Hi there! When it comes to mobile marketing, Android utility apps are a goldmine! Cleaners, boosters, and system optimizers are always in demand — millions of users are constantly looking for ways to speed up their devices and free up storage. But with so much competition, how do you make your cleaner app stand out and turn it into a steady source of profit?
In this case study, we’re breaking down the CoreCleaner promotion strategy — an Android optimization and cleaning app. We’ll cover how to find the right audience, fine-tune ad campaigns, and maximize ROI with HilltopAds ad network.
Are you curious about which settings drive the most conversions and how to cut acquisition costs? Let’s dive in!
Key Points
Offer: Utilities
GEO: US (United States)
Traffic: Mainstream and Non-Mainstream High and Medium activity
Ad Format: Popunder mobile
Ad campaign period: 15 January – 21 January
Revenue: $4,608.72
ROI: 122%
How to Promote Android Cleaner Apps
If you’re looking to boost installs and drive more conversions for Android cleaner apps, having the right ad strategy and traffic sources is essential. Here’s a simple breakdown of how you can use HilltopAds to get the most out of your ad campaigns:
Opt for Popunder Ads
Popunder ads are a great fit for promoting utility apps like Android cleaners. They open directly in a new window, without banners or distractions, making sure users are immediately taken to your landing page. It’s a cost-effective way to grab attention and drive more clicks.
Focus on Android Users
Android users are different from iPhone users, so make sure you’re running targeted campaigns just for Android. This approach helps you reach the right people, improving engagement and getting better results from your ad spend.
Create a Clean Landing Page
Your landing page should be mobile-friendly, simple, and easy to navigate. Keep it clean and focused on what matters:
- A clear call-to-action (CTA)
- Download links that are easy to find
- A layout that doesn’t overwhelm with too much info
Keep it straightforward, showcasing the key benefits of your app, and make sure users can download it with just a few clicks.
Test, Test, Test
Don’t settle for just one version of your ads or landing page. Run A/B tests with different headlines, images, and CTAs to see which ones get the best results. A little tweaking can lead to much higher conversions, so keep refining your approach.
Show What Makes Your App Special
Users need to see what makes your cleaner app stand out. Make sure to:
- Highlight features like speed boosts, storage cleaning, and longer battery life
- Share real user reviews to build trust
- Offer a free trial or a lite version to get more people to try it
- Use visuals like screenshots or demo videos to make your app more engaging
By following these tips, you can run effective campaigns for Android cleaner apps using HilltopAds, driving more installs and improving your ROI.
The Global Smartphone market in 2025
Promoting utility apps in 2025 is looking like a smart move for several clear reasons. Here are three major ones to keep in mind:
Mobile device market growth
The global smartphone market is expected to bring in $0.5 trillion in 2024, with a small 0.8% growth in 2025. When it comes to devices, the balance shifts depending on the region: in Tier 1 countries, Apple devices dominate, which means higher costs for acquiring customers. But in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions, Android devices are more common, which lowers those costs and makes it easier to set up ads while giving you access to a wider variety of audience segments.
Mobile traffic is king:
Mobile devices now take the lead in internet usage. People carry their phones everywhere — in the office, at school, and on public transport — which results in much longer online sessions than with PCs. In the US, for example, 46% of people spend 4 to 5 hours a day on their phones. This shift is a huge opportunity for ads and utility app promotions.
Concerns over user data security
In the US, data protection is still lacking. Only half of organizations use strong antivirus software and hire cybersecurity experts. This creates a growing need for tools that help secure personal data, including mobile apps that safeguard user information.
All in all, the growth of mobile devices, the rise in mobile traffic, and the increasing need for personal data protection create the perfect environment for promoting utility apps in 2025.
Advertising Campaign Launch Strategies
Choosing GEO
When you’re promoting utility apps, especially cleaners, picking the right GEO is often more important than the bid itself. Take the US, for instance — you might earn around $15 per installation, but the competition is fierce, which drives up the cost of getting new customers. On the other hand, markets like Indonesia offer much lower payouts — sometimes up to ten times less — but they can still be a great option. Even though the payout per install is smaller, the volume of traffic and downloads more than makes up for it. In places like this, mobile utilities are in high demand, so you get access to a larger pool of users. This leads to better conversion rates and, in turn, higher profits. But it’s not as simple as just running ads — you really need to understand the local market and consumer behavior to get the best results.
We decided to go for the US, despite the higher competition, and it’s been a solid choice. The US has a large, mobile-first population that’s very interested in tools like cleaner apps. People are willing to pay for apps that improve their devices’ performance, and there’s a strong awareness of data protection and smartphone optimization. So, even though the cost to acquire customers is higher, the conversion rates for cleaner apps on Android in the US have been great, and the ROI has been solid.
