Mass Appeal

CRM today is much more than sending an email or push notification. It’s about predicting user behavior, understanding their motivations, and finding ways to support them on their journey. In this episode, Tommy chats with Alejandro Hernandez, the Senior CRM Notifications Manager at Babbel, the renowned language-learning app. They discuss what his role looks like today, including the collaborative work being done with data scientists, data engineers, and product teams to develop deep learning models that enhance customer communication. They also dig into CRM strategies to reduce churn and re-engage lapsed users. Questions Alejandro answered in this episode:How much of what you learned in school translated to real-world experiences?What does CRM mean to you today? What is the main objective that you have within your role of CRM?In terms of CRM, what information are you looking for to understand how to communicate with someone?What other information are you looking for to leverage machine learning? And when you leverage machine learning, how does that affect your day-to-day work?Can you tell us about your strategy for reducing churn and reactivating users?What kind of details do you include in a push notification to prevent someone from churning?What are you looking forward to doing with CRM in the future?Timestamp:2:08 Intro to Alejandro6:18 What does CRM look like today9:10 Mapping out the learning journey12:08 Leveraging deep learning15:00 Strategies for reducing churn18:16 Reengaging dormant users24:25 The future of CRMMentioned in this Episode:Alejandro Hernandez’s LinkedInBabbel

Trishul Patel is the VP of Product at EmberFund, an app that allows you to play popular sweepstakes casino games, learn about crypto investing, and earn Bitcoin for free. Trishul focuses on keeping their product fun. In this episode, he touches on EmberFund’s evolution from a crypto fintech app to a gaming app, what drives product development, and what keeps their users coming back to engage with their app.Questions Trishul answered in this episode:Tell us about your background prior to joining EmberFund.What was the first opportunity you noticed at EmberFund that you could impact when you joined?Why don’t you tell everyone how you see EmberFund and what you think it is?How do you point your attention to what's next within a superapp?What does the app landscape look like for your industry?Where do you spend the most time drawing influence from?What’s got you excited in terms of new features?Timestamp:2:54 Trishul’s background8:21 The Google survey test10:29 What is EmberFund?15:52 Product development within a superapp product18:06 EmberFund within its market20:02 Players we pay attention to23:38 What our users want25:05 What’s to comeMentioned in this Episode:Trishul Patel’s LinkedInEmberFund

Ian Chen is the CEO of discotech, an app for booking live events and nightlife amenities. In recent years, nightlife demographics have shifted, and Gen Z doesn’t party in the same ways Millennials did. In this episode, listeners learn how discotech adapted its mobile marketing strategies to appeal to the next generation. Questions Ian answered in this episode:How did you arrive at creating discotech?How do you create value for customers and vendors?How do you identify and acquire the right customers?What changes have you noticed in your industry over the last few years?How does discotech meet the needs of Gen Z?What does the experience look like when booking tickets to Cirque du Soleil?How do you determine what kind of events might be interesting for Gen Z?Timestamp:2:15 discotech’s origin story4:36 What is discotech?8:22 UA for nightlife goers11:38 Nightlife culture: Millennials vs Gen Z16:26 Appealing to Gen Z19:15 Partnerships strategyMentioned in this Episode:Ian Chen’s LinkedInDiscotechSocials: @discotechapp

Questions Rodney answered in this episode:Tell us about your background.How did you go from brand management at P&G to co-founding SoLo Funds?At what point do you realize you’re ready to go full-time into your endeavor?How does SoLo Funds benefit working-class people?How did you grow SoLo Funds to where you are today?What are you looking forward to this year?Timestamp:2:45 Rodney’s entrepreneurial beginnings8:07 From P&G to SoLo Funds19:35 What is SoLo Funds?27:00 The network effect for organic growth32:12 Big things comingMentioned in this Episode:Rodney Williams’s LinkedInSoLo FundsSocial handle: @rodneybwilliams

