Saved By the Bell: AVOW Rings in Summer with an Ultimate 90s Party!
Dust off your fanny packs, dig out your scrunchies, and don your brightest shell suits! Buckle up your bucket hats and break out the double denim, because the AVOW 90s Summer Party 2024 turned back the clock and threw a totally awesome 90s bash!
Smells Like “A-Team” Spirit: AVOW 90’s Summer Party 2024
Our Berlin HQ became a 90s wonderland for AVOW’s A-Team (with a special nod to the KYLN team for bringing extra flair to the festivities). The dress code was a trip down memory lane, with costumes ranging from head-to-toe neon to grunge flannel and iconic TV show ensembles. Bubbles were everywhere, even though they weren’t exactly a 90s staple – but hey, who doesn’t love bubbles? We even saw some killer throwback basketball jerseys – all outfits that wouldn’t look out of place on the comfy orange couch at Central Perk or on Yo! MTV Raps. A fierce costume contest awarded the most creative and nostalgic looks, adding to the fun! Plus, there were plenty of 90s-themed games to keep everyone entertained all night long.
Hit Me Baby One More Time: Cocktails with a 90s Twist
The party wasn’t just about the killer threads and the blast from the past vibes! AVOW Berlin made sure everyone stayed energized and refreshed throughout the night. The bartenders whipped up a selection of 90s-inspired cocktails that were as refreshing as they were nostalgic!
MMMBop! A Delicious Spread for Everyone
Fueling the fun wasn’t a problem with AVOW’s fantastic spread of delicious food and 90s candies. A variety of options catered to all dietary preferences, ensuring everyone could enjoy a satisfying meal and keep the party going.
Pump Up the Jam: 90s Hits All Night Long
The AVOW 90s Summer Party 2024 wouldn’t have been complete without the perfect soundtrack! DJ Ira spun a killer selection of 90s jams that had everyone movin’ all night long. From heart-thumping boy band hits to head-banging grunge anthems to old-school hip-hop beats and iconic girl power anthems, it was a musical journey through the decade.
Power Up the Past: AVOW’s Retro Game Zone
90s gamers went wild at AVOW’s retro zone! The legendary Super Nintendo (SNES) reigned supreme, with classics like Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Street Fighter II sparking epic throwdowns (and serious nostalgia) all night. Even the back-breaking giant 90s TV couldn’t slow down the pixelated party paradise. The AVOW 90s Summer Party 2024 was definitely a high score for retro gaming fans within the AVOW A-Team, which there are many!
This Party Was All That and a Bag of Chips
Just like a perfectly preserved Tamagotchi (notably one of the costume contest prizes), the AVOW 90s Summer Party 2024 was a total trip down memory lane. With more 90s flair than a stack of VHS tapes and more fun than a year’s supply of slap bracelets, it was an epic night! We can’t wait to party down with the AVOW A-Team again and see what ice-cool surprises we have in store for our next big gathering at Christmas.
Click! Click! Boom! AVOW Summer Party Photo Gallery
Ready to relive the night? We saved all the best moments from the AVOW 90s Summer Party 2024 on film (well, digital!). Huge thanks to Photographer Taya Raevskaya for capturing the electrifying atmosphere of the night!
Full AVOW 90s Summer Party 2024 Photo Gallery Below 👇 (click on any photo to view the entire gallery)
Work Hard, Live the Dream, Come Join the AVOW A-Team
Looking to join a team that’s as fun and vibrant as the AVOW 90s Summer Party 2024?
Check out our careers page to see if there’s an opening for your awesomeness! Whether you’re a Spice Girl, a Backstreet Boy, or a unique star in your own right, we’re always seeking talented individuals to join our ever-growing A-Team.
Behind the Apps Ep 2: FinTech User Acquisition with Exness - The Mobile Trade App
In this second episode of Behind the Apps: Mobile Marketing Talks, host David Murphy talks to Sotiris Sotiriadis, the Paid Media Team Lead at Exness, a global multi-asset broker in the online trading industry. They discuss the Exness Trade app, its launch, user acquisition, and monetization. They also talk about the challenges of the industry, including regulatory issues and the need for diversifying acquisition channels. Sotiris also emphasizes the importance of testing, learning, and adapting user acquisition strategies, highlights the role of AVOW in helping Exness tap into user acquisition through mobile OEM channels, and shares the success Exness has achieved in UA campaigns and improving acquisition performance.
"(Mobile) OEM marketing, at least for Exness, is here to stay. It offers us high conversion traffic and a low fraud rate, and we are glad to have the experts of OEM marketing, AVOW, to help us succeed"
- Sotiris Sotiriadis from Exness on why Mobile OEM Advertising is here to stay
→ Watch the full interview on YouTube
Interview with Sotiris Sotiriadis, Paid Media Team Lead at Exness
Introduction
David Murphy (Host): Sotiris, welcome, and thank you very much for being with us today. Could you please kick off by sharing a little bit about yourself and your role at Exness?
