Cross-promo between live titles during a shared event weekend
Portfolio cross-promo needs MMP cohort hygiene and deep-link routing that actually lands on the event — Branch and AppsFlyer as primaries.
Shared event weekends across a portfolio create attribution chaos when deep links and MMP media sources are improvised. Gate the weekend on routing and reporting rules.
Documented building blocks
Branch’s Deep Linking Overview (source read 20 September 2026) distinguishes direct deep linking (app installed → content) from deferred deep linking (store install → content on first open) and allows custom data parameters on links. Cross-promo CTAs that only open the store home screen fail the event promise.
AppsFlyer Cohort lets you group and filter by media source and choose user-acquisition vs retargeting vs unified views. Unified view gives retargeting precedence when both attributions apply (is_primary_attribution=true semantics as documented). Cross-promo traffic must use a dedicated media source / campaign naming contract or it will pollute paid UA reads.
Weekend checklist
- One Branch (or equivalent) link template per destination title × event ID, with deferred path tested on a clean device.
- MMP media source and campaign IDs reserved for cross-promo; do not reuse paid network names.
- Offer eligibility: state whether cross-promo grants stack with the destination title’s first-purchase pack.
- Suppression: players already retained in the destination title should not burn the same CPI budget as true new installs — configure accordingly in your MMP/network tools.
- Post-weekend: cohort the cross-promo media source separately from paid UA before declaring the event a UA win.
Facts vs limits
| Fact | Limit |
|---|---|
| Direct vs deferred deep linking is documented | Branch access may require a paid plan per their page |
| Cohort can isolate media sources | Exact cross-promo SKAdNetwork behaviour is title-specific |
| Unified view precedence is documented | This checklist invents no portfolio CPI |
