

Business of Apps Podcast
Business of Apps
The Business of Apps podcast brings you actionable insights from the leaders of the global app industry and the world’s fastest growing apps.
App marketing professionals, product managers and developers share the latest approaches to building, marketing and monetizing mobile apps.
Every Monday we have a candid conversation with app industry professionals about specific topic that may cover app marketing, mobile advertising or app development and we also help our listeners to get to know our guests better.
App marketing professionals, product managers and developers share the latest approaches to building, marketing and monetizing mobile apps.
Every Monday we have a candid conversation with app industry professionals about specific topic that may cover app marketing, mobile advertising or app development and we also help our listeners to get to know our guests better.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 29, 2024 • 25min
#205: Unlocking app growth with Marketing Mix Modeling with Gary Danks, General Manager for AIM by Kochava
The field of app marketing is full of jargon. Just from the top of my head a few acronyms for you - ASO, CPI, CPA, LTV, FBI (sorry the last one was obviously a joke). Here is another one - MMM, which stands for Marketing Mix Modeling. Do you know what it is?
Well, in this episode Gary will explain it for you, showing how it works and why it’s important for you to use it in your app business.
Today’s Topics Include:
Gary's background
About Kochava
What is Marketing Mix Modeling (aka MMM), why it's effective for unlocking app growth
Key steps to implement MMM in a company's marketing strategy
Common challenges in adopting Marketing Mix Modeling
Android or iOS?
Leaving his smartphone at home, what features would Gary miss most?
What features he would like to see added to his smartphone?
Links and Resources:
Gary Danks on LinkedIn
Kochava
MMM 101 A 3-Part Webinar Series
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry
Quotes from Gary Danks:
"MMM is a methodology used to measure and analyze the impact of various marketing activities on your conversions. Now, where the sort of the confusion comes in is that it sounds quite familiar to the industry standard of last touch attribution. But to truly grasp marketing mixed modeling or MMM, it's important to distinguish it from last touch attribution."
"The biggest challenge is probably just old mindset. We've been in this industry for many years and last touch attribution is the standard form of measurement and it's been around for 12, 13 years or so. So quite often companies are testing MMM but they don't want to believe the data because they've maybe built lifetime value models of their last touch attribution."
Host
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

7 snips
Jul 22, 2024 • 21min
#204: Transforming ‘meh’ to magic: AI-driven app engagement boosts with Steve Toy, Chief Executive Officer at Memrise
How many languages do you know? Would you like learn a new one? Science unequivocally says that it is good for your brain to learn new languages. You will thank us when you’ll be in your 70s or 80s :-) The thing is that on top of immediate benefits, it will help you to keep your brain healthy down the road.
Now, today AI is on the path to impact our lives on so many levels. Learning new languages is one of them and today Steve will tell us about how AI allowed his company to transform their Memrise app dramatically.
Today’s Topics Include:
Steve's background
About Memrise
Ai-driven features that enhanced user engagement on Memrise
The biggest challenges in integrating AI into Memrise
Using AI to personalize learning
Android or iOS?
Leaving his smartphone at home, what features would Steve miss most?
What features he would like to see added to his smartphone?
Links and Resources:
Steve Toy on LinkedIn
Memrise
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry
Quotes from Steve Toy:
"Well, I will tell you that we are probably still working on overcoming the biggest challenge that has been brought to us by all of this amazing technology. And that is unbelievable freedom, right? We now, because of what we've deployed, have given people the freedom to learn the words that matter to them, not the words that we decide in any given course."
"The first axis I alluded to earlier, is heretofore in school or in any course that you might take or in any of the other apps, you learn words in a certain order. Right? You're just marching everybody through the first 100, 200, 500, 1 ,000 words in the same order because you're marching everybody in lockstep to be able to interact with certain content and certain tasks.
But we don't have to do that. We have fully atomized dictionaries because no matter what words you know, we can start to run you into other experiences. And so that's the first level of personalization is let you decide why you want to learn a language."
Host
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