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): Yeah, of course. So as you already mentioned, I'm Sotiris. I've been working at Exness for the last three years and started working at Exness as a Paid Search Team Lead, and eventually, I grew into a Paid Media Team Lead, taking care of the whole media buying of Exness across all the geos and regions that we are operating on. In total, I’ve accumulated eight years in the industry, and working at Exness has been a really exciting journey going through the changes that are happening in the marketing industry and the way that we do things.
About Exness and the Exness Trade App
David Murphy (Host): And tell me more about Exness.
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): So Exness is a financial services company. In other words, we are a multi-asset trading broker. We offer people the opportunity to trade CFDs (Contracts for Difference) in multiple instruments, including currency pairs, cryptocurrencies, stocks, shares, and precious metals.
David Murphy (Host): Now, if we move on to your app, when did it launch, what do people use it for, how many users do you have, and how do you monetize it?
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): So our main app is called Exness Trade. The app was introduced in 2013 and it was mainly introduced for digital acquisition purposes, as the financial services trading industry back then was focusing on terminal-based trading through MT4, MT5 (Meta Trader) or alternative platforms. Exness, the company, understood that there is an opportunity for us to onboard and expand our acquisition through mobile traders. Not the professional guys who will trade on terminals, but people who do it more casually, let's say. So that's how the need for the app came up. Mobile screen time back then was steadily increasing, and that's why it made business sense to move the acquisition strategy towards mobile. The purpose of a mobile app is to onboard users, and we do media buying and rely heavily on media buying for the app. Of course, we monetize through deposits; that's value-based monetization. From those deposits, the company has some spread revenue profits, which is perfectly aligned with what we do in mobile and with the strategic direction of the company.
David Murphy (Host): So, your revenue stream is exactly as it would be if people were trading on any other channel using the Exness platform. The app just offers them an easy way to do it from the palm of their hand, wherever they are.
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): Yes, 100%.
"So this is leading us to the understanding, the importance, that we need to diversify our acquisition channels, and this is what we have been doing with AVOW specifically, but also many other channels."
- In regards to Exness's challenges posed by industry and platform regulations
Industry Challenges
David Murphy (Host): What are your biggest challenges right now? You know, there's a lot of stuff going on. From a tech perspective, from a regulatory perspective, all the stuff around data privacy, you're obviously working in a heavily regulated industry. So, what are you seeing at the moment?
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): What you mentioned are actually the biggest challenges that we are facing. Regulatory backgrounds in the countries in which we are operating are a gray area, let's say. So we have to comply following certain laws and certain regulations. But on the other hand, because of the industry, there have been cases of similar companies doing some non-ethical, let's say, activities. And therefore the industry is heavily regulated and heavily monitored as well. And this applies to the platforms that we are using. In the past years, it was way easier for us to run ads on, let's say Google, on Facebook, and other platforms, but nowadays, this comes with a big regulation and a big moderation challenge. So this is leading us to the understanding, the importance, that we need to diversify our acquisition channels, and this is what we have been doing with AVOW specifically, but also many other channels. On the tech side of things, of course, we are facing attribution challenges, which are inevitable for any advertiser, I believe. And we are working internally at Exness with a very sophisticated approach on understanding the impact of advertising through using multiple sources, multiple solutions, and multiple approaches, such as alternative kinds of attributions. MTA, multi-touch attribution, MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling) and performance understanding through geo-tests and through A and B experiments.
"We have managed to obtain very comparable CPAs with OEMs versus other acquisition channels. (...) India, Indonesia, and some other countries are not eligible to run financial ads on Google. So AVOW has been a great avenue for us to keep investing in those countries and keep getting acquisition."
- On working with Mobile OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and AVOW
User Acquisition and Diversification with Mobile OEMs
David Murphy (Host): So I was going to talk specifically about user acquisition and how you've traditionally acquired new users. I think you've sort of covered that. You talked about using Google and Meta, but some of the regulatory demands have led you to look for other sources, other channels. When it comes to the mobile OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), the device makers, when did you first start turning your attention to them?
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): I would also like to add, before I answer these questions, is that the industry and Exness are heavily driven by partners and affiliates, which are still a massive part of our user acquisition strategy. But, correctly, as you mentioned in digital acquisition, specifically media buying, we have been focusing on Facebook and Meta. I believe that we started looking into OEMs in early 2020. We started mainly with AVOW's help, and the reason leading us to that was to try to reach audiences through multiple inventories that were very aligned with the countries that we wanted to target, on devices such as Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, or Huawei, which is the inventory that AVOW let us access. These devices are very aligned with the countries that we're mostly interested in, such as Southeast Asia.