In this episode, Tommy interviews Wei Tak “Tuck” Nyou, the Senior Manager of Loyalty Marketing at Ponta, a loyalty rewards coalition in Japan with over 200 brands and 120M Japanese members – more than 90 percent of Japan’s population. You’ll learn some of the reservations brands commonly express about joining such coalitions, as well as the value proposition for brands. You’ll also learn Ponta’s perspective on what makes a brand attractive to acquire. Finally, you’ll hear about the challenges and opportunities of expanding their loyalty rewards coalition overseas to Taiwan, Vietnam, and Hawaii, the potential for new verticals, and integrating mobile games with their reward program.Questions Tuck answered in this episode:Can you tell us a little about your background?Why did you want to shift your career from B2B to B2C?Can you tell us about Ponta and Loyalty Marketing?Why would a brand not want to join a loyalty coalition? What are the challenges of getting brands to join Ponta, for example?Is there an element of customer acquisition built into these programs?How do you determine which new brands would be most valuable for you to add to your coalition?Is there anything unique about the loyalty market in Japan? Does that make it difficult to expand into new regions overseas or are there opportunities to expand?Were there any challenges you encountered when you expanded to either Taiwan, Vietnam, or Hawaii?Are there new verticals you’re considering expanding into?Has your team considered integrating mobile games into your rewards program?Timestamp:2:20 Tuck’s professional background7:18 What does Ponta do?11:11 Common fears with loyalty coalitions15:20 Determining what brands to acquire17:24 Ponta research members18:50 Expanding our point system overseas20:23 Challenges to expansion23:01 New verticals26:17 Integrating mobile gamesMentioned in this Episode:Wei Tak “Tuck” Nyou’s LinkedInPonta’s Loyalty Marketing, Inc.Ponta’s Loyalty Marketing, Inc. (in Japanese)

Questions Amanda answered in this episode:Were you a gamer or what prompted you to take the huge leap from PR to mobile games?What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced since joining Muus Collective in your role as Head of Marketing?How are you leveraging partnerships with BELLEMINT? What do you think makes a good partnership with game studios?How are Bellemint users interacting with Revolve?What role do community and social experience play in BELLEMINT?What’s your strategy for UA?Timestamp:5:00 Amanda’s background11:06 Fundraising challenges in Silicon Valley14:50 Approaches to partnerships20:21 Bellemint and Revolve’s partnership25:30 Who are the “gamers”?28:19 UA for fashion gamers and loversMentioned in this Episode:Amanda Lulewicz’s LinkedInMuus Collective

It’s no secret: AI has been all the buzz lately. But, what is it, really? In this episode, Tommy talks to Bani Malhotra, the former Senior Director of Product Management for Site Experiences and Omnichannel Personalization at Walmart U.S. eCommerce, who demystifies the many terms we hear related to artificial intelligence, including machine learning, deep learning, LLMs, SLMs, and Generative AI. She covers its many use cases for marketers and product managers to advance efficiency, productivity, creativity, and even business development. She also touches on some of her concerns about the technology regarding its drawbacks. Questions Bani answered in this episode:What was your first foray into a product role from your finance and strategy background, and what was one of the biggest challenges in making that leap?Were you implementing AI to help tackle some of the challenges you faced in your role at Walmart?When does a decision go from a logic tree to AI?How do outlier consumer purchases affect AI predictions?Could you define SLMs and LLMs?Where do you see AI benefiting marketers the most?Do you have any fears of what AI may threaten?Timestamp:2:38 Bani’s background9:58 Bani’s role at Walmart17:42 Use cases of AI for user experiences at Walmart21:10 The difference between heuristics and AI23:52 The spectrum of machine learning28:20 AI model confidence scoring31:10 What is AI? Defining AI-related terms41:00 Benefits of AI for marketers54:45 Concerns for AIMentioned in this Episode:Bani Malhotra’s LinkedIn

Questions Norman answered in this episode:Tell us about your background in growth.What is Omio?Do you have localized marketing support in each market? Or are you able to centralize most of what you do in Berlin?What are some of the biggest hurdles you face when penetrating a new market?Why are you a big proponent of AI? How do you use it?What is AI incapable of helping you with today?How is your team leveraging AI around engagement and loyalty?How do you port data into AI models?How do you discern what is a good AI solution from others?How much is this about training your employees how to effectively prompt AI?Timestamp:3:13 Norman’s background8:24 What is Omio?10:03 The future of localization for foreign markets12:18 Hurdles to breaking into new markets14:00 5 ways AI enables his life15:45 Limitations of AI (it’s not creativity)19:15 AI for engagement and loyalty21:55 Tools to port your data into AI Solutions24:29 The 5 foundational AI models25:55 A/B testing AI content and training LLMs28:28 Training your employees to prompt AIMentioned in this Episode:Norman Nielsen’s LinkedInOmioLeaderz of the New School Podcast

