Mass Appeal

Questions Seema answered in this episode:Do you have a sense of why a platform like Sensor Tower gets labeled as “alternative” data?What attracted you to pivoting to the mobile space, for a company like Sensor Tower?I assume the most resurrected users are in streaming and dating spaces. Am I on point or way off?What evolutions have you been seeing in advertising within social networks?Heading into the holiday season, what do you expect will happen with large e-commerce brands? Where will they be investing their mobile advertising?Timestamp:5:14 Seema’s background9:53 What is Sensor Tower?14:55 Where are the most resurrected users?20:17 Trends in-app advertising on social networks31:33 Holiday advertising for e-commerce brandsMentioned in this Episode:Seema Shah’s LinkedInSensor Tower

Ekaterina Samohovets is the Head of User Acquisition at AIBY, a company building businesses that specialize in mobile app products. With over 50 apps and more than 2 billion downloads across their portfolio, Ekaterina shares insights into her approach to managing performance marketing across a team of 25 people. Questions Ekaterina answered in this Episode:What is AIBY?What kinds of apps are in your portfolio? What are some of your biggest hits?How do you organize managing growth strategies for such a large portfolio?How do you help people on your team get up to speed with channels that they’re not as familiar with?What else is key to your success?Timestamp:2:45 Ekaterina’s performance marketing background6:30 What is AIBY?9:47 A look inside AIBY’s UA team structure13:00 Internal sharing system18:00 Tips for successMentioned in this Episode:Ekaterina Samohovets’s LinkedInAIBY

Josh Peleg, Head of Business Development at BlueThrone, shares his expertise in app acquisitions and growth strategies. He discusses how niche apps can thrive by tapping into organic traffic and user engagement. The conversation highlights the importance of app ratings, the impact of macro trends on acquisitions, and how developers can effectively present their apps for a successful exit. Peleg also addresses the role of gamification in boosting user retention and engagement, shedding light on the evolving app landscape.

What do mobile jigsaw puzzles have to do with tugging on human heartstrings? In this episode, Anastasia Zaiceva, the Chief Communications Officer at ZiMad, a reputable mobile game developer and publisher, reveals how branding can be used as a tool to evoke emotions and build relationships around mobile games. Questions Anastasia answered in this Episode:Why has ZiMad put a big emphasis on communications?Where do you put most of your energy? Is there a particular initiative you’ve been focused on over the last year in communications?With something like a jigsaw puzzle, how do you approach the idea of emotion? And how do you separate it from entertainment?Timestamp:6:21 Anastasia’s background in mobile gaming13:50 About ZiMad15:58 Communications vs user acquisition17:50 Building community around games21:48 Puzzle packs & love stories28:30 In-game features that connect peopleMentioned in this Episode:Anastasia Zaiceva’s LinkedInZiMad

In this episode, Tommy interviews  Diego Kafie, the Co-Founder and CEO of Playbite, an arcade app where players can win real prizes or earn money by creating games. They discuss taking the leap of launching a startup, monetization strategies, and the three-way relationship between app developers, players, and users who can learn how to make games through Playbite’s creator platform. Questions Diego answered in this Episode:Was leaving your job and jumping into venture funding for Playbite scary for you? What was the learning curve like?What is Playbite and how did you get backers to believe in Playbite?What models do you use to monetize Playbite?How do you overcome the obstacle of teaching aspiring creators how to code games?Timestamp:4:54 Diego’s background & origin of Playbite11:17 Launching Playbite12:54 Chuck E Cheese to Playbite17:53 Creator platform: a symbiotic relationship25:00 Monetization models30:30 Coaching aspiring game creatorsMentioned in this Episode:Diego Kafie’s LinkedInPlaybite

Learn the story of Akshay Krishnaiah, the founder and CEO of Beem, an app harnessing the power of AI to improve the financial wellbeing of the world’s working population. Unlike most fintech apps focused on markets that will produce a profit, Beem intentionally serves people regardless of income, immigration status, or credit score. Five million downloads later, find out how Beem has grown organically, thanks in part to their pressroom that cranks 400 to 500 pieces of content every week. Before founding Beem, Akshay was the Global Product Head of Research Labs at PayPal, where he led a team of innovators and filed 75 consumer fintech patent publications in areas such as digital wallets, identity platforms, and hybrid tokens. He is based in San Francisco. Questions Akshay answered in this Episode:What drives you to be an entrepreneur?What were some of the transformative experiences you had on your way to founding Beem?How do you go about educating people about your product?How is AI exemplified in your product?How did you get 5 million downloads organically?Timestamp:2:50 Akshay’s background and first hustle10:20 Akshay’s path to founding Beem15:18 Beem’s origin story22:18 Beem’s approach to financial empowerment27:35 Finding Beem’s market31:07 Bringing good intention to AI36:10 Growing Beem’s millions organicallyMentioned in this Episode:Akshay Krishnaiah’s LinkedInBeem

