Appi Camper is an interview series that shines a spotlight on today's mobile elite, showcasing their expertise and knowledge. Growth leaders share trends, strategies to navigate the current market, tips to overcome present challenges, and how they approach these impacts to successfully emerge as an Appi Camper.

Spotlight with Adrian Sarasa

Originally from Spain, Adrian Sarasa has installed his global perspective in his work over the years. Adrian has worked in AdTech since 2011, spending 3 years at Trovit, the leading search engine for classified ads in Europe and Latin America. During his time there he covered the gamut of mobile marketing expertise, starting in media buying and evolving into product marketing, both for traffic acquisition, display, and mobile apps.

He started working for Letgo in 2015, the same year the largest and fastest-growing app to buy and sell locally was actually founded. As the Director of User Acquisition, he oversees all aspects of mobile user acquisition campaigns, from mobile measurement and automation to fraud prevention and retargeting.

Adrian has earned the Diversity and Inclusion Badge for his work amplifying the voices of minorities and underrepresented individuals both at camp and at Letgo. As a thoughtful yogi and certified yoga teacher, he’s also won the Yoga Love Award for hosting daily yoga flows by the lake.

Last but not least, given his experience in the world of marketplace search engines, he has a unique talent for helping people find things they need, often acting as an intermediary between campers letting go of items and campers looking for items, whether that be a new fishing pole, hiking boots or solar-powered flashlight.

 

What are the trends you are seeing during this time? Any notable effects or strategies you can share?

From a marketing perspective, for what I observed and heard from industry peers, at the beginning of the lockdown, there was a clear reduction in media costs as many advertisers pulled out their marketing budgets due to uncertainty of the situation.
Similarly, since people had to stay home, a lot of companies have seen an increase in app usage metrics. In this instance, it was definitely a good time to try to re-engage your users as they were probably more receptive.
Further, people have gotten used to doing more online, and I believe this user behavior is here to stay, even if our world gets back to "normal".

 

What are some of the challenges of mobile marketing during this time?

From a high-level perspective, the biggest challenge is the overall uncertainty. I am seeing many advertisers with projects and budgets on hold waiting for a sign.

Also, the impact is very asymmetric depending on the industry. Many apps (food delivery, video conference...) are having a massive growth opportunity while others are struggling to stay afloat.

Finally, we are in a time when brands need to find a way to stay relevant but at the same time acknowledge all the circumstances and be very sensitive in response, with communications.

 

How are you adjusting to working as a remote team? Are there any tips you can share about how to make it work?

We are doing pretty well. We have a daily catch-up with the immediate team and then on top of that, there are daily coffee breaks, weekly yoga sessions, and other events where we have the opportunity to come together.

What are you doing to stay positive and balanced while working remotely?

Keeping a routine and a schedule has helped me a lot!

For instance, waking up the same time as I used to and exercising before I get started on work.  Not staying at home all the time helps too, doing things like going out for walks has contributed to keeping my mind clear.

Overall, I think it is important to recognize that we are going through tough circumstances and that it is ok not to be ok all the time.