Apptivate: App Marketing Explained

In this episode, we speak to Diego Salazar, the Paid Media Lead, and Daniela ‘Dani’ Aschentrupp, the Ad Ops & Acquisitions Lead, at DiDi, one of the world’s biggest mobility and food delivery apps. Get a full-funnel perspective with best practices for re-engaging lapsed users and top tips for acquiring new ones. This episode also covers creative strategies and how to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns, along with a round-up of what to do in Mexico City!Questions Diego and Dani answered in this episode:Dani, what’s one story about mobile marketing you have to share with our listeners from a global giant like DiDi?How do you measure brand campaigns?Diego, can you give us some tips on creative strategy for re-engagement?Do you have any favorite call-to-actions for re-engagement on the creative side?Dani, what are your tips for UA creative strategies?What best practices do you have to share about measurement for UA and retargeting?How do you re-engage dormant users?What are some of the biggest challenges you face when marketing to your customers?What predictions do you have for the Google Privacy Sandbox?What should I see in Mexico City?Timestamp:0:53 Intro to DiDi and the guests2:12 Measuring the effectiveness of brand campaigns6:03 Creative strategy tips for re-engagement7:58 Creative strategy tips for UA9:40 Measurement best practices for retargeting13:26 Re-engaging lapsed users incrementally14:51 What problem are you solving for your user?17:25 Marketing challenges20:28 Why a full-funnel approach to attribution is better22:00 Predictions for Google’s Privacy Sandbox24:17 What is there to do in Mexico City?Quotes:(6:40-6:53) - “Regarding creatives, it's very important to keep an updated pipeline with different ideas that you can continuously test to identify the top-performing message.”(8:11-8:32) “You already know what works [for your creatives]: good incentive, good value proposition, and clear messaging. I would say stick to that. Stick to what works. Once you figure out what works for you, it’s time to test more on the placement side. Compare video versus banner versus rich media, and so on.”(14:55-15:07) “You have to clearly understand what it is that you are solving for the user. When you come from that mindset, I think everything else falls into place.”Mentioned in this Episode:Diego Salazar’s LinkedInDaniela Aschentrupp’s LinkedInDiDi

Apptivate’s newest host, Taylor Lobdell, interviews Thomas Kriebernegg, the co-founder of App Radar, an App Store Optimization (ASO) platform. They talk about how mobile marketers can use generative AI to reduce production time, improve the outcomes of their ASO efforts, and elevate their paid user acquisition (UA) campaigns. Listen now for more details.Questions Thomas answered in this episode:What is app store optimization?How can smaller apps compete with big brands on ASO?How can mobile marketers use AI for ASO?What is paid UA?How are you bringing in AI to help with paid UA?Where should marketers start with using ChatGTP, or generative AI?Where do you see AI going in the near or distant future?Timestamp:1:08 Thomas’s background2:21 What is app store optimization? (ASO)4:18 Fierce competition on the app store6:50 Using AI for ASO10:42 Why use paid UA?12:30 Using AI for paid UA15:00 Getting started with ChatGTP16:30 The limitations of AI17:58 The future of AIQuotes:(12:30-12:47) “From my point of view, one of the big underlying topics that AI enables is what I would call ‘mass-customization.’ This means that instead of running one ad and trying to make it perfect for everyone, you can run 10 ads for 10 different target audiences.”Mentioned in this episode:Thomas Kriebernegg’s LinkedInApp RadarSplitmetrics

