Brutally Honest #143

Hey, FAM! What’s up?

🥃 Drink talk

Back home in Slovakia. So many new ideas. Looking forward to start executing. Stay tuned. The new AI section is here! Check it out at the end of the newsletter!

🦩Tip of the week

How do you evaluate creatives before spending a dime testing them? Ever had that gut feeling—”this will flop” or “this will crush it”? We’ve all been there. I used to be the “no feelings, only data” person, but as I started producing more creatives myself, I developed a solid framework to pre-evaluate ideas.

Here’s how:

The Boring Test

When you watch the creative, ask yourself:

Where do you lose interest? Is it the 1st second? The 3rd? Are you watching until the end?

Try this with your team. Watch together and ask for a show of hands—“Who got bored, and when?” You’ll be surprised how quickly you can spot weak points. If it can’t hold your attention, it won’t hold the audience’s either.

The So What Test

If your immediate reaction after watching the creative is “So what?”, there’s a problem. It’s likely not resonating, not connecting emotionally, or failing to deliver a hook.

Ask:

Does it grab attention in the first second?

Is there a clear reason to keep watching?

What emotion or curiosity does it spark?

Focus on:

Emotions: Does it evoke curiosity, excitement, or surprise?

Attention-Grabbing Hooks: The first second is everything.

Captivating Ideas: Don’t just make a video—tell a story people care about.

Great creatives connect and convert because they’re unboring and pass the “So what?” test with flying colors.

How do you evaluate creatives before testing?

​ Cornelius: The Suspicious Investi-gator

True detective-like exploration of creative trends and historical influences. Delving deep into the world of creatives to uncover hidden patterns and inspirations:

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 in Gaming Ads 🐍

When you hear “snake” in gaming, it immediately calls to mind ads from Royal Match, Kingdom Guard, Rush Royale, or even Royal Kingdom. But where did this trend really start? Let’s dive into the snake pit of creative evolution in gaming UA.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀: 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 (𝗗𝗲𝗰 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮)

Royal Match was the first to introduce the snake concept in its UA mix back in December 2022. While the snake creative wasn’t the focus then (we were too busy saving the King from fire, drowning, or freezing), it quietly entered the mix. At this point, Royal Match experimented with many “near-death” scenarios, laying the groundwork for what would come later.

𝗥𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 (𝗙𝗲𝗯 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯)

Rush Royale took the concept to the next level in February 2023, launching the first snake-whirl creative that took Facebook by storm. It was everywhere. By April, Rush Royale explored other concepts, but the snake-whirl remained a memorable and pivotal moment for the trend.

𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗨𝗽 (𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯)

Kingdom Guard (Tap4Fun) entered the snake game in June 2023, directly building on Rush Royale’s winning concept. But they didn’t just copy—they iterated aggressively. Each month, Kingdom Guard released a new variation, pushing the snake creative concept to its limits.

I had an incredible discussion about these iterations with Stan (CEO of Tap4Fun) in China. It was, without a doubt, the most mind-blowing, creative discussion I’ve ever had.

𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲 (𝗔𝘂𝗴 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯)

While Kingdom Guard was dominating snake iterations, Royal Match shifted focus. From March 2023 onward, their UA leaned heavily into Cameo appearances from actors in trending shows like Money Heist and Suits.

But by August 2023, the snake creative quietly returned. And what’s remarkable? One particular snake ad for Royal Match had been running for a year—a testament to its longevity and effectiveness.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲’𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗸 (𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰)

The new year brought an explosion of snake creatives across games. Royal Match leaned heavily into snake-driven “Save the King” scenarios, running the concept millions of times. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮: a relentless snake creates tension, and the player must save the King—a formula that’s both engaging and addictive.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸?

The snake’s near-death dynamic taps into primal instincts, creating instant engagement.

Yours truly, Cornelius.

💀 Dr. Doom is not amused

One of my industry friends amused me with his direct and honest TL;DRs, so we agreed to share it here, too! My friend remains anonymous as Dr.Doom!