Do you understand your customer’s needs and how to satisfy them, at the right time? Alex Saul, an expert and consultant with 25 years of experience in customer loyalty, joins the podcast to talk about loyalty. He distills the essence of any effective loyalty program – hint: it centers around the customer – as well as ways that loyalty programs can help brands meet their strategic objectives, including monetization. You’ll learn how variable rewards can increase user engagement, how retail media can generate revenue, and how loyalty programs can help change user behavior, track omnichannel traffic, and bring valuable customer insights.Questions Alex Answered in this Episode:What experience was most important to your career?How do you go about understanding what a customer’s needs are?How have you seen the way loyalty brands view monetization change?What are variable rewards?What monetization strategies do you see work well in addition to variable rewards?Timestamp:2:00 Alex’s background5:43 Challenges in the loyalty industry7:55 Learning the true meaning of loyalty10:05 Understanding the customer12:00 The science behind loyalty14:30 How loyalty can support monetization18:00 Variable rewards23:35 What is retail media?25:23 How loyalty can help brands track omnichannel traffic28:37 Responsible retail media31:45 Consumer insights help monetizationMentioned in this Episode:Alejandro “Alex” Gonzalez Saul’s LinkedIn

In this episode Tommy chats with Bruno Rodrigues, the Regional Digital Marketing Lead at FREENOW, to learn about the European transportation super app’s approach to re-engaging users and measuring the incremental uplift of their campaigns in one of the mobile app industry’s most competitive verticals. Questions Bruno Answered in this Episode:How do you approach engagement and what importance does your business put on engagement as a strategy?How do you develop your audience clusters?How do you communicate with customers to re-engage them with your app?How do you measure incremental uplift? What challenges do you have working with different platforms that have different methodologies for measuring incrementality?Timestamp:2:14 Bruno’s background8:10 Bruno’s approach to engagement 9:45 Developing audience clusters11:38 Re-engagement communication tactics13:30 How FREENOW approaches incrementality19:07 Extensive creative testing is keyMentioned in this Episode:Bruno Romão Rodrigues’s LinkedInFREENOW

In this episode, Tommy interviews Kevin Nemeth, the Chief Digital Officer for Authentic Restaurant Brands, about the evolving landscape of digital loyalty programs for quick-service and casual dining restaurants. You'll learn how Kevin’s team differentiates their loyalty programs by offering value to their customers through special offers, ease of sign-up, and personalized experiences -- without disrupting the established brand's identity. Don’t miss this deep dive into leveraging first-party data to drive customer engagement and create compelling digital strategies for restaurant brands that keep customers coming back.Questions Kevin Answered in this Episode:What staying power did Covid’s effects on restaurants have?Is there a cost benefit to bringing customers to your website or app?How do you translate in-person restaurant experiences into a digital environment that’s useful for customers?How do you drive adoption to your loyalty program?Timestamp:2:58 Covid’s lasting impact: ordering food through apps6:00 Economics of driving customers to first-party platforms10:10 Overview of Authentic Restaurant Brands12:20 Regional Fortress Brands strategy16:33 Translating in-restaurant experiences to digital21:51 Importance of differentiation in loyalty programs22:02 Overcoming barriers to loyalty program sign-ups22:35 The success of PJ Whelihan's loyalty program25:20 The value exchange in modern loyalty programs27:27 Customer data is currency30:59 Gamification and brand recall strategies37:10 Building digital capabilities for restaurant brands40:17 What's aheadMentioned in this Episode:Kevin Nemeth’s LinkedInAuthentic Restaurant Brands

Tobi Lüder is the Head of CRM at Delivery Hero, a food and grocery delivery app operating in over 70 countries. In this episode, Tommy and Tobi talk about how to keep customers engaged with your app and converted into subscribers. You’ll learn how to win the loyalty of your customers, the difference between heavy users and loyal users, how to measure the incremental lift of your marketing efforts, and more!Questions Tobi Answered in this Episode:Does CRM strategy change significantly from one country to another?How do you keep customers engaged with the Delivery Hero brand?What is the process for identifying your heavy users that require less incentives?How are you measuring the incremental lift of your marketing efforts?Are your customers actively engaged in your loyalty program? Is that an important tool for them?How do you determine who to heavily market your subscription to and articulate the value proposition?Is frequency the most important metric when segmenting your audiences?Timestamp:2:40 Tobi’s background5:16 Changes to CRM strategies in different countries6:40 About Delivery Hero9:38 How to win the loyalty of your cusomters14:40 Heavy users vs loyal users18:12 Measuring results with control groups20:48 Attracting customers to our loyalty program15:25 Acquiring subscribers in the app28:09 Importance of frequency as a metricMentioned in this Episode:Tobi Lüder’s LinkedInDelivery Hero