Questions Tomás answered in this episode:Tell us about how you got into programmatic advertising.Does your mathematics degree still play a role in what you do today?What is Kayzen? And what sets it apart in the marketplace?What does the democratization of programmatic mean to you? And how are you doing it?Do you see ad inventory changing marketing strategies for your customers?Are you seeing creatives being tailored to specific apps?Timestamp:4:32 Tomás’s background8:20 About Kayzen9:53 How we “democratize” programmatic advertising16:00 Kayzen School of Programmatic19:54 What marketers can learn from ad inventory indexes25:45 Customizing creatives to app gameplay27:15 Misconceptions around games for app advertising31:10 Clicks and engagement in programmaticMentioned in this Episode:Tomás Yacachury’s LinkedInKayzenKayzen’s 2024 Mobile Programmatic Inventory IndexCase study: AlbertsonsCase study: Maniko Nails

Benjamin Daudignac is the co-founder and CEO of Macadam, a European app that pays people to walk. Since its launch two years ago, the app has gained 2 million daily active users. In this episode, Tommy digs into Benjamin’s entrepreneurial journey creating Macadam, the challenges Macadam faced coming to market, and the strategies they use to keep app users engaged—and walking more! Questions Benjamin answered in this episode:What brought you to Barcelona?Why escape Paris?Where did the idea for Macadam originate? Tell us about the story of starting it.What was your biggest challenge in getting this product into the market and having it adopted by consumers?How do you leverage the community you’re growing within your app to deliver more engagement?How are you thinking about keeping users engaged in the future?How do you decide where to expand your business?Timestamp:3:08 Choosing an environment for entrepreneurship10:07 Ben’s entrepreneurial start14:27 Macadam’s origin story19:15 Bringing Macadam to market22:12 Leveraging community24:20 Gamifying walking to drive engagement29:32 Considering where to expandMentioned in this Episode:Benjamin Daudignac’s LinkedInMacadam

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

BlueThrone acquires great apps and takes them to the next level. Josh Peleg is the Head of the Business Development and Mergers & Acquisitions department responsible for building relationships with app developers and overseeing the acquisition of apps to their portfolio. In this episode, you’ll learn what app metrics are most interesting to venture capitalists and app acquirers, macro trends in the app M&A market, and how to present your app for a successful exit. Questions Josh answered in this Episode:What’s more common for BlueThrone, partnerships or acquisitions?How and where do you draw the line of distinguishing which niche apps have even potential to grow?When are you considering M&As, are you looking at the metrics of an app or are you looking at the macro trends of the verticals they’re in?How do app developers present their apps to potential acquirers such as BlueThrone?What app metrics are venture capitalists and acquirers more interested in?What metrics matter most for the gaming vertical?How important is the experience level of app developers to you?What’s an app or vertical that surprised you in its ability to produce fantastic results for you all?Timestamp:1:34 Josh’s background4:50 What makes an app interesting to acquirers7:00 How are app ratings used as a signal?9:00 Pros and cons of niche apps10:48 Where the dating app market is growing17:14 Consideration of macro trends for M&As20:27 Presenting your app for an exit23:09 What metrics matter26:28 Gaming industry: what’s most important31:20 Why experience level matters33:13 Virality: what worksMentioned in this Episode:Josh Peleg’s LinkedInEmail: [email protected]

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

Janos Perei is the Head of Growth at SYBO Games, the makers of Subway Surfers, one of the most downloaded mobile games in the world. Janos and his team have been working on migrating users across the various games in SYBO’s portfolio in a meaningful way, which he calls “cross-promotion.” He discusses the merits of this growth strategy, the experience of cross-promotion for the user, and the challenges. Questions Janos answered in this Episode:Are you a gamer?Outside of Subway Surfers, are there any mobile games in the marketplace that impress you in terms of growth?Why has Subway Surfers been so successful?How do you define “cross-promotion”?How does the experience of cross-promotion manifest for your users?Do more active users get different in-app messaging?What stops game studios from trying to do this? What are the challenges of trying to build a cross-promotion mechanism?Timestamp:1:25 Janos Perei’s background and role at SYBO5:34 Mobile games moving the needle7:24 The secret behind Subway Surfers success10:00 What is cross-promotion?12:32 SYBO’s pillars of privacy controls15:38 The user experience of cross-promotion17:45 Mitigating “cannibalization” within game portfolios22:00 Segmenting cross-promotions23:00 Can smaller game studios do cross-promotion?25:50 The challenges of cross-promotionMentioned in this Episode:Janos Perei’s LinkedInSYBO Games