“Somebody is having a “doomed” year, so we need to talk about it. Intel stock dropped by 50% this year, and it is losing the micro-processor race against pretty much everyone. It fired its CEO this month, and it is on a $10 Bil. Government life support. Top of all of this, AMD’s CEO (Intel’s arch-enemy) was selected CEO of the year by Time. A way to go Time by rubbing that salt in the wound, wouldn’t have done it better 😎” Sincerely, Doom (https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/just-to-cap-off-intels-annus-horribilis-time-picks-amds-dr-lisa-su-as-its-ceo-of-the-year/)

🎉  “Ha-ha” moment

Because life is too short to be serious.

🎮 two & a half gamers –

+𝟭𝟯-𝟮𝟬% 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻? Unlocking the Secrets of Cross Promotion in Gaming with Gonçalo. 𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽-𝗯𝘆-𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆

We discuss the intricacies of cross-promotion in the gaming industry with Gonçalo from BoomBit. We explore the company’s revenue, user base, and the importance of cross-promotion in 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

The discussion covers strategies for effective cross-promotion, 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱, and the mechanics of user engagement within the company’s portfolio.

We also discuss the scale of ad impressions being shown, the effectiveness of cross-promotion in user acquisition and profitability, and the innovative ad placements being explored. The conversation also highlights the importance of understanding eCPM and revenue metrics, along with a 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

📺 Watch on Youtube

🎧 Listen on Spotify

🦄​ Diary of a Dancing Unicorn

Today was a good day.

Hey, do you know this guy? Let him help him on the UA and Creative side.

Ahh, yeah, we don’t know. We do everything in-house. We don’t really know.

The numbers don’t look good; what can go wrong? Let him help us.

Ok, let’s hear the pitch.

Hey, guys, again. We worked together already in the past. Remember me?

Oh, sure thing, we worked together and worked well. Let’s do it again.

…

…

…

Look! It’s working quite well. The CPIs decreased from $25 to $7 with triple ROAS.

Oh well, the game still doesn’t make it CPI vs LTV. We need to part ways.

Wait what?

Today was a good day.

Cross promo could add up to 13% of profit!

🧞 Level up yourself

I launched a YouTube Channel. I’m putting a ton of energy into creating valuable content that I think you’ll like. Check out the latest stuff, and give me a like and subscribe.

👾  AI EVOLUTION

Welcome to the new AI section where you get the latest from AI in our beautiful UA & Creative world

🥦​ Before you go

Ask Matej AI a question. It’s actually quite good!

We produced one more episode at 2.5gamers. Check it out now:

🍿 Fun starts in two & a half gamers Slack! Join now

We are opening up a Slack channel for everybody. It is the most inclusive slack for the gaming industry. Female, male, non-binary, juniors, mid-level, seniors, vendors, developers = EVERYBODY! We are waiting for you ♥️

Feel free to join here!

🧙 Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter!

Please do me a favor and share this with someone in your network who you think would benefit from the insights and brutal honesty. It would mean a lot to me!

💡 PS: The latest UA & marketing jobs for you prepared by Gamigion:

Manager, LATAM Supercell
Live Operations & Monetization Lead, Brawl StarsSupercell
Monetization Manager, Live Games & New GamesSupercell
Senior Data Engineer, Marketing DataSupercell
Monetization Manager, Supercell StoreSupercell
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Performance of Marketing DirectorPlaytika
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Monetization ManagerPlaytika
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Director of MonetizationSciPlay
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Marketing ManagerCodeway
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Business Performance Trainee 2025King
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Marketing Data AnalystWargaming
Marketing Data AnalystSayGames
User acquisition manager, offerwallsSayGames
Senior ASO ManagerSayGames
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SENIOR USER ACQUISITION (MARKETING)ABI Game Studio
Growth Associate, eCommerceAppLovin
Senior Event Marketing ManagerDigital Turbine
Field Marketing ManagerSensor Tower
Business Development ManagerKeywords Studios
Growth Partnerships ManagerUnity
Senior Growth ManagerUnity
Growth Performance ManagerUnity
Growth Marketing ManagerXsolla
Monetization Product Manager – Taboola NewsTaboola
Solutions Product Marketing Manager, AdvertisersTaboola
Advertising Account Manager, GrowthTaboola
Campaign ManagerOgury
Manager, Business MarketingLiftoff Mobile
Senior Client Growth ManagerNativex
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Product Marketing ManagerRevX
GLOBAL HEAD OF PUBLISHER GROWTHiion
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Growth ManagerMoloco
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Lead User Acquisition ManagerPlayrix
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Find out more here!