Bold or Subtle? Choosing the Right Tone
When promoting Cleaner offers, the choice between an aggressive or a more subtle marketing approach can make all the difference in a campaign’s success.
An aggressive strategy plays on urgency and fear, alerting users to potential threats like viruses or system failures. This approach is great for grabbing attention and prompting quick action, but it comes with downsides—not all advertisers approve of such tactics, and they can hurt a brand’s reputation over time.
A less aggressive approach focuses on enhancing device performance, offering optimization solutions without resorting to fear-based messaging. While conversion rates may be lower, this method helps build trust with users and is often favored by advertisers aiming for long-term customer loyalty.
The choice between these approaches should be based on the target audience, brand values, and long-term marketing goals.
General settings for an advertising campaign on the HilltopAds platform
Before launching an advertising campaign on HilltopAds ad network, you need to register as an advertiser. You can register using this link.
To create an advertising campaign, follow these steps:
- In the Traffic Channels section, choose Mainstream and Non-Mainstream High and Medium activity
- In the campaign setup menu, choose the Popunder Mobile ad format.
The next step is to configure the Postback to accurately track your ad campaign’s performance.
For a complete breakdown of how Postback works and the available placeholders, refer to our detailed guide.
Simply put, you need to add specific parameters to your offer’s final URL to track conversions and source IDs. The parameter for conversions is click_id, and the source ID is zone_id.
The resulting Final Destination URL should look like this:
https://my_offer.net/?&click_id={{ctoken}}&s1={{zoneid}}
- {{ctoken}} – HilltopAds parameter for passing conversions.
- {{zoneid}} – HilltopAds parameter for passing source ID.
You can also add any other parameters available for further campaign analysis, but remember to include the click_id parameter in the final link to track conversions.
Next, set up the necessary targeting settings:
- GEO – US (United States)
- OS – Android
- OS version – Android 9 – 15
- Device type – mobile / tablet
- Browser – FireFox
You can also configure campaign filters and allow/disallow Proxy and WebView traffic from the campaign. In this case, we enabled the WebView filter while disabling Proxy traffic:
- Proxy – disallow
- WebView – allow
We set a daily budget limit of $300 for our advertising campaign. This allocation ensures sufficient exposure to our target audience while allowing for effective performance monitoring and optimization.
The final step before launching your Cleaner campaigns is to set the cost per thousand impressions (CPM). Pay attention to the Traffic Volumes graph in the top-left corner, which shows premium, minimum, and recommended CPM rates.
We set a CPM bid of $2.82 to ensure accurate and consistent performance data, helping us measure the effectiveness of our single campaign.
Advice from the HilltopAds experts:
To test a new offer, start with the recommended CPM. This will show whether the offer is effective and whether the campaign needs optimization.
Optimization and Tracker
We implemented the automatic optimization tool from day one of the campaign, configuring the analysis parameters to a 48 hour period, with a threshold of 1,500 impressions and fewer than 1 conversion. This approach allowed us to reduce spending on low-performing ad sources and shift the budget toward more profitable audience segments. To ensure precise conversion tracking, we integrated a postback tracker via Voluum, enabling seamless data transfer for better optimization.
The statistics from the 7-day advertising campaign can be seen in the screenshot from the Voluum tracker. This provides a clear overview of the campaign’s performance, including key metrics and conversions achieved during the testing period.
To learn more about the capabilities of automatic optimization with HilltopAds, you can check out the article on the website:
Auto Optimization is a feature that automatically removes underperforming traffic sources from your campaign and adds them to the BlackList, ensuring that only the most profitable sources remain.
Results
After carefully tuning the advertising campaign for 7 days, we achieved the following results:
- Total Costs (Spent) – $2,076
- Total Earnings (Profit) – $4,608.72
- ROI (Return on Investment) – 122%
ROI is one of the key indicators in digital marketing that allows you to assess the profitability of an advertising campaign. In simple terms, ROI shows you the percentage of advertising investments that you have managed to recover through earnings from the ads.
The formula for calculating ROI is:
ROI = (total earnings – total cost) / total cost * 100%In this case, the return on investment is 122%
Conclusion
Our success with CoreCleaner shows that even in crowded markets, smart targeting and the right ad placements can really pay off. By focusing on the US audience and using Popunder ad format, we managed to achieve a 122% ROI. This case really highlights how effective a solid marketing strategy can be in the mobile app industry.