Why do app users spend more time on Temu’s app than Walmart’s or Amazon’s? In short: gamification. In this episode, Tara Kirkpatrick, the Director of App Marketing at Apptopia, explains why apps using gamification are crushing their categories. Apptopia is a platform providing brands with mobile app performance data and mobile usage insights. Prior to Apptopia, Tara was the manager of product content and communications at Insight Timer.Questions Tara Answered in this Episode:What attracted you to Apptopia when you joined?What is Apptopia’s core focus in the market?Why does Temu see higher engagement in the app than Amazon?Why is Duolingo a leader in its category?Timestamp:5:19 Tara’s background7:58 Measuring scalable impacts for B2C10:45 What does Apptopia do?14:00 Why does Temu see higher engagement than Amazon?18:00 Why Duolingo kills the app monetization game23:07 Gaming runs upstream of all consumer tech25:41 Community as a driver for app engagement31:14 Diverging app monetization strategiesMentioned in this Episode:Tara Kirkpatrick’s LinkedInApptopia

Marc Bearman, the General Manager of Fetch Play, chats with Tommy about the potential of rewarded experiences in gaming, particularly at the intersection of reward platforms like Fetch and game studios, and how it can lead to innovations and new opportunities for engagement, loyalty, partnerships, and revenue streams. They cover the evolution of rewarded video as a monetization strategy, how gaming studios might benefit from designing games with rewarded experiences in mind, and what the future holds for this exciting new intersection. Questions Marc Answered in this Episode:Tell us about your background and what you're doing today at Fetch.What do you think makes Fetch special?Why do you think it makes sense for Fetch to integrate gaming into its rewards platform?What about the Fetch audience makes them attracted to games?What’s got you stoked about 2024?Timestamp:1:27 Marc’s role at Fetch and background in ad tech5:04 The evolution of rewarded video7:51 Integrating gaming into a rewards program12:31 Navigating user feedback and the importance of data-driven decisions16:24 Fetch’s unique position as a rewards and loyalty app22:23 Exploring user engagement and data accuracy23:54 The Fetch Play Initiative26:15 Win-win-win: Fetch-game studios-consumers34:47 How fetch appeals to gamers and non-gamers39:46 Looking ahead: the future of gaming and rewards with FetchMentioned in this Episode:Marc Bearman’s LinkedInFetch

How do we translate the pains of our consumers into a product that benefits their life? Join Tommy as he chats with Nico Ritschel, the Director of Engineering at ATM, about how he helps the rewards app develop features that empathize with the needs of their users. ATM helps people monetize their personal data. Users can earn rewards, make money, and invest it by taking surveys, playing games, and more. Prior to ATM, Nico worked as a software engineer at Acorns and Netflix. Questions Nico Answered in this Episode:What can ATM app users do with their rewards?Since its start, how has the company decided what features to add?Are “daily questions” different from surveys?How do you determine what is a pervasive sentiment among your users?What are you looking forward to in 2024?Timestamp:4:07 Nico’s industry background5:55 What is ATM?10:40 Developing ATM’s features13:58 Daily questions16:43 Making product decisions20:00 A perspective outside data21:24 An engineer’s role27:00 What’s aheadMentioned in this Episode:Nico Ritschel’s LinkedInATM.com

Miguel Acosta is the CEO of GELT & Beruby, the leading app in Southern Europe for people who want to earn cashback on purchases from over 3,000 merchant links from the biggest brands. On today’s show, Miguel and Tommy discuss how generating revenue with a longtail cashback model works, and slowing down.Questions Miguel Answered in this Episode:You’re from Spain. Tell us what brought you to San Francisco.When did you start Beruby?What did the cashback landscape look like when you started Beruby?How has your business model changed since its beginnings?What allowed you to execute that shift?How do you go about building a cashback model in the e-commerce vertical?How does consumer feedback play in determining what brands you’re affiliated with?What are you excited about in 2024?Timestamp:4:46 Miguel’s backstory & Beruby’s origin13:00 The cashback app landscape at Beruby’s start14:10 How our business model changed17:00 What it took to make the shift18:48 “Longtail” cashback model for e-commerce24:32 How customer experience factors with cashback30:30 What’s to come in 2024Mentioned in this Episode:Miguel Acosta’s LinkedInBeruby

