Business of Apps Podcast

In a vibrant panel discussion, industry experts Victoria Chang from Wooga, Pascal Priso from Babbel, Karst Kortekaas from Appier, and Cansu Bengü Ağaoğlu from Adjust dive deep into the world of user acquisition. They tackle the challenges of CPI rates and the role of AI in refining marketing strategies. The conversation reveals the importance of simplicity for newcomers to app marketing, while stressing the need for innovative testing and collaboration to drive ROI. Data-driven insights and adaptive strategies are key to navigating this dynamic landscape.

Join Jessica Gotti, Marta Fogel, and Misha Osintcev as they dive into the dynamic world of user acquisition strategies. Jessica highlights performance marketing hurdles, while Marta shares insights on marketing brain training apps amid data privacy concerns. Misha discusses the evolving gaming landscape and the importance of interactive advertising. The trio emphasizes the need for data-driven strategies, effective messaging, and creativity to stand out in a crowded market, ensuring success in the ever-changing mobile industry.

AI is reshaping the way brands create and test ads, and mobile marketing is at the forefront of this revolution. With AI-generated UGC (aka User Generated Content), creative testing at scale is no longer a challenge—it is an opportunity. Today, I’m joined by Andy to explore how their partnership with HeyGen is unlocking new possibilities for mobile advertisers. How is AI changing the game, and what does this mean for the future of creative? Let’s find out. Today’s Topics Include: Andy Willers' bio About Favoured Challenges Favoured faced before integrating AI-generated UGC What impact AI UGC had on one of the campaigns Favoured was running Biggest opportunities and risks for brands scaling creative testing with AI-generated content Android or iOS? Leaving his  smartphone at home, what features would Andy miss most? What features he would like to see added to his smartphone? Links and Resources: Andy Willers on LinkedIn Favoured website HeyGen - AI video generator Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry Quotes from Andy Willers " What AI has allowed us to do, particularly on the UGC side, is massively increase our capability for creative testing,” Andy said. “HeyGen’s digital avatars enable us to quickly generate multiple UGC scripts or executions—allowing us to test different messaging and ad styles at scale.." "We’re not at a stage where you type in a prompt and AI spits out a perfect execution. The human touch is still essential,” he explained. “HeyGen gives us the raw material—high-quality AI avatars—but it still requires skilled video editors to integrate them effectively with B-roll footage and visual elements." Host Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

Today, we’re excited to feature a panel discussion we hosted at our App Promotion Summit Berlin last December. It focused on a crucial topic for all app marketers: User Acquisition in 2025. The panel covered a wide range of topics, including optimizing ad channels, the shift from attribution to incrementality, exploring new growth channels, and more. It was hosted by George Natsvlishvili, Co-Founder at We Up and the panelists were: Şebnem Alpaylı O'Rourke, Senior User Acquisition Manager at Stillfront Group Mark Mukhin, Team Lead App Marketing at AutoScout24 Gaurav Bhattacharya, Performance Marketing Lead at Zenjob Alper Taner, Head of Performance at BGNet Mobile

Today, we begin with another trivia question for you - can you think of the best case for A/B testing? Are you thinking about a particular app, service, or product? No - it’s bigger than that, I’m talking about the evolution of life on this planet. No, there is no a girl or a guy, sitting with a MacBook Pro and running A/B tests for all flora and fauna on this planet :-) My point is that testing is very fundamental and, if it will make you feel a bit more important, you’re doing it along with the Mother Nature. To talk about A/B testing for driving app growth we invited Tina. Today’s Topics Include: Tina Kim's bio About Huckleberry Labs Using A/B tests to make confident decisions Generating actionable insights with limited resources and tight timelines Incorporating learnings from failed A/B tests Android or iOS? Leaving her  smartphone at home, what features would Tina miss most? What features she would like to see added to her smartphone? Links and Resources: Tina Kim on LinkedIn Huckleberry Labs website Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry Quotes from Tina Kim " So A-B testing is really useful for when there is a shadow of doubt. Put it so whatever you A/B test, it's not some idea that you've picked from the air. It's always based off of some well-informed hypothesis, whether it be analyzing your behavioral data of your users or you've done some user research market research as well. There is always some well-informed hypothesis that drives you to build something." "The other thing is where A-B testing can really help you move forward faster is during the development process, the design process, there may be countless arguments about the perfect copy. Some people are very particular about copy, but and we may spend like endless cycles just trying to perfect the copy, but that's not the point of the change. Let's just test it. And A-B testing is iterative. And so you find something that you feel good with, it doesn't have to be perfect, and you test it and move forward. And if you feel like there's opportunity to squeeze more juice, test it again, right? And so I've been able to move forward faster." Host Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

