Creative
Advertising
From App Installs to Behavioral Intelligence – A Two-Phase Mobile Growth Campaign
A full-funnel campaign across Meta and Google DV360 that moved Halyk Bank’s mobile app beyond raw installs, combining celebrity-driven awareness creatives with deep behavioral analysis to improve onboarding, reduce friction, and increase long-term retention.
THE CHALLENGE
Halyk Bank’s mobile app had low install numbers, but the deeper problem sat beyond acquisition. Users who did install the app showed weak engagement, unclear understanding of its features, and high drop-off rates during onboarding. The bank needed a campaign that addressed both sides of the equation: driving qualified installs at scale while diagnosing why existing users disengaged and where the in-app experience created friction.
STRATEGY
The campaign was structured in two sequential phases, each targeting a different layer of the growth problem:
Phase one focused on awareness and trust-building through story-driven video content featuring Georgian celebrities in real-life banking scenarios, distributed across Meta and YouTube via DV360
Phase two shifted to performance and behavioral intelligence, using value-based shadow ads to drive installs while simultaneously mapping the full post-install user journey
Retargeting sequences re-engaged high-intent audiences who interacted with phase one content but had not yet installed the app
In-app behavioral analysis tracked screen-by-screen drop-off rates, feature discovery patterns, and onboarding completion funnels to surface actionable UX insights
Creative optimization ran throughout both phases, with ad variants rotated based on early engagement signals and install quality data
EXECUTION
Phase one launched with celebrity-fronted video ads that introduced the app through recognizable scenarios – transferring money at a restaurant, splitting bills with friends, checking account balances on the go. The creative approach made the app’s utility tangible without defaulting to product-feature lists. Distribution ran simultaneously across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube through DV360 inventory.
Phase two ran in parallel with ongoing awareness media. The deliverables from this phase went beyond ad production:
Deliverable | Format and Purpose |
Celebrity video ads | Story-driven spots featuring Georgian personalities in everyday banking moments, produced in multiple formats for feed, stories, and pre-roll placements |
Motion graphics | 2D and 3D animated explainers highlighting app features and onboarding steps, used as mid-funnel education content |
Shadow ads | Value-based install campaigns designed to attract users with higher predicted lifetime engagement, optimized through early behavioral signals |
Retargeting sequences | Multi-touch ad sequences targeting users who viewed awareness content but had not converted, with messaging adapted to their last interaction point |
User journey analysis | Screen-by-screen behavioral mapping of the post-install experience, identifying 12 friction points across onboarding, feature discovery, and transaction flows |
UX recommendation report | Actionable findings delivered to Halyk Bank’s product team, covering onboarding flow simplification, feature placement changes, and notification timing adjustments |
The behavioral analysis component distinguished this project from a standard app install campaign. By mapping where users dropped off, which screens caused confusion, and which features went undiscovered, Ad Geeks delivered product-level intelligence that shaped app improvements beyond the campaign’s media scope.
CLIENT QUOTE
“We expected a campaign that would drive installs. What Ad Geeks delivered went far deeper – they showed us exactly where our app was losing users and gave our product team a clear roadmap to fix it.”
Tako Jghenti, Head of Marketing, Halyk Bank
KEY INSIGHT
Users acquired through value-based shadow ads retained at 3.2x the rate of standard install campaign users, confirming that optimizing for predicted engagement quality at the acquisition stage produces compounding returns in onboarding completion and long-term app usage. |
