Results at a glance: this three-week government app campaign reached more than 2.5 million people and delivered over 4,500 downloads. Leads Dubai used separate creative for each channel, focused delivery on the northern emirates and moved budget away from placements producing expensive installs.
About the campaign
The Ministry of Public Works was established in 1972 and was responsible for federal building, road, port and housing work. The organisation later became part of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. This case study records a campaign completed under its name at that time.
The brief
The ministry asked Leads Dubai to promote its mobile app to people in the UAE northern emirates. Downloads were the main target. Wider awareness and engagement were useful supporting outcomes, but they did not replace the installation goal.
The campaign ran across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Twitter has since been renamed X, but we retain its historical name here because that was the platform used during the campaign.
Campaign approach
We began with creative that explained what the app did and gave people a clear download prompt. Each platform required its own dimensions and presentation, so the campaign did not rely on one image cropped repeatedly.
During the three-week run, we compared the cost and volume of downloads by channel and creative. Campaigns producing expensive installs were paused. Budget remained with the combinations that were reaching the right users and generating downloads at a lower cost.
Creative used in the campaign
Results achieved
- More than 2.5 million people saw the ads across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
- More than 4,500 app downloads were delivered in three weeks.
- The ministry also gained wider awareness and social engagement during the campaign.
Why the northern emirates focus mattered
Government app campaigns in the UAE often default to national targeting because the service is available everywhere. That is usually the wrong call.
Splitting delivery by emirate let the campaign put budget behind the audience the ministry actually needed to reach, rather than spreading a fixed budget across the whole country and diluting reach everywhere. The same principle applies to any UAE app launch aimed at a specific region, sector or income band: national reach looks better on a media plan, targeted reach produces more installs per dirham.
What this case study means for a current app campaign
The campaign is historical, so platform tools and names have changed. The useful principle has not: optimise toward verified installs and post-install actions, not reach alone. A current plan should connect the app stores and analytics correctly, separate Android and iOS where needed, test several creative messages and track useful actions after installation.
For the broader planning process, see our guide to getting more Android and iOS app downloads. Leads Dubai also manages mobile app marketing campaigns for UAE organisations.
App download campaign questions
The campaign delivered more than 4,500 app downloads during its three-week run. The ads reached over 2.5 million people across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
We compared performance across channels and creative variations, then paused the combinations producing expensive downloads. Budget was moved toward the placements and messages generating installs more efficiently.
The historical campaign used Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to reach users in the UAE northern emirates. Current app campaigns may also use Google Ads App campaigns, depending on the app, audience and measurement setup.
