Facebook Ad Examples Explained: Creative Inspiration for Mobile Game Ads

by Andrea Knezovic, April 10, 2024

#adcreatives

#facebook

Facebook Ad Examples for Mobile Games
Final Thoughts on Facebook Ad Examples

Looking for Facebook ad examples from top mobile games?

You’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I thoroughly analyze Facebook ads for Township, Merge Dragons, Hero Wars, and Marvel Strike.

Get your creative juices flowing by checking out these Facebook ad examples that will inspire you!

Facebook Ad Examples for Mobile Games

Merge Dragons

The second one of our Facebook ad examples comes from Merge Dragons, one of the most successful merge games on the market.

Here’s my analysis of one of its video ads.

Creative Concept

What’s interesting about this ad creative is that it’s showcasing a new game feature – the possibility to design your dream home.

Now, players can merge items to decorate their homes, which is a great opportunity to reach a broader audience.

Furthermore, it’s important to mention that this is a re-engagement ad. Every mobile game has players who lose interest and stop engaging with it.

That can happen for many reasons. Sometimes players simply get bored with a game or find a more exciting one. Whatever the reason may be, it negatively influences user retention and other metrics that depend on it.

Luckily, re-engagement campaigns can help bring those players back by making them interested in a new feature, as we see in this ad.

Game Features and Benefits

As I’ve already mentioned, this ad creative focuses on the new design feature of Merge Dragons.

However, the ad still demonstrates the basic merge mechanics through that new feature. This is a good idea because merge games are relatively new, and many players still may not have come across them.

Target Audience (Player Motivations/Player Archetypes)

Since this Merge Dragon ad creative is all about the new design and décor feature, we can conclude it primarily targets players motivated by self-expression.

Dubbed Expressionists by GameRefinery, these mobile gamers love games with customization and design features. This allows them to be creative and express their identity.

Furthermore, this user group skews female. According to GameRefinery, 65% of Expressionists are women, and 43% are between the ages of 25 and 44.

Intro

In the very first scene, we see the classic Merge Dragon map. But as the camera pans to the right, it reveals a magical-looking treehouse. The caption “New feature” appears, and the pointer hand clicks on it, transporting the viewer inside.

From a technical standpoint, this is a fairly simple scene, but it does the job. It creates interest in the new feature. People want to see what it’s all about, so they keep watching.

Atmosphere & Tone

Merge Dragons is a very colorful and fun game, which translates well into its ad creatives. When you add upbeat and joyful music to such gameplay footage, you get a lighthearted and playful ad atmosphere

Call to Action

The CTA at the end is the standard “Play now”. However, the caption displayed throughout the video (“Design your dream home”) also works as a call to action. It zones in on specific features, which speaks to players’ motivations.

Ad Copy

The ad copy for this Facebook ad makes it evident that this is a re-engagement ad – “Come back to play to new Dragon Home feature!”

However, while this ad copy is good, the issue is that there’s a mistake in the ad copy. I’m guessing the goal was to say, “Come back to play the new Dragon Home feature.”

Hero Wars

Hero Wars is a role-playing mobile game published by Nexters. Players can battle enemies with dozens of heroes in this fantasy adventure game.

Here’s one example of how this game is advertised on Facebook.

Creative Concept

I picked this Hero Wars creative as one of the Facebook ads examples for this article because of its fascinating concept.

Most Hero Wars ads are mini-game ads, and this one is no different. It makes sense to capitalize on this trend. If it works for giants like Playrix, it will most likely work for other publishers as well.

However, this ad features a “Would you rather” game, which makes it more engaging than standard mini-game ads.

During his trial, the hero is presented with different choices. As he makes his journey, he needs to make the right ones.

For example, in one scene, the game character sees a damsel in distress. There are two options – “Help her” or “Rob her”.

These choices also give the feel of an interactive story game, a popular mobile game genre. Naturally, they make the ad seem more interactive.

Game Features and Benefits

In this Facebook ad example, we only see Hero Wars mini-games. According to the games’ app store pages, they are, in fact, a part of the game, even though they’re not core gameplay.

Target Audience (Player Motivations/Player Archetypes)

Mini-game ads like this one tend to attract casual players who are into puzzles. Even though this is primarily an RPG game, it has many casual elements, so targeting this group of players makes sense.

Furthermore, with this type of ad, publishers can also attract players motivated by cognitive challenges and solving puzzles.

Intro

The intro sets the premise with the first set of choices for the hero. This is captivating enough to hook the viewers right from the start.

Naturally, everybody wants to know which choice the hero will make. That makes them stick around.

Atmosphere & Tone

Although this Hero Wars ad creative starts with a fairly light tone, this soon changes. The second scene marks a transition into a more sinister and tense atmosphere, which keeps viewers on their toes.

Call to Action

The CTA is a unique one, which is commendable – “Become a legend”.

Unlike “Play now”, this type of CTA is directly related to gameplay, and the invitation is much more specific. That, of course, makes it more effective.

Ad Copy

To make people not only watch your ad but click the install button, you also need a great copy.

For Hero Wars, it’s this one – “Many failed before. Will YOU complete the trial? 🧙‍♂️”

Here’s what makes it good.

First of all, it speaks directly to the users. Emphasis is put on “you”, which is capitalized.

Moreover, it sets up a challenge for the users. It lets them know that this game is not easy (“Many failed before”) and invites them to rise to the challenge and show their skills.

Marvel Strike Force

Published by Scopely, Marvel Strike Force is an action-packed role-playing game inspired by the Marvel universe and its characters.

Creative Concept

This is an RPG where famous Marvel characters are at the forefront and the game’s main USP. Because of that, the creative concept for this ad is also based on the characters.

The viewers are presented with a squad that consists of celebrated characters like Spider-Man and Invisible Woman. Moreover, the viewers get to see stats for each character, highlighting their unique abilities.

Finally, this ad creative also includes fighting scenes, where the viewers can see the squad in action in a 5v5 battle.

Unlike many other mobile games ads, this one ends with a win instead of a fail.

Game Features and Benefits

The main benefit of this game is playing as Marvel characters. This is reflected in this Facebook ad. And as I’ve mentioned before, this video ad shows the characters’ abilities and how they fare in a fight. Assembling a squad, upgrading characters’ abilities, and 5v5 battles are also among the main features of this game.

Target Audience (Player Motivations/Player Archetypes)

Considering this game is based on the Marvel universe, it primarily appeals to Marvel movies and comics fans. This is a huge user base.

However, if we go by game features and what’s emphasized in this ad (exciting PvP battles), we can conclude Marvel Strike Force attracts two types of player archetypes – King of the Hill and Thrill Seeker.

The former prefer games that are competitive and include PvP battles. Their main goal is to win, and they get a sense of power when competing against friends or random people.

According to GameRefinery, 60% of King of the Hill players are men, and 47% are between the ages of 25 and 44.

Thrill Seekers are all about the adrenaline rush they get from playing exciting mobile games. According to Game Refinery, 59% are men. Moreover, 40% are aged 25 to 40, and 39% are 24 or younger.

Intro

We’re presented with the Marvel squad in the first few seconds of this Facebook ad. Considering millions of people are into Marvel characters, this ad is bound to get attention with the intro alone.

Atmosphere & Tone

Because this is a relatively fast-paced game, the overall atmosphere of this ad is suspenseful and exciting.

This makes sense, considering it targets players who are into adrenaline-fueled games.

Call to Action

The CTA is the standard “Download for free”. If this call to action works, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. However, it’s worth it to test different CTAs.