David Murphy (Host): And how is it for you working with the OEMs?
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): We have managed to obtain very comparable CPAs with OEMs versus other acquisition channels. Not at the same volume, but the quality and CPA were very good, very spot-on with our targets, and comparable with the mainstream. Let's call them traffic sources. It has been helpful for us to maintain market share and scale up, especially in countries where we experienced limitations in advertising from Google or Meta. As you probably know, India, Indonesia, and some other countries are not eligible to run financial ads on Google. So AVOW has been a great avenue for us to keep investing in those countries and keep getting acquisition.
"We need to be diversified in case platforms change regulations. We don't want to be putting all of our eggs into a single basket you know? Platform policies can change, and they can change quite fast, and our responsibility is to keep user acquisition effective and to be working. So we need to be diversified."
- On the topic of UA strategies in the future
Future User Acquisition Strategies
David Murphy (Host): So looking ahead, what is the outlook for your UA strategy going forward?
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): I believe one of the main outlooks will be to keep diversifying our channels, because we have faced this in the past, and I'm pretty sure that we're going to face it in the future. We need to be diversified in case platforms change regulations. We don't want to be putting all of our eggs into a single basket you know? Platform policies can change, and they can change quite fast, and our responsibility is to keep user acquisition effective and to be working. So we need to be diversified. Of course, with the platforms and the channels that we're using, we need to understand how they actually perform through conversion lift studies, brand lift studies, and geolift experiments. MMM ultimately will be the solution that will help us with all strategic decision-making. I know that this is not 100 % relevant for Exness, but for companies that focus in the EU, we expect alternative marketplaces to be another element to look for when thinking about user acquisition and diversification. The whole industry is heading toward a cookie-less future. So we need to keep exploring, implementing, testing, and understanding how different measurements work because, at the end of the day, it is not about the actual measurement, it's about the decision-making that each measurement protocol will allow you to do. So that's pretty much my outlook for user acquisition in the near future.
"AVOW played a crucial role in our app marketing and growth strategy because it was the first company to help us tap into user acquisition through OEM channels."
"AVOW has helped us kickstart partnerships with multiple OEMs, including Xiaomi, Vivo, OPPO, and Huawei. They efficiently enabled us to start testing and scaling up campaigns in various geos in a very short time frame."
- In regards to AVOW's role in acquiring users through mobile OEM advertising.
AVOW's Crucial Role in Exness's App Marketing and Growth Strategy
David Murphy (Host): It's interesting. In any of these conversations I have with people doing marketing for successful apps, you seem to sing from the same hymn sheet with a couple of things. Don't put all your eggs in one basket and you've got to keep refreshing your sources of new users. And secondly, just because it works today doesn't mean it's going to work tomorrow. You've got to keep testing. You've got to keep learning, and to some extent, you've got to keep failing because, by testing, you find out what's working and what's not working. It's really interesting. Now, let’s finish off with a few quick questions about your work with AVOW, what role would you say they played in your app's marketing and growth strategies?
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): I would say that AVOW played a crucial role in our app marketing and growth strategy because it was the first company to help us tap into user acquisition through OEM channels. So, it was the company that presented us with alternative strategies that we could use in addition to our user acquisition strategies. AVOW has helped us kickstart partnerships with multiple OEMs, including Xiaomi, Vivo, OPPO, and Huawei. They efficiently enabled us to start testing and scaling up campaigns in various geos in a very short time frame.
David Murphy (Host): And in amongst the general picture of sort of satisfaction, I guess, are there any specific successes or milestones that you can point to in working together with AVOW?
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): Yeah, we have a few milestones and successes that we can share with you. Between Q4 2023 and Q1 2024, we had a major transition campaign for Indonesia. We were running APK campaigns with Xiaomi, and we wanted to transition our budget to another app available on the Play Store for the same geo. So, with AVOW's help, we have managed to transition very smoothly, but we also drastically improved acquisition performance. With the same spend, the CPI campaign drove many more registrations at a 14% lower CPR cost per registration and reduced our cost per FTD by 66%, which led into an expected revenue increase by 10x, which is amazing! I believe the availability of extra placements provided with the help of AVOW led us to qualify more sophisticated traders, which led to this improved profitability that I just described. This is an incredible win that was made possible through very close collaboration with the AVOW team and the very sharp, I would say, performance optimization of the campaigns.
"With the same spend, the CPI campaign drove many more registrations at a 14% lower CPR cost per registration and reduced our cost per FTD by 66%, which led into an expected revenue increase by 10x, which is amazing!"
"This is an incredible win that was made possible through very close collaboration with the AVOW team."
