Apptivate: App Marketing Explained

Today’s guest says IDFA only ever gave mobile marketers the illusion of certainty. In this episode, John Koetsier, the CEO of Sparkplug9, discusses how to use the measurement tools available today, like SKAN, to arrive at what he calls “truthy,” or within the parameters of an accurate perception of reality. John encourages marketers to move on from the past and embrace the reality that’s always existed: Mobile measurement techniques aren’t always perfect.John Koetsier also writes for Forbes about technology, including mobile, AR/VR/MR, IoT, AI, and robotics, and he hosts the TechFirst Podcast. Sparkplug9 is a business consultancy that helps tech startups win via data, insights, branding, and attention.  

In this episode, you’ll hear the latest news about Google’s Privacy Sandbox on Android –  straight from the source. Pan Katsukis, the co-founder and CEO of Remerge, sits down with Amit Varia, Director of Product Management at Google, and Niv Klein, Product Team Lead at AppsFlyer, to unpack how the Privacy Sandbox will change the future of mobile advertising on Android. Find out how attribution, retargeting, and user acquisition can be done with the Protected Audience API, learn how it limits the sharing of user data with third parties, and find out how it operates without cross-app identifiers like advertising IDs. You’ll also get advice on what app businesses can do to prepare for the upcoming changes, why this is happening now, and what opportunities are to be expected from the privacy-safe future of advertising.Questions Amit and Niv Answered in this Episode:What is Google’s Privacy Sandbox?Why is this shift happening now?Do you see other advantages to the new framework compared to where we are right now?How will Google advertising IDs change?How are attribution and retargeting being done in the Protected Audience API environment?How can we get everyone in the app ecosystem onboard?Is there anything app developers should be doing right now?What is the thinking behind the timeline to launch Android Privacy Sandbox?What is the vision of what app advertising will look like in five years?Timestamp:3:05 What is Android Privacy Sandbox?4:25 Why the shift in advertising privacy8:15 Current use of Google advertising IDs11:21 Protected Audience API (formerly Fledge)14:22 How will attribution be done17:09 Changes in retargeting mechanisms18:55 Changes in user acquisition20:40 TEEs: Trusted Execution Environments23:02 SDK run time25:10 Getting the app industry on board33:34 Steps app developers can take now36:11 Preparing for the release of Android Privacy Sandbox38:52 The vision of privacy-safe advertisingQuotes:(4:00-4:11) Amit Varia: “I’d love for everyone to think of these technologies as building blocks that app developers and ad tech companies can use to build their private advertising solutions.”(4:52-5:05) Amit Varia: “Users are becoming more aware of how valuable their own data is, how it’s being collected, and how it’s being used. As a result, we’re seeing people demand more transparency and control over their data, especially when it comes to online advertising.”(14:45-15:23) Niv Klein: “Generally speaking, the main move in attribution is from device-level reporting to aggregated reports. So, a bit similar to what we experienced in iOS, but the difference is that we’ll have a designated attribution API on the Android Privacy Sandbox that will allow for both aggregated reports—according to very flexible aggregation data levels—and event-level reports to communicate events at the click ID to the partner ad networks.” Mentioned in this Episode:Amit Varia’s LinkedInNiv Klein’s LinkedInPan Katsukis’s LinkedInResource: developer.android.com

