Apptivate: App Marketing Explained

Alexey Gusev is a lead performance marketer at Goodgame Studios, a mobile and browser game developer and publisher based in Hamburg, Germany. In this episode, Alexey shares his team’s journey to adapt its performance measurement strategies with SKAdNetwork, not only for their range of mobile game titles and genres but for each game. He also gets specific about the differences of working with SKAdNetwork 4.0. Questions Alexey Answered in this Episode:What does it feel like when a new game launches?How long after you launch until you have good KPIs?Have certain titles been difficult to manage with SKAdNetwork?Across your titles, have you tried to create a uniform way of measuring conversion values with SKAN? Do you apply the same logic across all your titles?Is it fair to assume that even if you’ve built out a great infrastructure for SKAN on hardcore titles you still have fewer insights than you used to two years ago?At what point when you lose that granularity of data do you just look at macro effects and media mix modeling to determine the effectiveness of your overall strategy?What are a few of the major changes to SKAdNetwork that you’ve recognized?Timestamp:2:02 On launching a new game4:36 Alexey’s background8:00 About Goodgame Studios10:28 How Goodgame Studios managed changes with ATT14:32 Why every game needs its own measurement strategy18:00 What determines the profitability19:43 Adapting to SKAdNetwork 4.0Quotes:(14:33-14:43) “What we learned during this whole process is that every title, every game–not even every genre–every game needs to be approached very differently.”(15:12-15:36) “If it’s a hyper-casual genre, within 24 hours you have plenty of events. It gets a bit tricker when we’re stepping into the mid-core, hardcore genres where just the volume of the events is completely different and the user behavior patterns are way more complex in comparison to the rather straightforward casual user flow. (16:10-16:17) “Given the fact that we don’t get as granular information, we try to look at way more information in general.”Mentioned in this Episode:Alexey Gusev’s LinkedInGoodgame StudiosBitLife

After five years working for retail industries ranging from fashion and beauty to toys, Tiffanie Chau decided to look for opportunities as a marketer in a new vertical. She landed in the mobile gaming industry, first as the Digital Marketing Specialist at Playtika, and more recently as Senior User Acquisition Manager at Mistplay, a loyalty app for mobile gamers. In this episode, Tiffanie talks about making the switch, the skills she transferred, what she had to learn, and differences in marketing strategy.Questions Tiffanie Answered in this Episode:Do you prefer working on more established games or launching new titles?Did you have any games not make it?Why did you decide to make the shift from the retail industry to gaming?What was the hardest thing for you to pick up moving into the mobile gaming vertical?What skills translated into the mobile gaming space? Do you have to educate your consumer base for Mistplay’s loyalty program?What has you most excited about your future at Mistplay?Timestamp:3:30 Tiffanie’s background5:11 Big titles vs new titles7:19 When do you let go?8:34 Mistplay11:26 The shift to mobile games13:05 Challenges coming into the industry14:46 What skills and knowledge transfers16:42 Creative strategies for Mistplay20:26 What Tiffanie’s excited forQuotes:(7:25-7:37) “In today’s world with TikTok where things can instantly become viral without you even trying, I think it makes things exciting but it also makes things hard because there is no recipe to follow.”(13:27-13:49) “If I had any advice for people going into [the mobile gaming industry], it’s don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn. As much as we read up on it and think you should know it, there’s no harm in asking. Everyone works differently and has different definitions of abbreviations. I always just ask. It’s better to clear it out and move on from there.”Mentioned in this Episode:Tiffanie Chau’s LinkedInMistplay

Phil Golas is the Vice President of Technology and Activation in Ad Operations at Spark Foundry, a global media agency brand under the Publicis Groupe. He consults some of the world’s largest brands on advertising technology. In this episode, Phil shares an agency’s perspective on big brands and mobile measurement, including education, dispelling fears, shifts in advertising spend, and key growth areas to get excited about for the future.Questions Phil Answered in this Episode:What got you to your current VP role at Spark Foundry?Do you find yourself spending more time on one medium of screen?How do you stay educated on every media?Is there a particular subject matter that you really love to talk about these days?Are there good solutions for brand safety?When it comes to mobile, tell me about what you’re working on the most these days or maybe some big changes that you’ve seen over the last year?What’s the hardest thing for brands, like Quick Service Restaurant brands, to understand about mobile measurement? What requires the most education?How do these brands respond to getting such granular levels of performance metrics?How do you find your partners’ ability to adapt to Apple’s privacy changes? How do you reduce the fears?Did a lot of brands shift their advertising funds from iOS to Android when Apple’s privacy changes first hit? And if so, has it changed since?What are you excited about for the future?Timestamp:3:17 Phil’s background6:07 Ace of the screens8:55 Brand safety12:11 Uptick with mobile measurement16:50 The ah-ha moment with mobile measurement18:55 Giving clients the bigger picture22:30 Advertising spend in response to privacy changes26:01 Key growth area of the futureQuotes:(9:18-9:29) “With everything going on in the world, everyone wants to have their ad be seen but also not seen against certain content. [Brand safety is] a very touchy subject but one that’s top of mind and always evolving.”(12:16-12:33) “I think over the past year-and-a-half or two years, a lot of businesses have had to pivot the way that they conduct business. So, we’re seeing a lot more advertisers, brands, and clients thinking about, asking about, and trying to get educated on mobile measurement and how to do that.”Mentioned in this Episode:Phil Golas’s LinkedInSpark Foundry

