Case Study
Driving #1 app store ranking for DROP via premium partnership with BuzzFeed
How Adbloom activated a high-impact publisher partnership to scale Drop’s user acquisition
Drop partnered with Adbloom to unlock a high-scale acquisition channel by activating a first-of-its-kind performance partnership with BuzzFeed. The objective was to acquire high-intent Millennial and Gen Z users through a premium publisher that had historically prioritized editorial integrity over affiliate-led performance marketing.
Industry:
Client
Drop is a rewards app that enables users to earn points on everyday spending. To extend user growth beyond standard marketing channels, Drop partnered with Adbloom to activate premium media placement to BuzzFeed that is capable of delivering scaled reach alongside verified, trackable user acquisition.
#1 in App Store
achieved organically through affiliate strategy
Original source
Challenge
BuzzFeed traditionally avoided affiliate-driven models, so any solution had to preserve the publisher’s brand voice while delivering the trackable, bottom-funnel results Drop required for a viable user acquisition. For Drop, the risk centered on intent. Broad media placements often drive "top-of-funnel" traffic that fails to convert into active users. The partnership needed to drive not just clicks, but activation-ready users at a predictable CPI.
Solution
Adbloom developed a branded content campaign that translated Drop’s rewards value proposition into BuzzFeed’s conversational tone. We framed the app as a low-friction tool for savvy consumers, ensuring the message felt like an organic recommendation rather than an ad. This "cognitive alignment" was critical for maintaining BuzzFeed’s editorial standards while securing performance-grade intent. We managed the end-to-end execution including attribution, optimization, and validation across BuzzFeed’s web, email, and social channels. This diversified distribution reached Millennial and Gen Z cohorts at scale, allowing for real-time optimization and shifting budget toward the specific channels driving the highest activation events.
Results
The partnership delivered 30,000 new users from 200,000 targeted clicks, validating editorial-integrated affiliate partnerships as a scalable user acquisition channel. The massive surge in high-intent traffic created enough momentum to push Drop to the #1 organic ranking in the Apple App Store, a significant outcome that reduced reliance on paid channels for subsequent growth. The campaign proved that premium publishers could be activated as performance partners when managed with the right attribution discipline.
Clients + partners
A publisher-led program, backed by the rest of the ecosystem:
Premium publishers
BuzzFeed's editorial machine produced list-style content that made Drop feel like a discovery, not an ad — the engine behind the #1 App Store ranking.
Influencers + creators
Creators amplified the moment, stacking social proof on top of the editorial wave while CPA economics kept spend accountable.
Mobile networks
Rewards app placements caught the demand spike and sustained installs after the editorial push crested.