- Regarding insights from working with AVOW
David Murphy (Host): Finally, Sotiris, have you gained any lessons or insights from working with AVOW?
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): Working with AVOW has given us great insights and lessons. Our partnership with AVOW started four years ago in 2020 and has remained strong since. AVOW has been with us every step of the way, supporting us in our OEM user acquisition strategy. And with the Exness Media Buying team, as we scale, as we go through restructures, and as we go through waves of problems, AVOW has been supporting us. OEM marketing, at least for Exness, is here to stay. It offers us high conversion traffic and a low fraud rate, and we are glad to have the experts of OEM marketing, AVOW, to help us succeed in this.
David Murphy (Host): So, Sotiris, thank you very much indeed for sharing those insights working with AVOW and the mobile OEMs. It's been great to have you.
Sotiris Sotiriadis (Exness): Thank you for having me.
Inspired by Exness's success? Boost your app's user acquisition through mobile OEM advertising with AVOW's expert help. Contact AVOW today to grow your audience and elevate your mobile marketing strategy!
Editor's Note: The interview text has been lightly edited for clarity and coherence. Watch the full interview on YouTube.
RELATED LINKS
→ Behind the Apps Episode 1 with Tripledot Studios
→ Mobile OEM and Alternative App Store Guide
GOAL! Engage Fans and Score User Acquisition Wins with Targeted Euro 2024 Mobile Ads
The beautiful game is back, and with Euro 2024 kicking off in Germany, fans worldwide are gearing up for a month of unforgettable football. But this isn't just a win for football fanatics; it's a golden opportunity for Mobile Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to connect with their target audience in a big way.
Score Big with Football Fans: Euro 2024 Mobile Ads & Targeted App Promotion
Euro 2020 drew record attention, with a massive 5.2 billion cumulative viewers and 328 million for the final. With fans increasingly glued to their smartphones for live updates and content the action extends far beyond the stadium, and mobile advertisers are taking notice. This presents a golden opportunity for brands to leverage mobile OEM advertising, with mobile OEMs such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, Realme, and Transsion brands. Connecting with the passionate Euro 2024 demographic, brands can drive user acquisition through targeted app promotions or branding campaigns during the event.
Mobile Consumption Makes Euro 2024 a Prime Target
In addition to the 5.2 billion cumulative viewers and 328 million for the final between Italy and England, Euro 2020 drew an average of 100 million viewers per match and a unique reach of 1.9 billion across 229 territories and 137 broadcasters, to become a truly global phenomenon.
With 1 in 5 global sports fans using mobile apps to follow sports (YouGov 2023), Euro 2024 mobile ads present a prime mobile OEM advertising opportunity, especially with widespread access through free streaming apps in Europe.
Where Fans Can Stream Euro 2024
In Germany (Euro 2024 hosts), both ZDF and the ARP app broadcast live sports for free, ensuring easy access to Euro 2024 for the majority of people during transit commutes. Across Europe, viewers can access the tournament for free via various platforms:
- Austria: ORF and ServusTV
- Belgium: RTBF and VRT
- France: 6play and TF1
- Germany: ARD, RTL, and ZDF
- Italy: RAI and TV8
- Norway: NRK
- Netherlands: NOS
- Spain: RTVE
- UK: BBC iPlayer and ITVX
This widespread mobile access creates a massive and engaged audience for advertisers. Similar to how brands leverage specialists like AVOW for targeted ad placement during Champions League matches on Prime Video, advertisers can utilize similar strategies to connect with football fans throughout the European Championships with Euro 2024 mobile ads.
Reaching Sports Fans in Big Game Moments
Gone are the days of static billboards. Brands are targeting fans directly on their devices, placing them right at the heart of the action. Imagine just before a major football match: you notice an ad on your mobile device for a new restaurant app in the area with a special free delivery offer. Now you can enjoy your half-time burgers and fries, hassle-free.
This isn't just a random coincidence. It’s targeted advertising in action.
A surge in mobile shopping during sports events underscores the potential of sports advertising. Let's take a look at another sport with equally passionate fans. Adjust's 2023 Super Bowl Sunday report reveals a massive 41% year-over-year increase in shopping app installs during the game, as retailers seize this opportunity by offering discounts and promotions - strategically placing ads to capture the engaged audience.
Mobile OEM Advertising Strategies and The Targeting Advantage
Euro 2024 mobile ads with mobile OEMs boast unmatched targeting capabilities. Reach fans based on demographics, interests, and even specific sporting preferences, all while respecting their privacy and data security.
Utilize display ads, full-screen videos, and splash ads to engage users and appographic marketing to target users with similar interests.
- Diverse Ad Formats: Utilize display ads, full-screen videos, and splash ads, plus appographic marketing to target users with similar interests.