Mariana D’Avila is a natural at being a leader and confronting inappropriate behaviors towards women in the workplace. In this episode, she shares more than one occasion in which she had to pull a coworker aside to address their disrespectful behavior. She gives her tips on how to address this situation in a productive and compassionate way.Mariana D’Avila is the Head of Growth at Appreach, which consults app companies on holistic media strategies. She is based in Ceará in Brazil by the beautiful beach of Taiba where she kitesurfs in her free time.Questions Mariana Answered in this Episode:Tell us about starting your career in mobile and moving into a management position at a young age?Managers often feel like they’re supposed to have all the answers. How do you deal with that?What do you need in your day-to-day to do your best work?What is a leadership lesson that’s transformed your thinking?What’s been the most challenging part of your career so far?Who do women speak up in a situation where male colleagues are being condescending?How have you been able to build your support net?Timestamp:3:44 Appreach & Mariana’s role9:10 Awareness as a manager13:41 Must-have for success17:31 Biggest leadership lessons22:57 Mariana’s biggest challenge so far27:35 Speaking up to disrespectful colleagues33:54 Build your network of women professionals37:00 Getting your message throughQuotes:(10:26-10:33) “I think you need to always be able to raise your hand, to be humble, to say, ‘I don’t know.’”(12:40-12:56) “Self awareness is one of the most important things to have because if you don’t know yourself, if you don’t know your triggers, you’ll find yourself lost. Not just professionally but what you want for your life.”(17:40-17:48) “Knowledge is the one thing no one can take from you. So be committed to developing it every day.”Mentioned in this Episode:Mariana D’Avila’s LinkedInAppreach

Joaquín Flores is the Global Online Vice President at Kavak, a digital ecosystem of services for buying and selling used vehicles in Latin America, including financing, maintenance, and auto insurance. Kavak changed the way people buy and sell cars in Mexico and beyond. Joaquín discusses how consumers can adapt to new purchasing habits and why building an app was integral to Kavak’s marketing strategy. Joaquín is a mathematician who moved into the world of tech when he realized that individuals have the ability to change consumer behaviors. Before his role at Kavak, he worked in a variety of roles, from search engine marketing for Linio México and strategic planning for Coca-Cola FEMA to Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Business Intelligence for Variv Venture Builder. Joaquín is based in Mexico City.Questions Joaquín Answered in this Episode:Why do you think the digital startup industry has been accelerating in Mexico, and when did it become apparent to you that the industry was growing significantly?Where do your focuses lie today as Global Online VP for Kavak?What was the reason for building out an app?How do you see the app playing within the consumer lifecycle?How do you educate people about a platform like Kavak? And what is their readiness to use a platform like this?What’s got you really excited about 2022?Timestamp:3:18 From mathematician to tech startup9:41 Joaquin’s background15:34 Why Kavak exists18:43 Joaquin’s focus22:37 Why Kavak built an app31:20 Showing a new way to buy/sell cars35:23 What’s to comeQuotes:(6:34-6:50) “It was interesting to see that users evolve. Our habits evolve. The way we consume evolved, and it’s not fixed. It’s something that you can actually change as an individual, that with an idea you can actually change the mindset.”(23:57-24:10) “Why build an app? I think because we have to be able to create long-lasting relationships with our users. We need to be able to not only offer services that we create but to actually listen to the user in every step.”Mentioned in this Episode:Joaquín Flores’s LinkedInKavak

