disgust. Just like in "Inside Out." 

What

These emotions we distill into the most important engagement indicators. Polarity of emotions isn’t of concern to us. Whether we managed to scare the player or please them, we hooked them on something; we kept their attention. As long as it’s engaging, every emotional response is good (if it wasn’t caused by a critical bug in interface making a player lose their progress).

Take Fall Guys' success, for instance. There are many frustrating moments out of players' control. Nevertheless, it hooks you on emotional contrast, drawing you into their core loop.

Base on highest peaks of those indicators we build an arousal curve. It helps to measure general level and distribution of engagement at different stages of interaction. When it drops lower than needed or rise extremely high, we examine the in-game reasons behind it and provide recommendations based on our observations.

Emotion tracking opens us up to many possibilities. Not only can we tell exactly how engaged they were during each second of interaction, but we can also tell whether they were frustrated, surprised, angry, or intrigued. For example, we examined LiveOps, in which a character was ultimately hit by a train. It seems like it should have aggravated players. But our data showed us that they were actually aroused by it, leaving no room for guessing.

How you can Benefit from Sensemitter

Our study provides us with clear, unambiguous data on players’ perceptions, which we wouldn’t be able to retrieve through participants’ answers. We can tell why conversion from tutorial fails, which game mechanic is more appealing, and which hooks in a first-play session engage players to stay. We can compare your mechanic with similar from your competitors and tell where exactly to look to improve its performance. And it’s only a tiny part of insights you might get.

Here we listed just several ways to utilize our service:

Eye tracking reports allow app publishers to find hotspots that lead to better engagement. With the help of heatmaps, developers can simplify navigation, choose the most appealing placement for products in the in-app shop, etc. Moreover, eye tracking paired with emotional feedback can tell publishers if their monetization strategy is clear and appealing.

If you're thinking about how our tests can be applied to your products, let us know. We can demonstrate how our technology works, discuss which types of tests will bring you the best results, and devise a test plan to concentrate on the most important metrics.

Subconscious selling: mastering in-app purchases through neuro-marketing

However, our exploration extends beyond just this principle. This article is tailored to dissect how the understanding of subconscious decision-making, rooted in neuromarketing principles, can transform app interfaces into compelling platforms that subtly guide user behavior and purchasing decisions. Moving forward, we will elucidate the 'How?' - breaking down the cognitive and psychological concepts of neuromarketing techniques. We'll then bridge these insights with practical tactics and features that can be integrated into your app to effectively amplify in-app purchases, ensuring that every element of your app resonates with the subconscious inclinations of your users.

Understanding and applying neuromarketing principles

Delving into the realm of subconscious selling requires a deep understanding of user desires. It's about recognizing not just the explicit needs but also the subtle, subconscious preferences that drive user behavior within an app: 

The magic 4 of human desires

Streamlining user interactions is paramount, as evidenced by the popularity of features that reduce effort and complexity. The convenience of one-click purchases and stored payment details exemplifies this trend, not just improving user experience but also guiding users towards making purchases more readily. (1)

This ease of use naturally dovetails into the human longing for recognition and status. Apps that integrate leaderboards or offer exclusive rewards tap into this need, not just providing a platform for achievement but also fostering a community where status can be showcased and celebrated.

Shifting the focus to the power of entertainment, it's clear that engaging and enjoyable content is pivotal. The staggering spending of over $70,000 by a gamer in "Fate/Grand Order" is a testament to the captivating nature of immersive app experiences. Such dedication underscores the importance of creating content that not only entertains but also holds the power to significantly influence user spending habits. (2)

Moreover, the drive to overcome challenges and solve problems is a fundamental aspect of user engagement. Apps like Candy Crush excel in this area by offering practical solutions within the game, such as boosters or extra moves, addressing user frustrations and enhancing the overall experience. This approach not only provides immediate relief from in-game obstacles but also enriches the user's journey, encouraging continued interaction and investment. (3)

In essence, understanding and catering to these core desires — convenience, recognition, entertainment, and problem-solving — can lead to more profound engagement and, ultimately, a more successful app.

Cognitive biases: beyond the obvious (4)

Cognitive biases subtly shape how users interact with and perceive content within apps, guiding their decisions in ways that may not always be immediately apparent. These biases, extensively studied by Daniel Kahneman, represent the quirks of human judgment and decision-making, often leading us away from rational, calculated choices. By delving into the specifics of these cognitive quirks, developers can tailor their apps to align more closely with natural user inclinations, optimizing the user journey from initial engagement to potential purchase

The art of framing

Framing is a potent tool that can significantly enhance the perceived value of a product or service. It effectively influences user perspectives, shaping their appreciation and understanding of the product's worth. When developers present pricing information or the benefits of in-app purchases, the way this information is framed can significantly impact the user's decision-making process. For instance, emphasizing the savings or exclusive benefits a user gains from a purchase, rather than just the cost, frames the purchase as a positive value proposition.