- Private Marketplace (PMP) Deals: Bid on specific ad inventories to optimize ad placement at targeted times throughout Euro 2024.
- Customization: Mobile OEMs Xiaomi and Oppo offer real-time customization with themes for fans' favorite football teams, including wallpapers, ringtones, and more.
- Integration: Integrate live score tickers on lock screens and push notifications from native news apps to keep users updated on ongoing matches and events directly from their devices. Popular apps can offer widgets on Android devices delivering personalized updates for effective brand reach.
Xiaomi's Fan-Centric Offerings
In addition to offering themes and wallpapers of fans’ favorite teams, Xiaomi will introduce a dedicated “Game Card” feature during Euro 2024 and potentially other sporting events - allowing users to view live scores. This innovative feature can be branded and deep-linked for effective branding campaigns, offering brands a unique opportunity to leverage Euro 2024 mobile ads to engage with fans.
→ AVOW Named 2024 Global Core Agency by Xiaomi MiAds
Mobile OEMs Deepen Ties with Sports
Strategic sponsorships by mobile OEMs like Vivo for Euro 2024 and the FIFA World Cup, and OPPO for the Cricket World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and Wimbledon solidify the connection between sports and mobile. This benefits everyone—mobile OEMs gain exposure, marketers reach captivated audiences, and app developers utilize prominent placements.
Capitalizing on other Big Sporting Events:
Euro 2024 aside, this year presents lucrative opportunities for mobile advertisers:
- Copa America (June-July)
- Summer Olympics in Paris (July-August)
- Wimbledon (July)
- Tour de France (July)
- US Open (August-September)
Outside of major sporting events, mobile marketing in sports provides continual engagement opportunities across diverse sports, leagues, individual events, and esports.
In terms of innovations for fans, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, AR features were introduced for stadium fans via mobile devices. Similarly, EURO 2024 embraced digital innovation with mobile-only tickets.
A Golden Opportunity: Reach Millions of Engaged Fans with Euro 2024 Mobile Ads
Partner with AVOW to leverage their expertise in Mobile OEM advertising and achieve a targeted app promotion strategy that scores big during major sporting events like Euro 2024. With access to over 1.5 billion daily active users and exclusive partnerships with OEM inventories such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, Realme, and Transsion AVOW offers unparalleled opportunities for targeted user acquisition.
Don't miss out on the unprecedented opportunity to leverage Euro 2024 mobile ads and ads for other major sporting events. Connect with millions of sports fans worldwide and score big with your targeted app promotions. Contact our mobile OEM experts for a free consultation.
Behind the Apps: Mobile Marketing Talks - Ep 1: Mobile Game UA with Tripledot Studios
Welcome to the debut episode of Behind the Apps!
Behind the Apps: Mobile Marketing Talks is a video interview series by AVOW and hosted by mobile marketing expert and journalist David Murphy, where we peek behind the curtains of the mobile marketing and app world and have conversations with the people making the smartest movies on mobile. Each episode of Behind the Apps will feature discussions with industry innovators and leaders, sharing their experiences, strategies, triumphs, and challenges in marketing their apps.
In our debut episode, we sat down with Ben Barta, Senior Growth Manager at Tripledot Studios, the developer of casual mobile games such as Solitaire and several puzzle games including Woodoku. In this interview, Ben shares insights into Tripledot's innovative game development approach and versatile user acquisition strategies. Plus, he reveals the secrets behind Tripledot's success with AVOW and mobile OEM advertising.
So, get ready to go behind the scenes and discover what's "Behind the Apps" with AVOW and Tripledot Studios. Hit play below!
→ Watch the full interview here on YouTube
(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION BELOW)
Interview with Ben Barta, Senior Growth Manager at Tripledot Studios
David Murphy (Host): I'm delighted to be joined in the AVOW studio today by Ben Barta, Senior Growth Manager at Tripledot. Ben, very good morning to you. Great to have you on the show.
Ben Barta (Tripledot Studios): Hey David, good morning. I'm thrilled to be a part of this interview series.
David Murphy: Excellent. So let's get straight into it, Give a quick introduction to yourself, your role at Tripledot, and how that intersects with the company's core mission, values, and strategies.
Ben Barta: Yeah, so hello everyone. My name is Ben Barta, I serve as a Senior Growth Manager at Tripledot Studios, I’m spearheading our efforts into pre-installation traffic with the aim of reaching new audiences and expanding our user base. My team's role is pivotal in aligning with our core mission of delivering engaging gaming experiences. By focusing on pre-installation partnerships with OEMs, carriers and agencies, my job is to ensure our games are front and center on all new devices in all our core markets, maximizing brand exposure and driving scalable user acquisition. It's an exciting challenge that perfectly intersects with Tripledot's strategy of growth and innovation. So yeah, that is me.