Andre Kempe, founder of the mobile app and performance marketing agency Admiral Media, returns to Apptivate to discuss The Growth Loop. The e-book covers the processes and details needed to grow apps through marketing campaigns, from planning and setting KPIs to mapping events and optimizing once a campaign is live. The Growth Loop is for CEOs, senior marketers, and junior marketers alike.Since the last time Andre aired on Apptivate, the size of Admiral Media’s team has quadrupled. Prior to starting the agency, Andre has been the Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Performance Marketing at several companies, including LOVOO, Zalando, and Free2Move. Andre currently doubles as a marketing advisor and is living his best life in Marbella, Spain.Questions Andre Answered in this Episode:●   What has been your biggest challenge in expanding your team so dramatically?●   What made you want to start Admiral Media?●   Where do you find that you help your mobile app clients the most at your agency?●   Why is NFT marketing so different?●   What is “The Growth Loop” and why did your team go through the effort of creating this e-book?●   What is the audience for this e-book?●   Is there a topic that marketers tend to have the most challenges with?●   Have you observed a lot of confusion around how to best implement conversion value mapping?●   Are you seeing the marketers are getting smarter with effectively spending on Facebook campaigns or programmatic?Timestamp:●   3:30 Challenges for an agency founder●   7:40 Andre’s background●  10:58 Why Andre started Admiral Media●  13:00 Admiral Media specialties●  16:23 NFT marketing● 18:48 The Growth Loop e-book●  22:33 Who is The Growth Loop for?●   24:30 What most marketers get wrong●   29:37 Conversion value mappingQuotes:(20:54-21:05) “With The Growth Stack we see a lot of tooling. With The Growth Loop you get all the processes and tiny bits of information that you need to actually execute on some of the pieces seen on The Growth Stack.”(23:05-23:11) “Maybe the CEO needs to learn how to run a Facebook campaign because later on you can challenge the agency.”Mentioned in this Episode:●  Andre Kempe’s LinkedIn●  Admiral Media●  The Growth Loop

When the Marketing Director of Brazil’s leading ride-hailing app, 99, went looking for a brand cause, she discovered a significant disproportion between Brazil's percentage of women  versus 99's percentage of women drivers. The more 99 listened to its female users, the more they realized how national domestic abuse, public safety, and financial independence affected them. The app added several features to empower Brazilian women to become drivers and feel safer as passengers using the app - this not only boosted their brand’s popularity, but also significantly impacted the society at large.Questions Juliana Answered in this Episode:When you say “mobility,” what is that specifically?Can you tell us what it’s been like directing the marketing efforts given your industry and restrictions during the pandemic?How have you been able to differentiate yourself in the female market?How do you market all the features 99 has created with women in mind?How can we encourage other organizations to prioritize equitable opportunities for women employees?Timestamp:1:11 Juliana’s role at 993:45 Built for agility7:31 Why 99 is focused on women11:25 Female drivers vs male drivers13:41 Safety features for female passengers19:55 SOS feature for women24:16 Cause for the Brand25:55 If cities were built by women…32:48 Ways to support womenQuotes:(9:01-9:08) “Here in Brazil, one in four women suffered from domestic violence during the pandemic.”(7:58-8:18) “More than 50% of the population in Brazil are women, but when we look at our base of active drivers, only 5% are women. So this shows a business opportunity. And then we started to listen to them, and we saw that they really didn't recognize driving as an option.”(11:38-12:00) “When we talked to women drivers for the app, they were super proud. They really choose to drive. When we listen to male drivers, they’re like, ‘I lost my job. I didn’t have options, so I decided to drive.’ For women, it’s the opposite.”Mentioned in this Episode:Juliana Biasi’s LinkedInInstagram: @jubiasi99 app

Martijn Lancee is the Director of Business Development and Growth at LinkedIn. His team is responsible for the company’s success in getting the app preloaded on 800 million cell phones worldwide. In this episode, Martijn discusses all things mobile preload programs, including tips on how to succeed, how to optimize once campaigns are launched, how to evaluate your program’s performance, and the differences between open market channels and carrier channels.Prior to his role at LinkedIn, Martijn was the head of the preload program at Google. From shaping surfboards in Barbados to leading strategy and business for Heineken in Rwanda, Martijn has been around the world. Now he hangs his hat in San Francisco with his family where he enjoys surfing and mountain biking.Questions Martijn Answered in this Episode:Were you working with preloads before you joined LinkedIn?What do you think has been the key to LinkedIn’s success with its preload program?What are the differences between the approaches to getting your app preloaded on a cell phone?How do you assess the performance of preloads as it compares to other channels?Once a preload campaign is off the ground, is there anything you can do to the settings to drive strong performance?Timestamp:7:00 LinkedIn’s mission7:54 Martijn’s background12:00 Keys to success for preload programs14:06 How to ask for $100 million budget16:15 Frictionless consumer experience18:10 Preloads: Open Market Channels vs Carrier Channels21:23 The complexity of partnerships OEMs25:00 Performance evaluation for preloads28:16 Optimization levers for preload campaignsQuotes:(13:01-13:17) “I think repetition is key. It’s something I’ve learned throughout the years. Everyone, especially at a big tech company, has their own agenda. They’re definitely really busy. So in order for the preload program to become a part of their agenda and part of their projects’ DNA, it’s all about repetition.”(17:03-17:16) “For anyone who is not yet bought into the app, how can we provide the value for them to understand it’s worth it to at least check out the app to see what it can do for you? And that’s where retargeting programs come in.”Mentioned in this Episode:Martijn Lancee’s LinkedIn

