Case Study: AdEx and BitStarz

This case study examines the BitStarz ad campaign, highlighting its strategy and results in targeting the gaming and entertainment industries. The campaign achieved high engagement rates and demonstrated AdEx's effectiveness in providing advertising opportunities for the gambling sector.

Veselina Yaneva

Jul 26, 2024 • 2 min read

AdEx and BitStarz case study highlighting strategy and outcomes of the ad campaign

About BitStarz

BitStarz Casino is an innovative online gaming platform that offers a wide range of casino games and betting options. Established in 2014, it stands out for integrating traditional and cryptocurrency payment methods, making it accessible to a diverse global audience. The casino features an extensive collection of slots, table games, and live dealer experiences from top software providers, creating a comprehensive and engaging gaming environment.

In early July 2024, we launched two campaigns for BitStarz. This case study delves into the strategy, execution, and outcomes, highlighting key insights and successes.

Campaign Overview

The primary challenge we are addressing for BitStarz is the stringent restrictions on gambling advertisements imposed by traditional advertising platforms. These limitations often hinder the reach and effectiveness of such campaigns. Through AdEx, we can navigate these constraints and effectively target the most relevant audience segments by collaborating with SSPs that closely monitor ad campaigns and ensure compliance with laws and regulations.

We launched two separate campaigns for BitStarz Casino. Each was designed to target different types of traffic—one for web, covering both desktop and mobile, and the other for in-app environments. Both campaigns were allocated a budget of $1,200 each. They were strategically aimed at a broad international audience, excluding countries where the casino does not operate (such as France, Spain, Sweden, etc). The targeted categories included Hobbies & Interests, Gambling, and Personal Finance, aligning with the interests of potential players.

Campaign Performance

Web results

The web campaign (incl. desktop and mobile traffic) delivered a total of 570,544 impressions and 951 clicks. This resulted in a click-through rate (CTR) of 0.17% and an average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) of $2.1. The primary regions for this campaign were the USA and Canada, with the 728x90 and 300x250 ad sizes performing the best. Despite achieving a high number of impressions at a low average CPM, the relatively low number of clicks suggests that web advertising may not be the most effective channel for these kinds of ads. However, it is always worthwhile to adjust the set CPM and experiment with different creatives in future web campaigns to further improve performance.

In-app results

In contrast, the in-app campaign showed better performance. It achieved 1,020,644 impressions and 2916 clicks, leading to a CTR of 0.29% and an average CPM of $1.18. The in-app ads were primarily displayed in the USA and Canada, with additional reach in Australia. This campaign's most effective ad sizes were 728x90, 320x50, and 300x50. The higher CTR and lower CPM of the in-app campaign suggest that this channel was more successful in engaging users and was more cost-effective in generating clicks than the web campaign.

Conclusion

AdEx has proven to be an effective platform for casino and betting ads, achieving a combined total of 1,591,188 impressions and 3867 clicks across both web and in-app environments. Considering the limited inventory and regulatory restrictions on such advertisements, these results are commendable.

The analysis of BitStarz Casino’s ad campaigns on AdEx reveals clear performance differences between web and in-app environments. The in-app campaign demonstrated superior engagement and cost-efficiency results, achieving a higher CTR and a lower CPM than the web campaign. This meant that in-app advertising offered a more effective avenue for reaching and converting the target audience in this particular case.

We will continue experimenting with various creatives for web ads to enhance performance for future campaigns, and we aim to achieve even better results for in-app ads by utilizing a higher CPM.