When the hyper-casual game giant Voodoo suddenly entered the mid-core RPG track, Cup Heroes with its unique combination of "cup personification + pitching battle" achieved 1.4 million monthly downloads and $1.7 million in revenue in Q2 2025, topping the RPG free charts in the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries.
Gameplay is important, but what really supports its growth is the advertising strategy behind it.
This article will analyze how the game achieves a win-win situation of advertising exposure and user conversion through multiple efforts in creative concepts, advertising channels, and regional targeting.
1. App Profile
1.1 App Identity
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Cup Heroes Join the Adventure of a Lifetime! |
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Developer: VooDoo
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Release Date:
- Google Play Store: 2024-02-07
- Apple App Store: 2023-10-25
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Category & Subcategory: Games / Action / Casual Action
1.2 Performance Metrics
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Estimated Downloads: 1.1M+ (Last 30 Days)
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Estimated Revenue (IAP+IAA): $3.2M+ (Last 30 Days)
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Rating:
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Google Play Store: ⭐3.9/5 | 3121946 Reviews
- Apple App Store: ⭐4.5/5 | 62642 Reviews
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1.3 Competitive Landscape
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Similar-Audience Apps:
Hero Wars: Alliance RPG
Candy Crush Saga
Mob Control
Stuff Sort - Sorting Master
XP Hero
2. Advertising Strategy Breakdown
2.1 Ad Intelligence
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Active Creative Trends:
- Creative Formats:
Video Image Playable Ads 83.67% 10.89% 5.44%
2.2 Regional Targeting Strategy
- Tier 1 Focus:
Russia Japan Indonesia 13.48% 9.12% 7.66% - High-Growth Markets：
America India England 6.55% 6.28% 6.04%
2.3 Traffic Sources
- Top Ad Networks :
Applovin Mintegral Admob 48.99% 28.42% 13.31% - Top Sub Sources
블록 블라스트 (Block Blast) CapCut - Video Editor WEBTOON : Comics 30.79% 4.70% 4.27%
2.4 Creative Anatomy
Let’s break down one of its ads' success through the lens of Demonstration, Hook, and CTA, while offering insights for marketers seeking to apply similar strategies.
| Demonstration&Scene | CTA | |
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| Highlighting Gameplay and Failure | A Clear and Compelling Download Prompt | |
At the beginning of the ad, a large number of enemies attack, creating a sense of oppression and causing anxiety in the audience, prompting users to be eager to try and challenge the difficulties in the game. Situational ad hooks are particularly effective in short video ads, quickly attracting users' attention through missed anxiety and environmental pressure.
Next, the ad shows the player trying to get bullets to defeat the enemy but failing to pass the level. The red "QUEST FAILED" is displayed, and a sense of disaster is presented in the background environment, further exacerbating the anxiety. Through the transmission of negative emotions such as "failure" demonstration, color "warning" and disaster background, the user's determination to challenge is further deepened, while attracting them to experience the game more actively and overcome difficulties.
This type of advertising form that shows real gameplay can effectively enhance the user's sense of participation and desire to conquer, thereby greatly shortening the user's conversion link.
Finally, the ad ends with a clear call to action, showing the game logo and a striking download button on the screen, guiding users to download immediately. This ending is simple and direct, avoiding user loss and maximizing the conversion effect.
3. Conclusion
The success of Cup Heroes's advertisement is inseparable from the organic combination of the three strategies of "real gameplay demonstration, situational pressure attraction and clear call to action". With the efficient reach of short video advertising platforms and combined with regional targeting, the target users are accurately covered.
For advertisers, this ad underscores several best practices:
- The situational opening quickly creates pressure and stimulates user anxiety.
- The real demonstration of gameplay, especially the "failure scene", strengthens user participation.
- The call to action is concise and powerful, combined with the brand logo, significantly improving the conversion rate.