"Tripledot prioritizes games with long-term retention, aiming to create experiences that players will enjoy for years to come"
- On Tripledot's focus on high quality games that stand the test of time
Tripledot Studios' Games Portfolio and Development Philosophy
David Murphy: Well, you mentioned OEMs and we'll come back to those in a moment. But could you just start off with a bit of an overview of your pretty diverse games portfolio and the philosophy behind its development?
Ben Barta: Yeah, so Tripledot Studios, our journey in the gaming industry has been defined by a unique approach to game development and portfolio management. Rather than solely focusing entirely on creating new titles, we recognize the untapped potential within classic games such as Solitaire and Sudoku.
Our philosophy centers on refining these timeless favorites by leveraging data-driven optimizations and creative enhancements. We've launched a total of more than 15 games to date and are working on some more. I'd say Solitaire, Woodoku, and Triple Tile have emerged as our top performers and have resonated very well with our players, becoming an integral part of their daily routines.
Tripledot prioritizes games with long-term retention, aiming to create experiences that players will enjoy for years to come. Unlike some companies that focus solely on hyper-casual games, our emphasis is on building high-quality titles that stand the test of time. We believe in continuous iteration and delivering great experiences for users.
"This creates obviously challenges but also great opportunities, forcing us and companies like us to explore new channels for cost-effective user acquisition"
- On the topic of consolidation in the mobile marketplace
Challenges and Opportunities in the Mobile Gaming Industry
David Murphy: Good stuff. I was reading a piece in the FT (Financial Times) where it talked about Solitaire and the fact that I think one of your co-founders said that (paraphrasing) "we don't do any one thing differently, we just do about 100 things just a little bit better than all the others in such a crowded market." I thought it was a really interesting piece. Now, despite the growth you've seen, every company obviously faces challenges. What's the next big challenge and opportunity that you're preparing for at Tripledot?
Ben Barta: I mean, there's not one big challenge, right? There's a few that comes to mind. You know, the rising user acquisition costs are probably the one that I'm thinking of right now. But there's more…
The consolidation in the ad tech marketplace has really driven up UA costs, and the saturation of the market hasn't really helped. This creates obviously challenges but also great opportunities, forcing us and companies like us to explore new channels for cost-effective user acquisition. But there are many, many others that I can mention in terms of challenges: privacy challenges, evolving privacy regulations, Google's privacy initiatives, CMP and privacy sandbox.
Navigating these waters is quite tricky. Changing consumer trends, platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have really led to a shorter attention span in users and higher expectations. So, a lot of our focus is on providing new exciting content, new features, coupled with effective lifecycle marketing efforts, is what I also believe to be a big challenge for all gaming companies.
And, you know, I would be remiss if I didn't mention anything about creative challenges. This intense competition that I mentioned in the ecosystem requires a sophisticated creative strategy to differentiate from competitors and capture user attention. It's easier said than done. That's why I say everyone's really struggling with it and facing this challenge. But dealing with these challenges and overcoming these challenges, could potentially make or break a business.
"By constantly scrutinizing performance metrics and refining our approaches, we try to ensure that every marketing dollar is maximized for impact"
- On Tripledot's mobile UA stratagies
Mobile User Acquisition Strategies
David Murphy: We'll leave privacy and privacy sandbox maybe set aside another 4-hour session just to talk about that because there's a lot of stuff going on there. But in terms of user acquisition, those two words that most developers probably go to bed dreaming about every night, whether they're having good dreams or nightmares, how have you traditionally gone about acquiring new users?
Ben Barta: Look, on the surface, our approach to acquiring new users roughly aligns with industry norms. But I think our competitive edge lies in the meticulous attention to detail and the data-driven culture that we have. At our scale, we have to leverage a wide array of marketing channels, much like any other gaming studio.
However, I think what sets us apart is our ability to delve deep into the analytics, rapidly test and iterate, and take aggressive actions based on our findings. I think our highly data-driven culture allows us to uncover insights that inform our decisions. By constantly scrutinizing performance metrics and refining our approaches, we try to ensure that every marketing dollar is maximized for impact.
This relentless pursuit of optimization enables us, I think, to stay ahead of the competition and maintain a competitive edge in this landscape.
"Partnering with OEMs has always been a reliable traffic source for us in the past. Given the widespread appeal of our games, such as Solitaire and Wooduku, it's just a natural fit!"
- On Tripledot's Mobile OEM partnerships
Partnering with Mobile OEMs
David Murphy: Good stuff! And one thing that you're doing that I think a lot of companies haven't probably discovered yet is this whole thing with mobile OEMs. So when did you first start looking at them as a source of new users?
