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 Sarah Chafer
Sarah Chafer is the Executive Vice President of Global Ad Sales & Marketing at Tapjoy. She is responsible for global performance & brand sales revenue growth, marketing, and product adoption. She has been with Tapjoy since 2009 and saw them through the transition from web-based advertising to mobile in 2010.
Prior to joining Tapjoy, Sarah was a Media Director at Medley, Inc. a global digital agency responsible for dating brands. There, she was responsible for the user acquisition and affiliate sales team. Sarah has also previously held senior-level roles at IAC, and Yahoo!, Inc.
What are the trends you are seeing as a result of Apple's announcement regarding privacy and IDFA? Any notable effects, strategies, or workarounds you can share?
I have found that whenever big industry shifts happen, it is important to stay flexible. At Tapjoy, we are working with our partners to develop strategies around setup, reporting, etc. The most important thing for us to focus on is building support to allow our ad partners to have as little disruption in their current campaigns as possible.
What are some of the challenges of mobile marketing during this time?
The growth of advertising ultimately leads to an increased look at ad compliance standards, privacy control challenges, and industry standards. It has been faced with increased standards implemented by the operating systems (iOS 14, Google Family Certification), industry privacy policies (COPPA, GDPR), and implementation of verification tools that advertisers demand (OM SDK, etc). The implementation of these verification tools and increased standards have represented a growing challenge to mobile marketing during this time.
How are you adjusting to working as a remote team? Are there any tips you can share about how to make it work?
I'm learning a lot more about the social norms of taking a pitch call in someone else's personal living space. It has been really fun getting to know everyone's pets and babies. We are a social bunch so we miss the times we spent in the office or at trade shows with our partners.
The most important tools for success have been finding a comfortable work environment with strong wifi, setting yourself up with strict work hours, getting out to move (Tapjoy has a step challenge), and reminding yourself to take breaks to prevent burnout.
What are you doing to stay positive and balanced while working remotely?
I'm spending a lot more time at home than I have in the last 10 years. I have three kids who keep me on my toes, but when I'm not busy being their mom you can find me working on house projects and hiking in South San Jose or Tahoe.
