This case study highlights the growth results seen through the collaboration between Liberteenz and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc for the mobile RPG game app, “Mobile Suit Gundam U.C. Engage” (hereafter will be referred to as Gundam UCE). All information and data in this study relates to marketing efforts domestically in Japan and globally in the United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

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Liberteenz enjoyed the privilege of working alongside Hidetaka Kuniyasu, the producer of Gundam UCE, and Hiroki Naito, responsible for the app’s promotional efforts.

Case Study Guest Profiles

Hidetaka Kuniyasu

Employed at Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

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Involved in producing popular Gundam-related games and app titles such as Super Gundam Royale and Gundam Breaker Mobile. His responsibilities for Gundam UCE include planning, development, and operations.

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He first encountered Gundam when he bought a SD Gundam action figure. 

Hiroki Naito

Employed at Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

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Involved in the promotion of Gundam UCE as well as multiple other mobile game apps. 

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He first encountered Gundam as a young boy watching the anime series, “Mobile Suit V Gundam.”

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Domestic ASO not only improved Search Rankings but also greatly increased conversion

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Liberteenz Interviewer (LTZ): 

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We have worked with your team for almost a year now, about six months before Gundam UCE was released. What is the story about how we met?

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Mr. Naito:

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Actually, I learnt about Liberteenz from a business partner of the company. After the introductory call, I conferred with my team and the general consensus was,, “We really need to get serious about ASO and be more open to incorporating it into our marketing strategy.” 

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I was aware of the concept and logic of ASO. 

However, ASO is not something that produces immediate results nor allows us to see user behavior. In comparison, doing something like a live broadcast, producing commercials, or a promotional video…

It just never seemed as exciting haha. Easy to tell what our customers thought about Gundam too from the promotional content.

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As a marketer, you just tend to focus on those who reward you for your hard work. Although I knew ASO was important, it just seemed like a problem that I could never fully comprehend.

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LTZ:

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So how was it when you actually tried ASO with our tool?

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Mr. Naito:

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Liberteenz understands the overall market of apps, like the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store so I really appreciated their expertise and the opportunity to consult with them.

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Each app and OS (iOS, Android) has different challenges. 

Of course, we look at our own apps and know everything about them but Liberteenz sees the industry as a whole, so I think that it’s good that they can react to market trends and changes in our competitors apps to make strategic marketing decisions. 

I also appreciate that (regarding cost) there is a good balance of man-hours.

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In addition to our regular strategy meetings, I was really grateful that we were able to work closely together through chats and other activities. 

In fact (because of all the things I learned about ASO from Liberteenz), people at our company have been asking me, “I keep hearing from everyone about how much you know about ASO. Can you teach me?”

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Mr. Kuniyasu:

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I heard that many of our core users who played the Gundam games were inspired by the anime.

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That is when I had the realization that, through ASO if I emphasized the gameplay and the mobile suits aspect, our app would more likely be found by our target audience. The results were remarkable.

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It was almost like thinking about ASO from the user’s perspective in a way.

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LTZ:

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In addition to the ASO tool, we also held two ASO Study Sessions for Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., with over 100 people attending including marketers and game producers. How did those sessions come about?

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Mr. Naito:

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I had always wanted to have these kinds of sessions.

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When someone has only been in an advertising company for a few months, more likely than not, they are not going to understand a lot of the marketing terms and lingo that are used. 

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That’s why I wanted the two sessions. The first session would cover the basics of ASO, and the second session would go more in depth. It’s such a hard topic, right?

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Since over 100 marketers and developers participated, I think it’s a clear indication that people in the app space are keenly interested in ASO.

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Global ASO with localized store optimization per country (United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan)

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LTZ: 

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We have been helping with ASO for the global version of Gundam UCE since its release, so I would like to ask you both some more questions about that. What made you decide to entrust Liberteenz with your app’s ASO?

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Mr. Naito

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The first Gundam app we released globally was “Gundam Breaker Mobile” back in 2019. 

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We were aware that market conditions for mobile game apps had changed significantly since that time, and above all, Liberteenz has had such a stellar track record in Japan that we decided that rather than waiting till after the release of the app to have you with us for our ASO during the pre-registration period. We had always wanted you to be in charge of our ASO from the beginning. 

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Of course, “Gundam” as a brand has strong potential, but I wanted to make sure that the app was optimized for each app store before the initial release.

LTZ:

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What are your thoughts about the actual results of working together on this?

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Mr. Naito:

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As to be expected, there are basic ASO principles that work across the board. However, for things like, “This country likes this kind of color…”, or “You should use this kind of language instead of what it says in Japan”, or “These keywords are good for the App Store while these ones are better for the Playstore…”, Liberteenz already all of it. It was so great being able to have Liberteenz be our ASO consultants for the global marketing of our app because you were able to provide us with what is unique about each country and what would be best.

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What I also appreciated about Liberteenz was how willing you guys were to share with us everything you know. Even after our contract period had ended, they were still willing to share with us their advice and counsel  about how to get through the various and unique challenges that have come up for the apps. They have always been so supportive of us and our company.

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Now, when I am asked about ASO internally from my colleagues, I feel like I have a better grasp of it. I sometimes catch myself thinking, “Huh, maybe it would be better to include more keywords like this.”

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The study sessions that Liberteenz held were also very popular. I have even received emails directly from my superiors saying, “Everyone involved with apps should take these study sessions.”

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App store text and banners are the final touchpoint indicators for when users install our app. From now on, we would like to utilize all that we have learned from Liberteenz and work towards creating the best customer experience for our users.

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This is the interview article.

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We provide both an ASO tool and consulting services not only in Japan but also globally.

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If you are interested in Liberteenz Co., Ltd.  ASO Service , which was also used by Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., please contact us. 

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Liberteenz Co., Ltd. / ASO Service

http://liberteenz.jp/lp

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