Ludovic Thevelin advises app advertisers on their international growth strategies at Google. In this episode, host Maria Lannon talks to Ludovic about go-to-market considerations for different verticals, like gaming and fintech, how to make strategic decisions on international growth, today’s most promising untapped markets, and the LTV opportunities of, what Google calls, Next Billion User Markets.  Ludovic started working with Google eight years ago at their European headquarters in Dublin before moving to New York City and joining the international growth team five years ago.Questions Ludovic Answered in this Episode:As far as apps that you’re advising, is there a specific vertical that you’re working on?What types of mobile games expand the best? What’s the most challenging part of localizing apps?How do KPIs differ for each market?Can you give an example of when a plan for expansion didn’t work out?Do you see success in specific verticals?How do we think differently about LTV in emerging markets?What market should apps start thinking about?Timestamp:1:29 Ludovic’s role at Google3:55 Scaling gaming apps internationally8:47 Making strategic decisions on regions10:11 Considerations for emerging markets11:01 When international growth strategies don’t work out14:21 Growing fintech apps17:03 LTV opportunities in emerging markets21:22 Untapped markets & verticals27:30 Creative excellence32:31 ResourcesQuotes:(5:03-5:21) “A lot of advertisers think they’re restricted by not having a different language outside of English, but we use something called an English Proficiency Index. If you Google that, there are a lot of external tools, free, that you can use to rank or rate markets based on how comfortable users are converting in English, and those are often markets that surprise your advertisers.”(5:29-5:50) “I think the most challenging part is the culturalization piece. So when we talk about localization, you can think of it as a spectrum. The first step in that translation piece. And yes, now you can address a local audience in a local language; but what we find is U.S. advertisers are copy-pasting what they’re doing in the U.S. when they go to Germany and when they go to Japan and when they go to LATAM, but the users are very different.”Mentioned in this Episode:Ludovic Thevelin’s LinkedInGoogle’s Market FinderGoogle’s Next Billion UsersGoogle’s Mobile Insight Report

Today’s guest is an expert in helping startups successfully launch new mobile apps and web products. In this episode, David Jumper, a managing partner at Hyper Digital Partners, shares the top five most common mistakes he sees startups making in their performance marketing, and offers his advice on what to do instead. David Jumper is a managing partner at Hyper Digital Partners. He’s a growth expert with over 15 years of experience in scaling apps and web products across the gaming, entertainment, and e-commerce verticals. Questions David Answered in this Episode:What does Hyper DP do and do you work with specific verticals?What are some of the key mistakes startups make when launching and marketing their apps?What advice would you offer about MMP integration to ensure reliable tracking?What is your point-of-view on how startups should or shouldn’t be thinking about creatives when it comes to growth marketing?What advice do you have on optimization and the funnel for new apps?What do you have to say about budgeting when it comes to running campaigns?Timestamp:1:22 David’s background and Hyper DP8:51 Attribution: sacrificing measurement12:00 Caution when integrating with MMPs14:45 Making creative an afterthought18:30 Optimization errors and bidding down the funnel22:40 Spreading the budget too thinQuotes:(16:27-16:40) “Carve out a budget to make your creatives and set yourself up to make iterations of these in the future. If you don’t make this investment, maybe you’ll get lucky but more often than not, you won’t.”Mentioned in this Episode:David Jumper’s LinkedInHyper DPFrom Hyper DP’s blog, “Top 5 Mistakes Startups Make When Launching Performance Marketing”

In the second part of this two-part episode, Tara Kirkpatrick, a Mobile Trends Analyst at Apptopia, breaks down popular engagement and retention strategies used by the most downloaded apps of 2022, according to Apptopia’s report “How App Download Leaders Are Winning” (released Feb. 2023). Learn how apps got ahead of their competitors with loyalty schemes, reward programs, and retention “core loops.”Apptopia is a performance intelligence platform that generates insights across mobile apps and connected devices. Every year, they put out the app download leader charts for app store categories and sub-categories. This year they took a closer look at the strategies apps are using to increase their downloads and broke them down in a report into three areas: acquisition, engagement, and retention.Questions Tara Answered in this Episode:What can apps do once they get users to download their apps to ensure that they remain engaged?Tell us more about the retention portion of the report.Timestamp:28:23 Winning strategies for app loyalty and rewards programs34:00 Clear progress tracking and custom rewards37:52 Ushering users into a “Core Loop”Quotes:(31:26-31:55) “Earning a reward is actually a rewarding experience for humans because we’re innately geared towards progress. If you can incentivize action and make that experience fun, or use a bit of scarcity so that the experience becomes a little bit more exciting, then that’s where you’re motivating the acquisition and activation piece  – and then long-term engagement.”(47:47-47:55) “Gaming sets this high bar for the mechanisms of mobile that if you are an app in any category you can look to gaming for inspiration.”Mentioned in this Episode:Tara Kirkpatrick’s LinkedInApptopiaApptopia Report: “How App Download Leaders Are Winning”