Moreover, framing can be used to highlight the uniqueness or time-sensitive nature of an offer, creating a sense of urgency or exclusivity. For example, presenting something as a "Limited Time Offer" or an "Exclusive Deal" frames the purchase as a special opportunity, encouraging users to act swiftly. Similarly, framing an in-app purchase as part of reaching a goal or completing a collection within the app can give the purchase a sense of purpose, aligning with the user's in-app achievements and progress.

The anchor's hold

Anchoring powerfully shapes user perceptions and decision-making by setting a reference point where subsequent judgments are compared. In the context of app design, this cognitive bias can be strategically used to guide user behavior and choices. For example, presenting a higher original price next to a discounted price for a feature or item within an app creates a reference point, making the discounted price seem more appealing. The initial number serves as the anchor, and users tend to base their valuation of the deal relative to this anchor. This technique can influence users' willingness to spend, encouraging transactions by making offers appear more valuable to the anchor point. Whether it's pricing, feature selection, or any other choice point, anchoring helps to shape the value landscape in users' minds, subtly guiding them towards desired actions.

Confirmation bias and its impact on app interaction

Confirmation bias refers to our tendency to favor information that confirms our existing beliefs, often overlooking evidence that contradicts them. In the context of app usage, this means users are likely to notice and remember features, content, or feedback that align with their preconceived notions about the app. For instance, if users believe an app is user-friendly, they might focus on and highlight features that support this view, while overlooking aspects that suggest otherwise.

Understanding this bias is crucial for app developers and designers, as it influences how users perceive and interact with the app. By anticipating and aligning with users' expectations, developers can craft app features and content that reinforce positive user perceptions. Moreover, addressing potential negative biases by presenting clear, positive information can help gradually shift user opinions. For instance, if an app's initial user feedback suggests difficulty in navigation, developers might counteract this confirmation bias by prominently featuring a simple, welcoming tutorial during the first app launch. This direct, positive reinforcement can help reshape users' early perceptions, transitioning their view towards seeing the app as user-friendly and intuitive.

From theory to practice: strategies for increasing in-app purchases

Moving forward, let's bridge theory with practice, offering developers and UX designers concrete strategies and features. These actionable insights are grounded in a deep understanding of user psychology, aiming to create intuitive and engaging apps:

Targeted marketing (5)

After decoding the core human desires, developers can harness targeted marketing to craft user experiences that deeply resonate. This process involves analyzing user data and behavior to tailor app content, features, and promotions, ensuring a personalized approach that aligns with individual user needs, preferences, and the psychological underpinnings revealed through neuromarketing insights.

For instance, if data indicates that a user enjoys challenging puzzles, the app could emphasize the introduction of new, complex levels or features tailored to puzzle enthusiasts. Similarly, for users motivated by status, the app could showcase exclusive badges or leaderboard rankings. Targeted marketing in this context is about creating a personalized journey, where each user feels the app understands and caters to their unique preferences and motivations, ultimately enhancing engagement and encouraging in-app purchases.

Special offers and discounts

Limited-time offers, discounts, and bundle deals effectively tap into the cognitive bias of scarcity and also play on the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). Scarcity bias makes users value these offers more because they perceive them as rare and exclusive (framing). The ticking clock of a flash sale or the unique appeal of holiday discounts introduces urgency, compelling users to act swiftly to secure their gains before the opportunity vanishes.

FOMO, or the fear of missing out, further amplifies this effect. It's the anxiety users feel when they worry about missing out on rewarding experiences that others are enjoying. When an app presents a deal as a "limited-time offer," it not only signals scarcity but also suggests that others are taking advantage of this offer, intensifying the user's fear of being left out. This combination of scarcity bias and FOMO can be a potent strategy for UX designers and developers, nudging users toward making quicker and more frequent purchases to avoid the regret of missing out on a valuable opportunity.

Freemium model (3)

Leveraging the commitment and consistency bias, the freemium model, particularly successful in game apps, encourages users to gradually invest more in the experience. By offering the game for free and charging for advanced features or bonuses, it encourages users to gradually invest more in the experience. A notable example, mentioned for a second time in this article, is Candy Crush. Starting as a free download, it hooks players with its engaging gameplay. As players progress, they encounter challenges that can be eased by in-app purchases, prompting them to buy for a smoother or more enhanced gaming experience. This model has proven highly effective, turning Candy Crush into one of the most financially successful mobile games.