If you work in the mobile app industry, you may have noticed a mass consolidation of companies taking place across verticals. Today’s guest discusses what factors have accelerated these mergers and acquisitions, how this affects the app ecosystem, and what we might expect to happen next.Satya Vinnakota is the Director of Ads at Vinted, an app for second-hand fashion. He’s kept a pulse on the app economy since he started his career in Delhi at Startup Tunnel and moved onto business development for the performance advertiser, Applift. He is based in Berlin.Questions Satya Answered in this Episode:● Why wasn't it difficult to acquire customers when you started at Applift?●   Tell us about Vinted.●   Is it fair to say that community is a big part of the ethos that drives loyalty to Vinted?●   What are you focused on at Vinted?●   What’s surprised you the most about what’s happened these past two years?●   Would you agree that the Apple privacy changes are a big impetus for the consolidations happening in the industry now?●   What do you expect to happen following the massive consolidation we’re seeing now across the app industry?●   What mergers and acquisitions were a smart move in the last couple of years, in your opinion?Timestamp:●   2:37 Satya’s background●   11:24 About Vinted●   16:17 Satya’s role as Director of Ads●   19:00 Post-pandemic consolidation in AdTech industry●   21:16 How privacy changes accelerated M&A●   23:00 What will happen next?●   30:20 Do advertisers truly want transparency?●   32:00 Smart acquisitions●   35:10 It’s all about contextQuotes:(4:03-4:23) “India is really a mobile-first country. I don’t think my grandfather has ever touched a Mac, but he has definitely used an iPhone, for example. I think that really changed everything for us in the sense that we had our own Flipkart, which is like Amazon but in India; we have our own travel apps; everything is app-first basically.”(19:35-19:45) “What has surprised me in the last couple of years when it comes to mergers and acquisitions in our industry is the scale of it. I’m not just talking about the number of deals, but the sizes of the deals.”(32:04-32:11) “What I find very, very smart is gaming companies buying AdTech companies, and AdTech companies buying gaming companies.”Mentioned in this Episode:●  Satya Vinnakota’s LinkedIn●   Vinted

Lily Dempster is the Founder and CEO of One Small Step, a free app using behavioral science and technology to help people reduce their carbon emissions through personalized carbon reduction plans and lifestyle changes. In this episode of Apptivate’s Women in Mobile segment, Lily takes us on her entrepreneurial journey, pivoting from working as a grassroots environmental campaigner to becoming an app founder in Australia. Listeners will learn why Lily decided an app would be the best way to address the gap she saw in the environmental movement to address climate change. You’ll find out how she brought her app idea to fruition and the biggest lessons she learned along the way.Questions Lily Answered in this Episode:Can you tell us about your company and what you do there?What made you want to start an app to address climate change?What was it like pivoting your career to start One Small Step? What advice would you give to someone thinking about pivoting their career?How do you structure your day? And how has that changed over time?How did you break out of the mindset of feeling like you haven’t done enough?How did you go about choosing an executive coach?What is some of the best advice you’ve received? The worst?How have you grown One Small Step’s user base?How have your habits changed since creating the app?Timestamp:1:18 About One Small Step5:58 Why create an app to address climate change7:32 Empowering users to set their own notification prompts8:40 Getting started building the app12:00 Advice on pivoting your career17:11 Managing energy, not time22:46 Executive coaching26:04 The worst advice Lily’s received, and the best28:42 The impact and growth of One Small Step35:00 A word to climate change empathizers38:05 Lily’s habit changes since the app43:20 A reason for hopeQuotes:(15:45-15:51) “If you make mistakes, they’re your mistakes. You’ll learn more quickly than if you’re making mistakes because someone else told you what to do and you did what they told you.”(21:48-22:12) “I think that when you look at human cognition—what you can get done, how intensely you can work on something, problem-solving, and knowledge work, and how do you that in an effective way and sustain peak performance for as long as possible—you need to build in rest. It’s really critical for your brain function. And so once I understood that intellectually and built systems to support that, it started to sync in emotionally as well.”(36:00-36:23) “It’s not just about the kilograms or pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent emission reductions. It’s actually about ‘I feel more connected to myself and my community and I’m caring for my family and I’m also caring for the environment around me.’ There’s a spiritual or psychological wellbeing that comes from sustainability. And I think once people tap into that then it’s pretty self-sustaining.”Mentioned in this Episode:Lily Dempster’s LinkedInOne Small StepBook: Principles by Ray DalioFilm: Tomorrow (French film “Demain”)