MobileGroove – Details, episodes & analysis

Monetization in mobile gaming is a lot like composing a hit song—it’s all about finding the perfect balance between melody (user experience) and rhythm (ad revenue). In this episode of Mobile Groove, powered by Verve, we jam with Andrew Seow, Director of Monetization at Tripledot Studios and music aficionado, to uncover how his studio fine-tunes its monetization strategy to hit all the right notes—without compromising the user experience. Andrew dives into the first-party data dilemma, the balancing act between ad frequency and CPMs, and the shift from waterfalls to bidding—and what it all means for publishers. Whether you’re a monetization maestro or just tuning into ad strategies, this episode will help you keep your 2025 game plan in perfect harmony, from ID-less solutions and new ad formats to evolving monetization models.

00:00 - Intro 

02:10 - Why ad monetization feels like a broken record

06:00 - The music genres of mobile gaming: Groundhog Day vs. Firebird Suite

10:45 - Google’s bidding changes + a new rhythm for publishers

15:30 - How has Tripledot adapted its tune after IDFA

20:55 - Is first-party data a chart-topping hit or a one-hit wonder?

26:20 - Striking the right chord between ad quality and revenue

30:10 - Remixing ad formats

34:50 - Andrew’s wishlist for networks and the industry in 2025

39:20 - Ad monetization in music

Winning in performance marketing in 2025 will require a big step back from the “numbers for numbers’ sake” mindset and force companies to finally embrace smarter, more meaningful strategies that drive sustainable growth. This is the view of Megan Price, Programmatic Supervisor, and Michael Hew, Associate Director of Data & Reporting Ops at M&C Saatchi Performance, who joined Peggy Anne Salz on this episode of In The Groove. 

Megan reveals opportunities to diversify your media spend and adopt an audience-first approach that breaks through the silos that keep valuable customer and contextual data from becoming actionable. At the same time, Michael shares M&C Saatchi's measurement trifecta—an essential toolkit that combines attribution, incremental testing, and marketing mix modeling for marketers looking to balance real-time insights with a long-term vision. Join us as Megan, Michael, and Peggy Anne Salz bust popular programmatic myths and prep your data for success in 2025.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:57 - Most pressing challenges of 2025

05:04 - Practical steps to use data effectively

13:06 - Something surprising

15:50 - The exciting part of old tools

17:51 - Diversification

21:19 - Performance can serve brand marketing too 

26:17 - The right metrics to follow

29:50 - 2025 cheatsheet for brands 

35:58 - The top industry trends

38:34 - Privacy-focused challenges in 2025

40:48 - Rapid-fire insights

Named one of IMPACT’s 50 Most Influential Women in Media & Marketing annually since 2018, Vasuta Agarwal is a resourceful, results-oriented manager who leads from the front. With over 16 years of experience across the digital industry, she began her career as a consultant before switching gears to join InMobi, where she straddled multiple roles and geos—building and scaling businesses within India’s first unicorn. Now Chief Business Officer at InMobi, Vasuta joins Peggy Anne Salz in this episode to share how she built on her experiences across departments to cement her credibility and career. The two discuss the strategy behind Vasuta’s growth, InMobi’s mentorship programs for women in tech, and why “stepping up” and leading with empathy are two tactics every aspiring entrepreneur should learn.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

00:32 - Vasuta's journey to CBO

02:29 - Growing within one company

05:13 - Mentorship for women in tech 

08:50 - Empathy in leadership

10:52 - Looking forward a year from now

AI is THE buzzword feeding a frenzy of hype, but few brands actually dish out sweet solutions that go beyond to provide real value. This week, we shine a spotlight on AI-powered Appier and lift the lid on how the company's gen-AI capabilities and AI-driven insights generate 130% ROAS and “exceptionally short recoup periods” for its clients. Bobbie Hollanders, Head of Sales & Account Management for EMEA and the US at Appier, details how Appier’s tools equip marketers with advanced behavioral analytics, dynamic customer segmentation, and real-time personalization. It's a combination of key capabilities that equips apps across all verticals to clinch the conversion every time. He also delves into how non-gaming apps can identify their “white whales,” the trends you should tap into, and how his hodgepodge of hobbies enhances creativity and innovation in his work.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00- Intro