In-app rewards (6)

Developers create a sense of ownership and value towards the app's content by rewarding users for their engagement and time spent within the app, capitalizing on the endowment effect, where users value items more highly if they own them or have worked to earn them. A prime example is the language learning app Duolingo. It effectively uses in-app rewards like experience points, streaks, and virtual currency to encourage daily usage and lesson completion. These rewards create a sense of progress and investment in the learning journey, significantly enhancing user engagement and retention. The success of Duolingo's reward system is evident in its high user engagement rates and positive reviews, making it a leading app in the education category. 

Social proof and reviews (7)

Social proof leverages the bandwagon effect, where users are influenced by the actions and approvals of others. Positive reviews and high ratings can reinforce users' belief that the app is good and worth engaging with (confirmation bias), while seeing friends or influencers endorse the app, can further validate their choice to use or purchase within the app.

Instagram is a stellar example of an app that harnessed the power of social proof to drive its growth. By highlighting user engagement, popular posts, and follower counts, it taps into the desire to be part of a larger community and experience what others enjoy. The social proof inherent in seeing friends and influencers actively using the app encourages new users to join and engage. The success of Instagram's approach is well-documented, as it has become one of the most influential social media platforms. 

Multiple payment options (8)

Offering multiple payment options and reducing friction in the buying process aligns with the principle of reducing the cognitive load (desire for convenience), purchasing as straightforward and hassle-free as possible. By providing various payment methods and simplifying the checkout process, apps can significantly lower the barrier to making a purchase, catering to the user's desire for convenience and immediacy.

Amazon's mobile app is a prime example of this strategy in action. With features like 1-Click ordering and a wide array of payment options, Amazon removes the friction from the buying process, making it seamless for users to move from decision to purchase. This user-friendly approach is a significant factor in Amazon's success in e-commerce, as it directly addresses the common pain points in online shopping. 

Having delved into the principles of subconscious selling, their integration into your app can be transformative. To truly harness their potential, A/B testing is essential, providing a data-driven approach to understand and cater to user desires. However, to fully grasp the depth of these desires, a profound insight into users' emotions is crucial. This is where Sensemitter's platform becomes invaluable, offering an advanced emotional analysis that can significantly elevate your A/B testing results. By tapping into this rich source of user emotion and behavior, you can fine-tune your app not just to meet user expectations but to deeply resonate with them, creating a more satisfying user experience.

Google Play’s neuro-marketing play: elevating app metrics

Unlike questionnaires that usually represent general positive and negative attitudes, neuroscience focuses on a variety of real-time emotions. Below, let’s explore how neuromarketing allows Google Play to learn more about their consumers’ behaviors and decision-making patterns.

Neuroscience as a Marketing Tool

The human brain has a complex interplay of neural and cognitive processes. Even when we can’t explain the logic of making a specific decision, there is always a reason behind it. Neuromarketing helps to understand such reasons and use this information to enhance user experience. That, consequently, often improves app metrics. 

Indeed, neuromarketing is not about manipulation. The data collected during such research aims to make apps more convenient. It also makes it possible to offer purchases in a timely and appropriate manner.

Neuroscience lifts the veil of cognitive and emotional biases. When filling out standard questionnaires, respondents may forget minor yet essential details or unconsciously make their answers more rational. At the same time, neurotesting allows researchers to gather real-time data on emotions and reactions. An EEG (electroencephalogram) cap or just a web camera helps to identify emotions and micro mimics that would otherwise remain imperceptible for the focus group. Finally, the results are translated into measurable data and reports.

What’s Involved in Neuromarketing Research

Modern neuromarketing technology requires only a web camera and special software to analyze the participants’ behaviors. It can track and monitor facial expressions, gaze direction, and changes in physical characteristics like heart rate, among other attributes. As follows, researchers gain insight into users’ emotional state, stress levels, and engagement. Eye tracking also provides information about both the most noticeable and elusive elements of design.

The results of such tests contain perception evaluation data and attention heatmap with second-by-second scores. Emotion detection shows the milestones of increased and decreased engagement. This can also emphasize the moments when one is ready and excited about making a purchase and when such offers feel annoying.

How Neuromarketing Helps to Evaluate and Improve Apps

Google Play has 2.5 billion monthly users and millions of apps and games. There is a fee for developers who offer paid services or in-app purchases, so Google Play invests in different tools that help apps improve and succeed, creating win-win outcomes. Some of these tools track emotional feedback, shedding light on how users actually feel while using an app or playing a game. 