In the future, history textbooks will be telling the story of how, at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, we all collectively jumped into the world of mobile apps.  Now, you may be super excited about the growth of the mobile ecosystem or shake your head about its externalities, unintended consequences, but it’s undeniable - mobile apps take a huge spot in our lives.  Today, a big chunk of the mobile app economy space belongs to app subscriptions - Netflix, Apple TV, Tinder, Duolingo, the list goes on and on. If you build apps yourself and monetize them with the subscription model, you will be really interested to learn about Phil’s Subscription Value Loop strategy. Today’s Topics Include: Phil Carter's bio Key challenges developers of subscription-based apps face today Identifying and refining the core value proposition  Strategies to convert free users into subscribers, while maintaining a great user experience and ensuring long-term profitability  Android or iOS? Leaving his smartphone at home, what features would Phil miss most? What features he would like to see added to his smartphone? Links and Resources: Phil Carter on LinkedIn Phil Carter's website Maven course Phil's Sub stack Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry Quotes from Phil Carter: "The core of the subscription value loop framework that I teach about in my course is a company's core value promise. In other words, what is the value that you're providing to a user, and ideally to a paying subscriber, that is going to not just bring them to the product in the first place, but cause them to continue paying you a subscription over a long period of time?" "And value delivery is typically led by marketing teams, sometimes with the support of growth product teams or sales teams if you have a B2B business. And value delivery is all about making sure that you have sustainable unit economics, right? You're going to have some amount of LTV that you get from users. But in order to have a sustainable business, you need a strong LTV over CAC ratio and a rapid payback period. And that depends critically on your cost of user acquisition." Host Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

In a captivating panel, Lindsey Witmer Collins, CEO of WLCM, Jillian Arnold, co-founder of Snapback Returns, Xenia Kupriyanova from Houzz, and Nancy Roberts of Craftsman+ discuss AI breakthroughs in mobile app marketing. They explore how AI revolutionizes user engagement and retention strategies. Arnold highlights her app's innovation in simplifying returns, while the group shares insights on using AI for efficient market research and creative learning. They stress the importance of adapting to evolving AI tools and mitigating societal biases.

Nicoline Strøm-Jensen, Head of Program Management at Adjust, brings a wealth of knowledge from her background at Microsoft and AOL. In this discussion, she unpacks the hurdles app marketers face in a privacy-first world, emphasizing the challenges posed by regulations like GDPR and Apple's ATT. Nicoline shares effective strategies for measuring ad campaigns while remaining compliant. She also reflects on her smartphone journey, detailing the features she values and those she'd love to see improved. Tune in for insights on creativity's role in enhancing user experience amidst tech transformations!

Shalom Michaeli, Managing Director of Alternative App Stores at Digital Turbine, leads the conversation on the transformative era of app distribution. He discusses the groundbreaking changes spurred by EU regulations allowing third-party app stores on iOS. Trust-building strategies for alternative platforms are highlighted, emphasizing the need for partnerships and user engagement. Shalom also shares insights on the competitive dynamics between Android and iOS, along with the future impact of AI on mobile technology. This session is a must-listen for tech enthusiasts!

Angèle Lenglemetz, Senior Product Manager at Cleo AI, focuses on enhancing financial lives through cutting-edge technology. In this discussion, she dives into the world of cognitive biases and how they can drive app user engagement. Angèle sheds light on balancing these biases with ethical practices and their role in app development strategies. She also shares insights on what features she would miss without her smartphone, and her desire for more advancements in mobile technology. Prepare for a blend of psychology and innovation!