Ben Barta: We've been collaborating with mobile OEMs and carriers for quite some time honestly. So this isn't really like a recent development for us. Partnering with OEMs has always been a reliable traffic source for us in the past. Given the widespread appeal of our games, such as Solitaire and Wooduku, it's just a natural fit.
Access to brand new devices ensures a steady stream of new users, and we've consistently observed strong monetization metrics from this channel. So, we continue to look for partnerships and expand our collaboration with new OEMs and new geos.
"We are focusing on refining our processes, exploring new marketing channels, and really stepping up our creative game. That's going to be a big one for us".
- On Tripledot's focus on creative user acquisition
Looking Forward: Mobile User Acquisition Strategy for the Future
David Murphy: And looking forward, Ben, what's your outlook for growth strategy, especially in terms of user acquisition in 2024?
Ben Barta: We're feeling pretty optimistic about our growth strategy, despite a few industry headwinds. We're confident in our ability to keep moving forward. We don't plan on making any major shifts right away. As I mentioned, we are focusing on refining our processes, exploring new marketing channels, and really stepping up our creative game. That's going to be a big one for us. And of course, we are keeping a close eye on those privacy concerns too.
We're excited about the opportunity to scale up some of our soft-launch titles and brainstorm new game ideas. Even though we've been in the game for a while, there's still plenty of room for growth, whether it's optimizing user journey for better revenue or boosting our retention efforts. Yeah, lots of exciting stuff ahead as we continue to push forward.
"We've acquired a significant amount of users and AVOW consistently ranks among the top three channels in several of the geos where we operate, which highlights the substantial contribution that AVOW has made to our overall UA efforts."
- On Tripledot's successful mobile OEM advertising campaigns with AVOW
Tripledot's Succesful Partnership with AVOW
David Murphy: Looking at your partnership with AVOW, what role have they played in your app's marketing and growth strategies?
Ben Barta: AVOW has become an integral part of our app marketing and growth strategy since our collaboration began towards the end of last year. Our partnership expanded significantly, granting us access to traffic sources that were previously untapped, particularly through connections with OEMs like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. This gives us access to a different composition of traffic than we used to, beyond the heavily concentrated US and tier-one markets. This has allowed us to scale our presence in geos where our historical spend might have been a little bit lower.
The role of AVOW in our growth strategy extends beyond just buying pure preloads. It's about unlocking potential in various other products and services that we've yet to fully explore. Beyond pre-installs, we believe we're only scratching the surface, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead with this partnership.
David Murphy: Are there any specific successes or milestones you've achieved with AVOW’s help that you could share with us?
Ben Barta: I can't share, you know, exact numbers, but we're acquiring traffic in more than 50 countries with AVOW. We've acquired a significant amount of users and AVOW consistently ranks among the top three channels in several of the geos where we operate, which highlights the substantial contribution that AVOW has made to our overall UA efforts.
Really appreciate you taking the time to join us today. Thank you very much for sharing those insights with us.
Ben Barta: Thank you very much for having me.!
David Murphy: You're more than welcome.
(END OF INTERVIEW)
→ Watch the full interview here on YouTube
Scale Your Mobile Gaming App's Growth with AVOW!
Just like Tripledot Studios, scale your mobile gaming app's growth with AVOW. By leveraging mobile OEMs, AVOW helps you acquire users through unique channels. Book a free consultation with AVOW today and unlock your app's full potential.
RELATED LINKS
→ Tripledot Studios
→ Ultimate Mobile OEM Guide
→ Mobile Gaming UA Guide
→ David Murphy
→ Ben Barta
Unlocked! Breaking Barriers with Alternative App Stores for Fintech and Crypto Apps
Fintech is booming, with crypto and forex trading on the rise around the world. But app store rules are making it tough for finance companies to get their apps into the hands of desired users. This article explores how alternative app stores for fintech and crypto apps offered by mobile OEM manufacturers (mobile OEMs) offer a lifeline. These stores can help fintech and finance apps flourish by giving them an easier path to users.
Soaring Fintech Demand Around the Globe
A Case for Alternative App Stores for Fintech and Crypto Apps
Cryptocurrency and Forex on the Rise: The number of crypto wallets has grown by a staggering 2700% since 2013, with a worldwide market exceeding $2.7 trillion as of March 2024. Daily forex trading volume averages a staggering $7.5 trillion globally, with several Asian countries, together with the UK and US, accounting for 78% of all forex trading worldwide.
Vietnam: A Crypto Powerhouse: In Vietnam, crypto is surprisingly huge, with around 17% of Vietnam’s population using or owning cryptocurrency, with only Thailand topping that number in ASEAN. With a youthful population (70% below 35) and increasing internet penetration, Vietnam offers fertile ground for fintech apps, boasting 7 of the top 200 global blockchain organizations.