01:45 - AI solutions that stand out

06:41 -  130% ROAS case study

09:50 - Maximising your data and personalization

14:35 - Whale watching for non-gaming apps

17:52 - Latest trends and advice

22:20 - Asking AI smart questions

24:40 - Meeting demands of the future marketer

26:33 - An unexpected lesson

28:20 - A hodgepodge of hobbies

Creativity powers connection and conversion, offering brands an edge, especially in a post-privacy world where performance marketing can miss the mark. But what is the creative process, how can it be made accessible, and what steps does your brand need to take to capture the hearts—and wallets—of consumers today? Walter T Geer III and Imsety Taylor answer all these questions and more in this week's episode. The two marketers—CCO of Innovation at VML and Founder of Set Angle, respectively—discuss the power of combining tech and great design to create friction-free experiences, drive real-time revenue, and allow for authentic, personalized interactions in a privacy-first world. Alongside Peggy Anne Salz, they dive into how they’re approaching both the creative process and the results, touching upon the role of AI, knowing your audience on an individual level, and how designing with diversity in mind enhances both brand love and campaign success.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:57 - Imsety's intro video

05:10 - Blending tech and great design

07:16 - Authenticity in advertising

12:55 - Know your audience

23:27 - Giving up creative control

25:15 - AI's seat at the table

28:03 - How a diverse team influences the creative process

34:38 - Balancing art and science

37:20 - What's next in the world of design?

43:55- Getting in touch with Walt and Imsety

Profitable growth in a privacy-first landscape means embracing the shifts and shakes in the adtech industry. But staying up to date is no small feat—especially as major players continue to move goalposts and muddy the water with unclear expectations on enforcement. Luckily, David Philippson, Co-Founder and CEO of Dataseat, a contextual mobile DSP, is on top of it all. David unpacks everything from what Apple’s Privacy Manifest and Google’s Privacy Sandbox mean for developers to the five major advantages of adopting a SKAN-only attribution system and why zeroing in on publishers rather than individual users is the key to tapping into your target audience with contextual advertising.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:14 - Adtech privacy evolved

04:10 - Apple's Privacy Manifest

07:45 - Preparing for Apple's enforcement

10:02 - Become the SME

12:15 - 5 big advantages of SKAN

16:00 - Privacy Sandbox from an app perspective

21:05 -  Behavioral vs contextual advertising

24:42 - Know your internal audience

26:18 - ATOM SDK

29:45 - Advice for finding the positives

32:30 - How to get in touch with David

It’s time to ditch traditional tools and adopt a fiercely customer-centric focus—or risk losing your customers altogether. This is unchartered territory for most marketers, and we get much-needed inspiration and direction from Paul Meinshausen, Co-founder and CEO of Aampe, a company that reimagines personalization through messaging and revitalizes brands' communication stacks with its reinforcement learning APIs. From tough love for your tech stack to what is possible when marketers expand their mindset towards messaging, Paul offers concrete advice on executing effective communication campaigns and driving customer engagement.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro 

02:37 - Tough love for your tech stack

09:20 - Why data makes Paul "cringe"

11:10 - Is it a tool or mindset problem?

13:45 - Evolving your messaging

22:00 - Evolving with Aampe

25:00 - ML messaging use cases

Driven by their frustration with a New York Times piece showcasing the movers and shakers of AI without mentioning a single woman, Jenny Kay Pollock and Reut Lazo took action and founded Women and AI, a powerhouse nonprofit committed to smashing gender biases and celebrating the remarkable strides women are making in the artificial intelligence field. Jenny and Reut team up with Peggy Anne Salz in this captivating episode to unveil their groundbreaking initiatives and exciting prospects for mentoring and networking.

For most brands, the spray-and-pray approach to ad creative has taken a backseat, favored instead by precise targeting that increases the chances of connecting with consumers and clinching the conversion. Crystal Bai, Senior Director of Marketing, joins the show this week to discuss how SocialPeta ensures its clients' creatives hit the right audience with the right message every time.

**CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS**

00:00 - Intro

03:00 - Social Peta's USP

06:38 - How Social Peta tells what's hot in every industry

13:30 - Smart strategies for creatives in 2024

Over 2 billion voters in 50 countries are heading to the polls this year—and they need reliable information to make informed decisions. To combat the detrimental deepfakes and salatious misinformation, one brand developed a "digital trust network for social good." Jeff Roberto, CMO of Nodle, discusses Nodle's new app, Click, and how it cuts through misinformation and ensures accuracy with three easy steps.