Agreed. I found this article generic. Actually most articles of the like are. It would be more interesting to know how companies get their first 500 users.
They must have had some other differentiator. Looking at the product's home page it looks like they had support from Nike and several well known football clubs to promote and legitimize the app:
Now, obviously, they still had to build a compelling product and plan & execute a marketing strategy. They needed to be ready to succeed. Most people don't have a personal or professional network that includes access to decision-makers in large, influential organizations. Even so they still need to be prepared for that opportunity if and when their network expands.
That's why if you're going to present this as a case study (which it is not) the title should be "How 'I Am Playr' Hit 4 Million Users in 6 Months - A Case Study."
Hey Diego
Thanks for the comment. In my opinion the reason 'other companies' don't hit reach 4M users in 6 months using the same tactics are:
A) Their product just isn't good enough
B) They may not have the marketing budget to spend on Facebook ads for the initial boost to help Viral marketing kick in
Hence why you haven't heard of them. Hope that helps
Howard