This week, we bring you an episode from Singular’s Growth Masterminds Podcast about what targeting and retargeting will look like for mobile marketers on the Android Privacy Sandbox, featuring Luckey Harpley (Remerge’s Principal Product Manager), Omri Gal (Singular’s Head of Privacy), and host John Koetsier. Learn about the initial testing and campaigns that Remerge has run with Singular’s new SDK for the Sandbox’s Protected Audiences API – and find out what to expect when the rollout takes place.Questions answered in this episode:What is the Protected Audiences API?What’s the function of the protected apps signal API?How is this related to the Topics API?How will targeting work with the Privacy Sandbox?How will retargeting work with Privacy Sandbox?Tell us about Singular’s testing of the Privacy SandboxHow does retargeting work when user data stays on the device?How can app marketers prepare for this?Timestamp:1:25 What’s new with the Privacy Sandbox?3:46 What is the Protected Audiences API?5:15 How does the Protected Apps Signal API work?6:30 Is it a better Topics API?10:56 What will targeting look like with the Privacy Sandbox?12:45 What will retargeting look like with the Privacy Sandbox?17:20 Testing Singular’s SDK with the Privacy Sandbox23:00 How retargeting can work with on-device data24:20 How can mobile marketers prepare for the Privacy Sandbox?Quotes:(3:47-4:00) “The Protected Audiences API started off its life as an API focused on solving the retargeting problem, but it’s become a lot more than that. I think remarketing will, in the end, be a small part of it.”(23:00-23:26) “It’s not that all information lives on the device, but rather, all the information that can track a user across apps lives on the device. So our advertisers will still be able to track with their MMP partners. They just won’t know which users are in app A, B, C – but they’ll still know what users are doing in app A – and what they’re doing in app B and C. They just won’t be able to connect them together.” Mentioned in this Episode:Singular’s Growth Masterminds PodcastLucky Harply’s LinkedInOmri Gal’s LinkedIn

How will mobile demand-side platforms (DSPs) and supply-side platforms (SSPs) bid on and sell ad placements via Google’s Privacy Sandbox for Android? Find out as Remerge’s CEO and Co-founder, Pan Katsukis, interviews Verve Group’s Head of Mobile Product, Gaylord Zach, and Google’s Android Privacy Sandbox’s Product Manager for the Protected Audience API, Trenton Starkey. Mobile advertisers and publishers can learn about the all-new on-device auction system, how it works, and how they can prepare for the rollout of the Android Privacy Sandbox.Questions Answered in this Episode:What is Verve Group’s approach to the Privacy Sandbox? And what led you to become one of the first SSPs in the industry to test the auction system?How is early testing of the Protected Audience API going?Can you describe the on-device bidding test between Verve and Remerge?How did the test work? What challenges were there in the implementation and testing? How are you solving these challenges?How can advertisers and publishers prepare for the rollout of Android’s Privacy Sandbox?Timestamp:0:26 Today's Topic: Privacy Sandbox1:22 Meet the Guests: Trenton Starkey and Gaylord Zach2:16 Verve Group’s approach to Privacy Sandbox5:28 Why Google is collaborating with the industry to build the Privacy Sandbox10:27 The importance of early testing of Android’s Protected API12:55 Recap of Verve and Remerge’s on-device bidding test20:09 Next steps: What’s changing for publishers and advertisers?33.48 Final thoughtsQuotes:28:26 - Pank Katsukis: ”These milestones for the Privacy Sandbox are the foundations for setting up, running and scaling campaigns in the privacy-first era.” 31:40 - Trenton Starkey: ”Now is the time to work on our privacy-focused solutions. It’s a great opportunity to rethink how advertisers and publishers can keep delivering great experiences.” 34:56 - Gaylord Zach: ”By having powerful technologies at hand, we can really develop advertising products that allow us to reach the right audiences.”Mentioned in this Episode:Pan Katsukis’s LinkedInRemergeGaylord Zach’s LinkedInVerve GroupTrenton Starkey’s LinkedInWhat is the Privacy Sandbox Protected Audience API?

Amadeus Norén is the Director of Product Marketing at Amity. Amity’s platform provides customizable SDKs for every social feature imaginable so that app-based businesses can launch, grow, and monetize their in-app social community. In this episode, you’ll learn how to leverage this community, and why not doing so could be a missed opportunity for your brand.Questions Amadeus Answered in this Episode:Why should businesses consider moving away from social media platforms to build their communities within their apps?Why is it important for apps to own the user data of their social network?How can apps monetize their in-app communities?How can you use the customer feedback collected from the conversations of your in-app community?Does Amity’s platform address the challenges companies are facing right now?What does your day-to-day look like when marketing Amity’s products?Can apps track revenue or user engagement generated from within their in-app community?Timestamp:0:49 Amadeus’s background1:27 What is Amity?4:32 The decline of Facebook group organic reach5:43 Why build your community within your app?7:44 How to monetize your in-app community9:17 Use cases for collected customer feedback11:40 Amity’s AI tool14:24 Marketing Amity’s products17:13 Evaluating the performance of Amity’s platform19:17 User expectations for social networks22:23 What’s Amadeus excited about in the futureQuotes:(4:42-5:01) “Ten years ago, your organic reach for a Facebook page was 20 to 15 percent. Currently, the organic reach for all of the following that you’ve built up on your Facebook page is one percent. So in order to reach your audience, you now need to pay for ads to reach those people.”(9:37-9:46) “You can take all of the data from conversations that are happening in your in-app community, analyze it with AI, and make smarter decisions for the future.”Mentioned in this Episode:Amadeus Norén’s LinkedInAmity