Yves Benchimol is the CEO and co-founder of WeWard, an app on a mission to make walking a more rewarding part of people’s lives. In this episode, Yves and Tommy discuss the three pillars of motivation that WeWard uses to inspire people to get outside and take a walk: gaming, social, and rewards. You’ll hear the strategies behind their success in helping 20 million users increase their number of steps on average by 25 percent.WeWard is a free mobile app that converts steps into digital currency, which can be redeemed for offers, coupons, products, or cash. Yves has a master's in engineering and entrepreneurship and lives in New York with his family. Questions Yves Answered in this Episode:How did you become the CEO and co-founder of WeWard?What’s one business you find inspiring?Why did you start WeWard?How does your app motivate people to walk more?Of the three pillars, which impacts your consumers the most?Do you have any examples of features that didn’t work that you thought would?How did you decide when it was time to expand into other countries? And how did you decide what countries to expand to first?Does the U.S. present unique challenges or rewards to WeWard’s expansion?What approach did you take to amplify your rewards system, and why was that important for WeWard?What’s your favorite walk of the day?Timestamp:3:06 Yves’s background7:14 WeWard’s origin story & the beauty of walking11:11 The 3 motivational pillars13:38 What motivates people the most?18:58 Deciding when to kill a feature22:35 How we decided to expand to other countries31:05 Amplifying our reward strategy with games36:04 The BEST walkMentioned in this Episode:Yves Benchimol’s LinkedInWeWard

Discover how PAYBACK revolutionizes app monetization by engaging users through rewarding actions. Sergio Palau, PAYBACK’s App Performance Marketing Specialist, shares insights into their approach, educating users, tradeoffs, and rewards. Join PAYBACK, the German-based loyalty rewards program, and earn discounts from your favorite brands.Timestamp:1:03 Sergio’s background5:25 What is PAYBACK?9:54 Gamifying PAYBACK to drive engagement15:50 The trust and value exchange of consumer data17:12 Educating users on our app’s offer wall25:25 Providing a rewarding gaming experienceMentioned in this Episode:Sergio Palau’s LinkedInPAYBACKOn Instagram @payback_group

It’s hard to be profitable as a Free to Play mobile game. With a 97% failure rate, it’s not uncommon for games to see that the Lifetime Value (LTV) of their users is below their Cost Per Install (CPI). In this episode, Matt Emery, the founder and lead product manager at Turbine Games Consulting, talks to Tommy about how he helps F2P games improve their monetization, retention, KPI performance, and CPI with as little effort on the client’s part as possible. Matt has worked with over 80 gaming companies on more than 100 games as a product manager over the last 15 years. He founded Turbine Games Consulting in 2016, and for the last five years, Turbine Games Consulting has been perfecting the art of split testing to refine their product recommendations over time. Questions Matt Answered in this Episode:Is the rate at which game developers launch new games part of the reason such a small percentage of mobile games make it?When did you found Turbine Games?What was the problem you were trying to solve for your clients, or the service you were trying to provide?What’s the most common need you see?How do you design your split tests? How do you prove the efficacy of an effort within a game in a split test environment?Is reskinning a store worth it?Tell us about one of your success stories.What are you excited about in 2024 for Free to Mobile Games?Timestamp:3:00 Matt’s background7:14 Mobile game survival rate and the development process11:20 The birth of Turbine Games Consulting15:49 Split testing to help games improve performance21:48 When clients don’t have enough user volume for split tests25:45 Even top-grossing companies miss low hanging fruit29:54 What initiatives create the greatest lift?31:33 A 9x ROAS success story36:00 Helping Free to Play games with pre-code product validationMentioned in this Episode:Matt Emery’s LinkedInTurbine Games Consulting