Indonesia: A Fintech Hub: Indonesia's massive population of over 270 million, growing smartphone use, and booming digital transactions make it prime territory for fintech growth. In 2020, crypto trading reached $4.6 billion, with that number skyrocketing to $56 billion by 2022. Indonesia has an estimated 17 million cryptocurrency users and one of the largest forex markets in South-east Asia, with domestic forex trading volume coming in at an average of $10 billion daily.
India: Leading Crypto Adoption: Crypto adoption rates are the highest in the world in India, putting them ahead of China, the US, and Brazil, with projections exceeding 328 million crypto users by 2028, nearing the entire US population. From July 2022 to June 2023, India saw a $250 billion surge in crypto value, ranking second only to the US. With a thriving IT sector and enthusiastic youth embracing fintech, India emerges as a global leader in the field.
Europe & UK: Powerhouse in Digital Finance: According to Statista, online banking penetration exceeds 90% in certain European countries, and in digital payments, the European user base is projected to surpass 547 million in 2024. In 2023, the United Kingdom had the highest number of fintech users in Europe, with an estimated 106.53 million fintech users, followed by Germany and France, with 96.4 and 79.4 million users, respectively. Additionally, Europe ranks second globally in cryptocurrency transaction volume (17.6%), solidifying its position as a key player in the future of finance.
In short, crypto and forex are big business, and they are in a unique position to both have such great exponential growth potential whilst already having such a large and lucrative market. The decentralized nature of both crypto and forex trading makes it ripe for use with smartphones. With the ubiquity of smartphones and how users interact and participate in modern finance, now more than ever it's crucial for fintech apps to efficiently target potential users and secure downloads without breaking the bank. How you may ask? Through mobile OEMs and their alternative app stores of course!
Google and Apple Restrictions
Opens Up Alternative App Stores for Fintech and Crypto Apps
While inherent risks like financial instability justify stricter regulations for crypto and forex apps, tech giants like Google and Apple add another layer of complexity. Their app store policies restrict activities like on-device mining and promotional rewards involving crypto. Additionally, Apple enforces a 30% fee on in-app purchases, impacting features like NFT transfers and user "tips" in crypto.
These constraints limit crypto firms' access to major mobile user bases. While alternative marketing channels like Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) exist, they have limitations. The recent removal of major crypto apps from Apple and Google's app stores in India further highlights the challenges faced by the industry.
This situation underscores the importance of diversification for crypto firms. Having a presence in various alternative app stores and exploring alternative distribution and advertising methods is crucial to navigating the complex regulatory and tech giant landscape.
Enter Mobile OEMs and their Owned App Stores
Benefits of Mobile OEMs and Alternative App Stores for Fintech and Crypto Apps
These "alternative "app stores, offered by companies like Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo, Oppo, and Transsion, among others, distribute apps through their independent platforms. These alternative app stores not only cater to a wide audience but also allow financial product advertising with certain certifications. Alternative App Stores for Fintech and Crypto apps provide several benefits:
- Lower Costs & Higher Engagement: Sophisticated targeting leads to lower Cost per Install (CPI) and higher user engagement.
- Data-Driven Marketing: Access to detailed user data (while following GDPR) allows for better ad targeting.
- Global Reach & Expansion: Target new markets and lookalike audiences for wider business reach.
- Flexible Campaign Models: Mobile OEMs support various campaign models, including CPI, Cost per Revenue (CPR), and Cost per Action (CPA), especially beneficial for trading apps using CPR campaigns.
- Fraud Protection: OEMs provide a direct link between advertisers and their platforms, ensuring a fraud-free advertising ecosystem and controlled ad placements.
The Time is Now to Take Action
Embrace Alternative App Stores for Fintech and Crypto Apps
AVOW, the leading mobile OEM advertising specialist, plays a pivotal role in navigating the landscape of alternative app stores for fintech and crypto apps. By partnering with mobile OEMs globally which cover 63% of the global Android market, AVOW helps clients feature their apps on these platforms, offering guidance throughout the campaign lifecycle for expanded reach and new revenue opportunities. Furthermore, our proprietary tool AVOW Intelligence (AI) fine-tunes campaigns in real-time across OEM inventory, aligning them with performance goals for enhanced Return On Ad Spend (ROAS).
More and more countries are adopting legislation similar to the EU Digital Markets Act, paving the way for mobile OEMs and their alternative app stores for fintech and crypto apps to have a stronger foothold in the mobile space. As such, now is the perfect time for fintech apps to get in on the ground floor of this flourishing means of mobile advertising and user acquisition. With AVOW’s entry into the top 3 of the Global Finance category of the 16th AppsFlyer Performance Index, you can rest assured that your fintech app will be in safe, reliable, and experienced hands - contact our team today for a free consultation.