Catherine Perloff is the platforms reporter at Adweek, an American publication covering news related to the brand marketing ecosystem. In this episode, Catherine gives us the latest news on what’s happening within the murkiness of cookie depreciation and the advertising industry’s no-ID world. She also discusses emerging trends from AI-powered media buying to retail media and more.At Adweek, Catherine focuses on how media buyers and brands spend their marketing budgets, what channels are most effective for them, and what struggles they encounter in buying the best media to reach the right audience. She also covers how publishers monetize effectively with digital marketing tools. Questions Catherine answered in this episode:What does ‘platforms’ mean from the perspective of a marketing reporter?What's the feedback from the industry on Meta’s AI-powered Advantage+?Besides the impacts of privacy, what other trends do you foresee happening this year?How do you stay up-to-date on what’s happening in the marketing space?Timestamp:0:52 Catherine’s background4:39 Unpacking the platforms7:33 ATT’s impact on Meta for advertisers11:00 The scoop on Meta’s AI-powered Advantage+13:46 What’s happening in the no-ID world15:45 The future of AI-driven media buying17:10 Retail media and connected TV21:25 ID bridging: shady business?25:44 ResourcesQuotes:(7:39-7:59) “I think that there was a mindset that you could build a whole business on Meta, like that would be your main channel – and after ATT, I think a lot of businesses, especially DTC brands, realized they had to diversify.”(15:01-15:20) “The purveyors of premium inventory are always going to say that high-quality inventory will be performative. I don’t think that’s true, but it’s definitely harder to prove. It’s often said that if you can’t track it, it’s branding.”(16:47-17:07) “AI is being used for creativity in the advertising space. Is generative AI going to replace creative agencies? Is it going to replace copywriters? It poses a real existential threat to media agencies if more of the technology is doing the decision-making.” Mentioned in this Episode:Catherine Perloff’s LinkedInEmail: catherine.perloff@adweek.comTwitter (X): @catherineperlo1Adweek

Janos Perei is the Head of Growth for SYBO Games, the mobile game developer responsible for Subway Surfers, one of the most downloaded mobile games on the planet. In this episode, you’ll learn how SYBO is navigating privacy regulations in the U.S. and Europe and the importance of working cross-functionally with your teams. Before joining SYBO, Janos worked for Voodoo and Socialpoint. Questions Janos Answered in this Episode:How is SYBO approaching user data privacy?What data points do you still rely on in performance marketing related to user privacy?How do you communicate your privacy policy to your users?How do you come together internally to discuss the business’s approach to privacy regulations?How are you using some of that data to inform your decisions without operating in a grey area?Timestamp:1:10 Janos Perei’s background3:28 SYBO’s approach to privacy5:24 Communicating consent with users9:22 Setting up our internal teams around privacy13:08 Short-term pains for long-term gainsQuotes:(3:42-3:56) “As human beings, we value our privacy – so we also value the chance to safeguard and decide how our users’ data is used. Coming from this mindset has been our guiding principle from the very beginning.”(6:08-6:25) “We try to put compliance first –  so if a user doesn’t consent, we might not even initialize certain SDK systems and certain technical tracking infrastructure, to make sure we can safeguard the privacy of the user from the get-go.”Mentioned in this Episode:Janos Perei’s LinkedInSYBO Games

