This case study is all about the remarkable journey of Jam for iPhone (now Jam:Instant Song Creator), which saw an astonishing 100,000 users sign up in just one day. We'll dive into the marketing strategy and tactics that drove this incredible growth, providing actionable tips and insights for app marketers.

A Quick Recap

Jam has been downloaded by nearly a million users since its launch in 2013. This case study focuses on the first four months, during which time Jam was downloaded by approximately 290,000 users. While these numbers are impressive, they're not astronomical – making this a relatable and achievable goal for many app startups.

Marketing Strategy

We worked closely with an app marketing agency to develop and execute our strategy. With a budget of around $170,000, we aimed to create a buzz around Jam's unique features and encourage organic growth. Here are the key areas we focused on:

Press Coverage

By leveraging media contacts and reaching out to journalists, we secured dozens of articles and reviews within weeks of launching.

Events

We participated in events like Macworld and CES, which helped us generate buzz and showcase Jam's innovative features.

Paid Media

Our paid advertising campaigns, including Facebook Ads and AppsGratis, drove significant user acquisition at a cost-effective rate.

Social Media

While social media marketing was less effective for us, we still used it to seed content and drive engagement.

Cost Breakdowns

Here's how our budget broke down:

| Item | Budgeted Cost |

| --- | --- |

| PR & Marketing Agency Retainers | $18,000 (4 months @ $4,500) |

| Sponsored Blogger Reviews | $5,000 |

| Social Media Management | $7,000 (4 months @ $1,750) |

| Awards Entries and Events | $20,000 |

| Advertising | $110,000 |

| Social Media Seeding | $10,000 |

| TOTAL | $170,000 |

User Acquisition Costs

Our effective user acquisition cost was approximately 58 cents per user. Compared to the average paid media CPI (cost-per-install) in the US at that time ($2.96), our campaign effectively earned Jam around $688,400 in free installs.

Goals and KPIs

We set three key goals for our launch campaign:

  1. Reach 1 million installs within 12 months
  2. Build an engaged and active user base
  3. Achieve self-sustaining growth (enough revenue and virality to continue growing the user base without spending more on marketing)

Timeline: Planning and Execution

Here's a timeline of our planning and execution:

November – Planning Begins

We started planning in earnest, just two months before the public launch date.

December – A Strategy Forms

December was spent strategizing, preparing collateral and content, making bookings, and getting ready for launch.

Week 1 – Burst Campaigns Begin

We missed our Christmas release but soft-launched on January 11. By the end of the week, we had dozens of articles and reviews around the internet.

By focusing on these key areas and strategies, we were able to drive significant user acquisition at an affordable cost per user. This case study demonstrates the power of a well-planned marketing campaign in driving app success – and shows that even with a moderate budget, impressive results are achievable.