How Finanz und Wirtschaft achieved 88% new registrations with Fantasy Funds
FuW leveraged TX Group’s wider audience reach to attract almost 17,000 players.
The solution: An eight-week stock market game
FuW partnered with Norkon to launch a branded stock market game powered by Fantasy Funds, Norkon’s Pulse engagement module for virtual investment competitions.
During the eight-week game, participants created virtual portfolios and traded using real-world market data without risking their own money.
A CHF 10,000 grand prize, sponsored by Swissquote, gave players a strong incentive to participate, while weekly prizes maintained momentum throughout the competition.
Players could also compare their performance with eight prominent figures from the Swiss financial sector, including a finance professor, a bank chairman and the CEO of a Swiss online bank.
This added an educational and competitive dimension: participants were not only trying to climb the leaderboard but could also compare their strategies with experienced financial professionals
Exceeding the player target
FuW initially aimed to attract 10,000 players. By the end of the competition, almost 17,000 people had participated – exceeding the target by approximately 70%.
The game proved particularly effective as an acquisition format: 87.9% of participants were newly registered users who had not previously subscribed to FuW.
Players visited the FuW website an average of 4.3 times, demonstrating that the game generated continued interaction rather than only one-time registrations.
“We reached almost 17,000 players. That was a huge success for us.” – Jan Schwalbe, Editor-in-Chief at Finanz und Wirtschaft
Creating a pathway toward subscriptions
FuW used banners within the game environment to present participants with a dedicated subscription offer. The publisher saw an initial increase in subscriptions during the competition and gained a substantial new registered audience that could be nurtured after the game. The competition also gave existing subscribers something new to explore, allowing FuW to engage both established readers and people discovering the brand for the first time.
Building a sustainable commercial model
Sponsorship formed an important part of FuW’s strategy from the beginning.
By partnering with a national financial institution, FuW covered the operational costs of the game. This demonstrated that a stock market game for publishers can support audience-development goals while also creating valuable opportunities for commercial partners.
Three objectives, one repeatable format
FuW’s first Fantasy Funds game delivered against all three of its principal objectives:
- Reaching a large new audience
- Creating a pathway toward subscriptions
- Covering the Fantasy Funds game costs through sponsorship
The result was more than a successful campaign. FuW established a repeatable format that combines audience acquisition, investor education and commercial value.
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