Gokce Oguz is the co-founder of Playable Factory, a Turkey-based company creating playable ads for gaming studios and brands with apps. Patrick interviews Gokce to learn all about playable ads for gaming studios and brands with apps. Find out what types of games or brands playables work best for, which types perform the best, when to iterate on your ads, and what the future of AI holds for creatives in mobile marketing. Questions Gokce answered in this episode:What types of gaming studios are using playable ads? And is there a distinction between the types of playables being used and the subcategories of the gaming studios?What makes a playable ad perform well, or not?How much should advertisers be iterating on their playable ads?Is there a difference between gaming studios and non-gaming studios when using these creative assets?What’s your viewpoint on the future of AI and creatives in mobile marketing?Timestamp:1:59 What does Playable Factory do3:43 Who uses playable ads6:12 What contributes to a well-performing playable ad9:07 When to iterate on playables10:40 Using playable ads for gaming apps vs non-gaming apps13:01 The future of AI and creatives in mobile marketingQuotes:(3:45-4:00) “Mostly casual game publishers and hyper-casual game publishers are using playable ads, but for publishers that have more mid-core games or role-playing type of games, it’s a little bit harder to use them.”(4:08-4:20) “The brands and apps running campaigns in SDK Networks are the ones mostly using playable ads because they are performing the best in those ad networks.”Mentioned in this Episode:Gokce Oguz’s LinkedInPlayable Factory

Günay is the co-founder of Gamelight, a user acquisition platform for app developers and a game and app recommendation platform for users. Gamelight’s success can be attributed to its powerful AI algorithm. Learn how UA managers are leveraging tech to pair users with mobile games that they’ll love.Questions Günay Answered in this Episode:How does Gamelight work?What technology are you leveraging to run your platform?Has Gamelight had this technology from the start?What is your background and how did you come to start Gamelight?What have you learned from building this AI algorithm?How does that change the role of a UA manager?What have you seen that works really well for the games that advertise on your platform?How do you convince games to advertise on your platform?How do you acquire users to your recommendation platform?What do you see coming ahead in the industry?Timestamp:1:53 What is Gamelight?3:27 The AI technology behind Gamelight6:58 Günay’s story9:18 What we’ve learned from building our AI algorithm11:23 The role of the UA manager15:27 What draws publishers to advertise our platform?17:23 How our recommendation platform works21:38 How I become a mobile gamer24:52 What’s aheadQuotes:(5:08-5:27) “We let the algorithm decide because it’s way more granular and can analyze more data points than a human. This is how it brings much better UA results for our advertisers because it can pick every single user that could be the best fit for them instead of taking average gender or age for users.”(13:04-13:13) “[Humans] are more creative. They can have better ideas on what to do and how to plan UA campaigns in a more strategic way.”Mentioned in this Episode:Günay Aliyeva’s LinkedInGamelight

As part of our Women in Mobile series celebrating Women’s History Month, Maria Lannon from Remerge talks to Lana Dubinskiy, an AI product advisor and a co-founder of Women and AI. Women and AI is an initiative highlighting women working in the field of artificial intelligence and providing relevant industry news. It was created so that women could help each other shine within this male-dominated sector of the tech industry.Questions Lana answered in this episode:How did you end up in product advertising? Did you have a mentor?Did you ever feel intimidated to speak up?How have you been able to get other women to join?Are there certain resources that you gravitate towards that have helped you?How do you prioritize your day to stay on top of things? How do you prioritize your “you” time?What is the best piece of advice you’ve received? And what is the worst?Timestamp:2:27 Lana’s background4:02 Getting into male-dominated professions5:57 Data points: How to speak with confidence7:18 The creation of Women and AI9:00 Get involved with Women and AI11:40 Growing is uncomfortable14:40 Staying on top of AI news18:25 Compartmentalizing clients as a consultant21:46  Work-life balance24:52 The worst and best adviceQuotes:(4:26-4:36) “I see a lot of people get to a certain level and they feel like they just want to be on top of the mountain by themselves. I think it’s so important, as women, to give back to our community and mentor other women.”(8:00-8:23) “We went to conferences and there were only a few women there. We could have spoken at the conference – we had more knowledge than the presenters there. So it was very disheartening. We felt like this is something we can do: We can highlight other women. We can show boss ladies, CEOs, that are working in the AI space, dominating it, and really making an impact.”Mentioned in this Episode:Lana Dubinskiy’s LinkedInWomen and AIWomen and AI Podcast