These tools connect changes in mood and perception to particular moments of the game, so it becomes possible to observe the influence on emotions and decision-making. Afterward, analytics can suggest personalized ways for improvement based on that data.

Here are a few situations when neuromarketing research can be beneficial:

Modifications in a number of small design elements and processes transform into an overall better experience. This, in turn, may positively affect user satisfaction with the product and, in the long run, revenue.

How It Works

A neuromarketing test involves several steps. While they may differ from client to client, the basic ones are the following:

  1. Identifying the goals and current parameters. Researchers gather current metrics as well as strong and weak points. They define what the client aims to find out through this test.
  2. Creating a focus group. Based on the client’s requirements and the specifics of an app, a focus group can vary in size and include people of similar or different demographics. It’s possible to choose participants based on their location, age, gender, and other characteristics.
  3. Conducting a test. A web camera monitors the interaction between a user and an app. It tracks emotions, concentration level, tension, and attraction, and this data is used for creating attention heatmaps.
  4. Analyzing results. The results of neuromarketing tests have a second-by-second nature, showing how users respond to any change on the screen. While respondents make decisions subconsciously, charts allow analysts to find the correlation between actions on the screen and points of motivation and frustration.
  5. Preparing recommendations. Results are presented in a detailed and visual form that allows researchers to suggest changes that can improve user experience, retention, and app promotion. 

How Emotional Feedback Tools Identify the App’s Weak Points

The key parameters of the app’s success include retention rate, session duration, and the number of in-app interactions and purchases. The emotional state may affect each of these characteristics, and neurotesting explores what potentially creates tension and what can help relieve it. 

Speaking in more detail, neuromarketing focuses on the following emotions:

In addition to estimating involvement through emotional feedback, neurotesting monitors intentional and unintentional gaze. With modern programs, accuracy can be less than 50 pixels, which allows testers to create detailed heatmaps.

Three Key Unconscious Biases Affecting App Use

Loss Aversion

Due to loss aversion, people tend to focus more on what they can get rather than what they may lose. In the app use, it can occur as:

Anchoring Effect

According to this bias, any initial information seems more reliable. For example, after seeing the most expensive pricing plan as a default one, users have a higher tendency to consider a cheaper option. This bias also makes it important to monitor UX and bugs. If users face glitches at the very beginning, they may perceive all the features as inconvenient.

Reciprocity Bias

After receiving something valuable from the app, be it a free trial or a bonus, users may want to reciprocate. They may spend more time using the app, leave a review, or become more loyal to the offerings of paid features.

These are only the three examples of biases, but many other cognitive processes affect users' decisions. With the help of neurotesting, it’s possible to measure the influence of different features and make the whole process more convenient and advantageous for both users and developers.

Examples of Solutions Found via Neurotesting

Neurotesting evaluates different parameters and scenarios, so a large amount of data allows analysts to notice more connections and causal links. Final recommendations may be related to the overall design, particular UI elements, difficulty level, sales mechanics, and more. For example:

Aside from mechanics, design and UX solutions can affect the success of an app. Neurotesting allows publishers to assess such parameters too. Based on research and reports, developers may receive recommendations like:

How Eye Tracking Heatmaps Can Help?

Eye tracking reports allow app publishers to find hotspots that lead to better engagement. With the help of heatmaps, developers can simplify navigation, choose the most appealing placement for products in the in-app shop, etc. Moreover, eye tracking paired with emotional feedback can tell publishers if their monetization strategy is clear and appealing.

Ethical Aspects of Neuromarketing Tests

The key principle of neuromarketing tests is informed consent. To ensure transparency and awareness, Google Play refers to its official neurotesting partners, such as Sensemitter. The company gathers focus groups and safeguards the respondents’ rights. Before participating in a study, candidates receive full information about the used techniques, the purpose of the research, and the privacy policy.

Summing Up

Neuromarketing is a modern way to dive deep into people’s decision-making mechanisms. It makes it possible to understand how specific actions and visuals affect emotional state. As a result, such data allows for natural improvement of apps and services.

Developers may use the information about the most engaging mechanics to increase session duration. An enhanced balance of challenge and relaxation may increase the retention rate. With neurotests, you can see what users actually feel during the game and understand which elements contribute to conversion and which ones decrease it. 

Ready to start your journey toward data-driven improvements? Contact Sensemitter to learn more and plan a neurotesting session for your app.