Jul 15, 2024 • 30min
#203: Helping retailers retain app acquisition gains with Thomas Butta, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer at Airship
Do you like the holiday season? Yes - it is a hypothetical question, we all do. Why do we love this time of the year? Because this is the time when we all buy something nice, right? We download shopping apps and go ahead and pick up something we desperately need.
Ok - it’s all great but if you are a retailer and you launch app user acquisition campaigns during the holiday season, there is very important insight for you in this episode - so listen carefully.
Today’s Topics Include:
Thomas's background
About Airship
About the Airship's "Peak App Install Research" report
How retailers can improve retention rate for customers acquired during peak shopping periods (think Black Friday)
Key metrics brands should monitor to effectively drive app engagement
Android or iOS?
Leaving his smartphone at home, what features would Thomas miss most?
What features he would like to see added to his smartphone?
Links and Resources:
Thomas Butta on LinkedIn
Airship
Peak App Install Research report
The Mobile Consumer 2023 report
Airship blog
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry
Quotes from Thomas Butta:
"And we, we surveyed more than 60 million app installs. So of the number of apps that were installed during that period, we looked at 60 million new ones that were added to your device and we were very interested in understanding what happens after that peak shopping season."
" First of all, the way you onboard people is really, really important. I mean that idea of a welcome kit. So they download your app, right then and there you have their attention. What you do next is really important. So that onboarding experience, that welcome experience is really key. And what you're trying to do is two things. You're trying to get to know these people that are downloaded your app. And you're doing it in a way that's showing them with a little bit of information here and here, you can provide a more curated or personalized and relevant experience for them over there."
Host
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

Jul 8, 2024 • 25min
#202: App growth with affiliate marketing with Taras Kiseliuk, CEO at ClickDealer
I bet, as an app marketer, you are on a constant hunt for new marketing channels, right?
What do you know about affiliate marketing? If the answer is "zero", "not that much" or "I know what it is but what is your point" than you’ve come to the right place - we have Taras to tell us how affiliate marketing works for mobile apps.
Today’s Topics Include:
Taras's background
About ClickDealer
What is affiliate marketing, the main changes for the last decade
What affiliate marketing verticals were impacted by mobile the most
Effective strategies to grow app user base and revenue through affiliate marketing
KPIs to measure the success of affiliate marketing campaigns
Android or iOS?
Leaving his smartphone at home, what features would Taras miss most?
What features he would like to see added to his smartphone?
Links and Resources:
Taras Kiseliuk on LinkedIn
ClickDealer
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry
Quotes from Taras Kiseliuk:
" The last one will be, as cliche as it sounds like, would be AIs. AI is now doing all the media buying for us in some sense. In a way, the affiliate marketing is working as it worked before - you have to optimize and find the right spots, but now it's kind of like - hey, just trust the pixel, trust Facebook, trust TikTok, AI and so on and so on."
Host
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

Jul 1, 2024 • 19min
#201: Testing the app’s edge marketability with Deniz Kekeç, Performance Marketing Manager at InnoGames
I’m sure you would argue that the world of mobile apps is extremely competitive. By now, it seems like all business verticals have gone mobile and in some app categories, like games, e-commerce, social, the competition is really tough.
How do you stand a chance to win in this battle? This is the question we’ll tackling today with Deniz.
Today’s Topics Include:
Deniz's background
About InnoGame
Mobile app's unique edge (Unique Selling Proposition) identification
Methods and tools to test an app's marketability
Key factors to maintain the app's edge over time
Android or iOS?
Leaving her smartphone at home, what features would Deniz miss most?
What features she would like to see added to her smartphone?
Links and Resources:
Deniz Kekeç on LinkedIn
InnoGames
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry
Quotes from Deniz Kekeç:
"In a competitive app market, determining what sets your app apart from others involves focusing on its Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Assuming your app performs well and maintains a low crash rate, here are some strategies to identify its unique edge: game narrative, gameplay mechanics, special features & LiveOps, marketing approach."
"We are using Sensor Tower mainly for competitor analysis. Quadrics for understanding our audience( coupled with our user surveys). For creative testing Meta is the main tool, however depends on the ad concept we happened to use SDK networks too. KPI's are depending on the test phase. For initial testing, i recommend to check upper funnel kpis such as CPI, IPM. For later phase i recommend mid funnel KPI s such as Retention and session duration etc."
Host
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

