Styling for Scale:
A Fashion Game Launch Story

Muus Collective, the creators of BELLEMINT - a mobile fashion game where players style outfits, rate looks, and shop real-world brands like REVOLVE - partnered with AppAgent in 2023 for their global launch.

They were looking for a strategic partner to support their go-to-market efforts and lay the groundwork for long-term, profitable growth. Despite positive signals and two years of close collaboration, Muus Collective was ultimately unable to secure the funding needed to continue scaling the app.

AppAgent’s mission was to orchestrate BELLEMINT’s global launch and scale the game by:

• Identifying the most effective marketing channels and optimization strategies for a fashion-forward audience.
• Developing a compelling creative strategy and producing a steady stream of high-performing ads.
• Building a profitable and scalable user acquisition engine focused on long-term retention and ROAS.

To gather initial performance data, we began with a soft launch in proxy geos (Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) on Android.

We optimized for installs initially and then strategically shifted to down-funnel event optimization. By testing various in-app events, we pinpointed the one that offered the optimal balance of top- and bottom-funnel performance.

After validating the funnel structure on Android, we applied the same method on iOS - starting with installs to gather baseline data, then quickly pivoting to the optimized event we knew was working.

Once we had strong performance signals from proxy geos, we launched globally with the US as the main focus. By this point, we had already identified the best-performing creatives, the right in-app event to optimize for, and confirmed that iOS was the most profitable platform. This allowed us to skip costly testing in the main market and go straight into scaling, achieving 45% YoY increase in ROAS & improved retention.

Insights from Facebook placements guided our channel expansion. We used these learnings to strategically add TikTok and AppLovin, creating a multi-channel setup that allowed dynamic budget allocation to the strongest-performing platforms.

Creative testing was a core driver of campaign performance. We built a custom framework to align ad messaging with player motivators and match each with the most effective formats. This structured approach enabled fast iteration and clear learnings.

Using this framework, we evaluated over 75 unique concepts via monthly tests on Facebook. Narrative-driven ads, often featuring urgency, drama, and "failed missions," consistently emerged as top performers. To maintain high CTRs without compromising retention, we carefully integrated "fake" game elements with actual gameplay.

To avoid ad fatigue and keep top performers running longer, we refreshed high-performing assets by adding UGC-style layers. This gave us new variations without rebuilding from scratch and helped increase performance further.

The testing strategy resulted in 43.3% of creatives meeting the target CPI, while 1 in 4 exceeded 8 IPM in the US - confirming both efficiency and strong market fit.

Thorough creative testing in proxy geos gave us clear winners, saving time and budget during the global launch.

By identifying the right creative directions, messages, formats, and hooks early on, we entered key markets with a proven creative formula and minimized risk.