In the first of this two-part episode, Tara Kirkpatrick, a Mobile Trends Analyst at Apptopia, breaks down popular acquisition strategies used by the most downloaded apps of 2022, according to Apptopia’s report “How App Download Leaders Are Winning” (released Feb. 2023). Learn how apps get ahead of their competitors with app store search ads and curating the right ad network mix. Apptopia is a performance intelligence platform that generates insights across mobile apps and connected devices. Every year, they put out the app download leader charts for app store categories and sub-categories. This year they took a closer look at the strategies apps are using to increase their downloads and broke them down in a report across three areas: acquisition, engagement, and retention. Questions Tara Answered in this Episode:What does it mean when you’re bidding on branded key terms versus non-branded key terms? What would that be from a user experience standpoint?Timestamp:1:15 Apptopia & Tara’s role10:42 How app download leaders are winning14:08 App store search ads: Home Depot vs Lowes18:33 Bidding on branded vs non-branded key terms in app store20:53 Curating the right ad network mix25:11 Temu case study: DoubleClick over Meta Ad NetworkQuotes:(7:28-7:42) “We joked 10 years ago that there’s an app for that because there were so many apps, but in fact now you need an app for most businesses just to have that need for an environment that you control with your customers and that consistent customer experience.”Mentioned in this Episode:Tara Kirkpatrick’s LinkedInApptopiaApptopia Report: “How App Download Leaders Are Winning”

Lomit Patel returns to the Apptivate podcast to share his experiences marketing Tynker, an Edtech product that teaches kids how to code. The platform reaches 60 million users in over 150 countries. In his new role as Chief Growth officer, Lomit discusses how the team got kids excited about coding and engaged teachers and parents to use the app.Lomit Patel has worked in growth at startups for over 20 years. He is the author of Lean AI and a Forbes Business Development Council Member. He’s worked at a number of startups that have gone on to become an IPO, like Roku, or that have been acquired by other companies, like Texture.Questions Lomit Answered in this Episode:How is Tynker and what do you do there?How did Tynker acquire its 60 million users?Does your approach to growth stay consistent from company to company?Do you see investing in branding initiatives as a more valuable medium when remarketing isn’t possible?Where do you see AI going in the near future, specifically as it relates to growth marketing?Timestamp:1:37 Lomit’s background4:00 Tynker & Lomit’s role7:00 How Tynker reached 60 million users10:50 Genesis of their Mindcraft angle14:15 Changing the growth playbook for kid-oriented products19:29 Marketing to mass audiences23:40 How we’re evolving with AIQuotes:(2:16-2:26) “As I’ve spent more and more time learning about growth, you really come to realize the value of data and how important that is to make different decisions.”(11:12-11:19) “It’s really hard to market directly to kids, so you have to figure out how you can influence kids to really learn about your product?”(17:04-17:18) “You can’t really remarket to kids. So the big part comes down to how do you use your data and how do you create better personalized experiences, how do you use in-app messaging to really be contextually relevant to what the user’s looking for?”Mentioned in this Episode:Lomit Patel’s LinkedInTynkerLean AI by Lomit Patel

Jennie Lewis is the Senior Manager of Customer Insights at Airship. In this Women In Mobile episode, Jennie shares her positive approach and experience to navigating male-dominated tech fields, such as solutions architecture. She and the host, Maria Lannon, discuss how to build a more diverse pipeline of executive leadership for the future. At Airship, Jennie helps brands understand the economic impact and quantitative results of their mobile app strategies. Airship is known for its push notification and in-app messaging solutions and for mastering mobile app experiences to engage customers and win their loyalty. Previously, Jennie worked at Epsilon in custom email development and CrowdTwist in solutions architecture.