Jun 10, 2024 • 37min
🎉 #200: How to grow an app sustainably with Mike Rhodes, Founder and CEO at ConsultMyApp
Mike Rhodes, Founder and CEO at ConsultMyApp, discusses sustainable app growth in episode #200. Topics include key principles, balancing user acquisition and retention, data-driven decisions, common pitfalls, and future trends. Learn about Mike's background, ConsultMyApp services, and his thoughts on digital marketing. Plus, find out what features he would miss on his smartphone.

Jun 3, 2024 • 29min
#199: Data-driven mobile app marketing with Summer Liu, CMO at SocialPeta
Summer Liu, CMO at SocialPeta, discusses leveraging app data, staying competitive in app marketing, and upcoming SocialPeta features. Topics include her background, SocialPeta's evolution, trends in mobile advertising, and the importance of data-driven decisions. She shares insights on app performance, ad creatives, and the future of digital marketing. Liu also talks about features she would miss on her smartphone and changes she'd like to see in digital marketing.

May 27, 2024 • 40min
#198: App Growth Strategy: the Deezer’s case with Sherina Khalidi, VP Performance Marketing at Deezer
Sherina Khalidi, VP Performance Marketing at Deezer, discusses the app's growth strategy, user acquisition, data analytics, retention tactics, partnerships, and emerging trends. She shares her experience, challenges in digital marketing, and preferences between Android and iOS. The podcast delves into her smartphone feature wishlist and nostalgic memories of early mobile phones.

May 20, 2024 • 31min
#197: Growing your app outside of the app stores with Jakub Chour, Mobile Growth at HER app
Jakub Chour, Mobile Growth at HER app, discusses marketing techniques outside app stores. Topics include affiliate marketing, Generative AI for content, viral marketing, overhyped app channels, and desired smartphone features.

May 13, 2024 • 30min
#196: B.I.G ad opportunity in mobile games with Ravi Pimplaskar, Director of Marketing at Digital Turbine
Let’s state the obvious - people love playing games, especially on their smartphones, and they do love brands.
Now, if you ask a mobile marketer what does it imply she would tell you that it’s a great opportunity on one side to let brands reach more potential customers and on the other - for mobile game developers to generate revenue.
So far so good, right? But what if I tell you that there is a report that actually reveals specifically what brand categories people prefer who play games in various types of games such as Puzzle, Card, Word, and Action? Sounds even better, right?
Well, today Ravi will be talking about Digital Turbine’s BRAG INDEX IV report that brings up precisely this information.
Today’s Topics Include:
Ravi's background
What is Digital Turbine today and its mission
The BRAG Index report and its methodology
The biggest highlights from the report
The mobile games landscape today
The report insights for Word / Word Search game category
The report insights for Puzzle game category
The report insights for Card game category
The report insights for Action game category
Android or iOS?
Leaving his smartphone at home, what features would Ravi miss most?
What features he would like to see added to his smartphone?
Links and Resources:
Ravi Pimplaskar on LinkedIn
Digital Turbine company
BRAG Index IV report
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry
Quotes from Ravi Pimplaskar:
"What we did is we sort of indexed the people who play Word games against certain brands. And we really found that they had an affinity for fitness and travel. Some of their top brands included, you know, Red bull, Delta Airlines, Panera Bread. But one of the things, Word gamers, which isn't surprising, are avid readers."
"Puzzle gamers - what we really found about their interest is they gravitate towards beauty and adventure. Their favorite brand is beauty products like Aveeno. They're into Travelocity, Lululemon's brands. One of the things that we did find about puzzle gamers - they really into traveling. So, you know, that Sudoku player sitting next to you on flight he may be more typical than you think."
Host
Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012