Tommy speaks to a connoisseur of scaling early stage startups and growing apps of emerging categories into multi-billion dollar products. Sami Khan is the CEO and Co-Founder of ATLAS Reality, a mobile gaming company with the leading real estate app on the metaverse. In this episode, Sami discusses how ATLAS Reality is bridging the virtual and physical worlds with their approach to monetization. Sami got his start in marketing emerging app categories when he led the launch of Acorns, which quickly became the leading fintech app in the U.S. He also advised Honey, the savings extension, on growth. Questions Sami Answered in this Episode:How much of your experience working with early stage startups gave you the confidence to make the jump that you did founding and starting ATLAS Reality?Can you tell our listeners about what ATLAS Reality is? And how do you educate your customers to not just drive installs but keep them engaged?How do you get people to understand what you’re doing? And how do you keep them engaged and retain users?Timestamp:3:04 Sami’s background11:37 The fear of being a founder15:57 Installs don’t mean sh*t19:37 What is ATLAS Reality?20:26 A vision for the Metaverse25:00 Approaches to monetization for retention19:32 The future of loyaltyLinks:Sami Khan’s LinkedInAtlas:EarthAcorns

How did Ember Fund get over a million users to invest in cryptocurrencies on their app? Find out as Tommy chats to Guillaume Torche, the Co-Founder and CTO of the Web3 superapp that allows users to earn, play, and invest in digital assets. You’ll learn how they made investing in crypto easy and fun for the average joe, and the outcome of their strategy.Questions Guillaume Answered in this Episode:What was the inspiration behind starting Ember Fund?Can you explain how you’ve taken the middleman out of investing in crypto for your app’s users?How much can users earn for referring a friend? How did you test that experience to find out the optimal payout to the user that made the referral?How else do you think about earning and how to increase consumer opportunities there?What are you excited about for what’s to come next?Timestamp:1:45 Guillaume’s background3:12 The birth of Ember Fund7:12 Cutting out the middleman9:00 Educating our users10:46 Our key to acquisition and scale11:35 How Ember Fund’s referral program works14:08 Tournaments for crypto portfolios21:55 Our next frontierMentioned in this Episode:Guillaume Torche LinkedInEmber Fund

Monetizing an app relies on how you keep users engaged, and not just at the beginning but over a user’s lifetime. To kick off the first episode of adjoe's Mass Appeal Podcast, host Tommy Yannopoulos speaks with Alex Guerra, the Director and Head of Monetization at Baz. They discuss how economic incentive programs can drive app engagement in a profitable way. You’ll learn about the three principal monetization strategies; how to use incentives, like referral programs and gamification, to drive engagement and retention; and how to work with your data science team to build predictive marketing models with AI and machine learning to turn a profit.After receiving his Masters from UCL in London, Alex worked at Uber for over 4 years, eventually becoming the Latin America Lead for Global Strategy. Now he directs pricing, market intelligence, and revenue growth strategies for Baz, Mexico’s first superapp. Baz is one app for payment and financial services, entertainment, e-commerce, and more.Questions Alex Answered in this Episode:How is Baz structured? What does it do for customers?How do you decide where to focus on engagement across all the verticals in your superapp?How do you structure your incentives program across all these different datasets?How do you identify users early on that you want to put the effort behind in terms of driving more mid- to long-term incentives programs?What are the inputs required of you in this process of working with your data science team to build a predictive marketing model?Could you share with us an offer that you brought as a result of these efforts that worked really well for your customers?What’s got you excited about this year at Baz?Timestamp:1:52 Intro to Alex Guerra4:52 What is monetization in the mobile app industry7:45 Baz and superapps explained11:45 Identifying engagement strategies at a superapp14:02 Economic incentives to increase engagement and retention19:38 Building machine learning models for predictive analytics and marketing22:40 Working with your data science team to build AI models26:47 Giving your AI modeling experiments time27:53 Incentives for customers who have churned31:35 What Alex is excited about for BazQuotes:(14:48-14:54) “What speeds up engagement and also user acquisition or retention is giving a customer something to reward their action.”(19:57-20:11) “You have to build AI and machine learning models that create propensity and ranking models that make sure you’re reducing the cost of engagement and the cost of acquisition but you maximize or optimize for the lifetime value.”(26:49-27:02) “You need to be patient. I’ve seen a lot of companies drop their [AI data modeling] efforts after a few weeks. Some of these experiments need two, three, or four months–it depends on the purchase frequency that your business has.”Mentioned in this Episode:Alex Guerra’s LinkedInBaz superapp