Saadi Muslu is the Head of Content and Product Marketing at Singular. She immigrated to the U.S. when she was 6 years old from Turkey and was the first woman in her family to graduate from college. These experiences, among others,  taught her how to ask a lot of questions, be resourceful, and build relationships with the right people – ultimately fueling her success in the mobile industry. In this Women in Mobile episode, Saadi shares how to overcome impostor syndrome, what makes a good manager, how to attract and hire top talent, and all the reasons she’s excited to be working in mobile right now. Singular is a next-gen mobile measurement partner and thought leader in SKAdNetwork. Singular’s intelligent SaaS platform enables mobile marketers to unify, analyze and optimize all of their marketing channels through a single dashboard, without any required SDKs. Prior to her role at Singular, Saadi was the Product Marketing Manager at Kenshoo.Questions Saadi Answered in this Episode:How did you get to where you are today?How did you build the confidence to start asking questions and speaking up?How did you transition into a management role?How did you attract top talent and scale your team?What are you most excited about in our industry?Any resources you recommend?Timestamp:1:31 Saadi’s story9:00 Overcoming impostor syndrome15:40 Leaning into being new to the industry17:27 What makes a good manager?23:44 Attracting and hiring top talent34:07 Disruption, competitors, and opportunities38:46 More women in mobile marketing43:51 ResourcesQuotes:(8:59-9:17) “I think being a really young immigrant, I learned how to assimilate. The feeling of feeling unfamiliar is familiar to me. I was facing what a lot of young professionals face, which is impostor syndrome.”(11:38-11:58) “One thing that I learned to [help me] overcome the impostor syndrome or my lack of technical background now that I worked in AdTech was letting myself be comfortable in asking questions and being vulnerable by explaining that I don’t understand this concept – can you explain it to me? That was really life-changing for me.”(12:48-3:09) “Being comfortable asking questions and being resourceful is a part of being a successful worker and growing professionally. It’s not a sign of weakness. Overcoming that mental misunderstanding or that misperception that, ‘Oh asking a lot of questions means I don't know what I’m talking about.’ Quite the opposite. Asking a lot of questions means I’m trying to become an expert at this.”Mentioned in this Episode:Saadi Muslu’s LinkedinSingularMobile Dev MemoRemerge’s BlogThe Mobile Attribution Privacy CoalitionJohn KoetsierElena Madrigal’s LinkedInUdi Ledergor’s LinkedIn

Welcome back to another year celebrating International Women’s Month and the women who work in our mobile marketing industry. In this episode, our host, Maria Lannon, interviews Allie Hitchcock, the Lifecycle Marketing Manager at Houzz. They talk about helping users get the most out of an app product, turning mistakes into positive opportunities, and how to be successful when working remotely.  Houzz is an app for home designs and remodels. Prior to becoming the Lifecycle Marketing Manager at Houzz, Allie was a Lifecycle Marketing Manager at Loom. She is based in Orlando, Florida.Questions Allie Answered in this Episode:What channels are you using to retain the pros on Houzz? What does your day-to-day look like?How are the two groups of users getting connected and are you a part of that cycle?What brought you to Lifecycle Marketing at Houzz? Where were you before?What advice do you have for anyone working remotely and by themselves in their role? What’s helped you be successful in a remote work environment?What are some KPIs that you’re looking at on a day-to-day basis?Is there anything that you want to work on professionally or personally in 2023?What are you most excited about regarding the future of mobile marketing?Do you have any advice for women starting out their careers?Any resources that have been helpful to you that you’d recommend?Timestamp:2:33 Allie’s role as Lifecycle Marketing Manager at Houzz8:04 Allie’s background13:16 Tips for success in remote work environments16:48 The KPIs that matter18:48 Switching up my remote environment21:15 Connecting users with their own data24:00 Words of wisdom for emerging marketers25:28 ResourcesQuotes:(9:08-9:20) “I learned a lot about understanding the user perspective – making sure that you’re understanding things from their point-of-view and not taking for granted the things that we know working internally.”(21:16-21:24) “There are more opportunities than ever to help connect users with their own data and their own successes in using an app.”(22:04-22:10) “I think any opportunity to spark joy and help users be genuinely happy about what they’re doing with your app is a win-win.”Mentioned in this Episode:Allie Hitchcock’s LinkedInHouzzBook: Build a Brand like Trader Joe's by Mark GardinerBook: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim CollinsAdWeekwww.askamanager.org