It’s that time of year again – the biggest event in mobile is back! Mobile Apps Unlocked is taking place in Las Vegas from May 23rd to the 25th and app marketers and developers from around the world will be flying in for this bustling event.
Last year was the first in-person MAU after two years of cancellations due to the pandemic. The conference was lively, with attendees more excited than ever to be face to face again with their friends in the mobile industry. YouAppi hosted a number of events for attendees including the first ever Women in Leader(sip) brunch on the last day of MAU. Conference-goers also stopped by the cabana to cool off and to enter to win one of our exciting giveaways.
We’re expecting MAU 2023 to be even better than last year, with new events and giveaways up our sleeves! We’ve taken what we learned from the previous year and broken down what to expect at MAU 2023.
What Topics to Expect
During the 2022 conference, topics such as budget allocation, IDFA impacts and retargeting to promote long-term app growth were just a few of the many topics discussed. We’re expecting similar themes this year, as well as fresh, emerging tech-focused discussions.
Tightening Budgets
Marketing budgets are always top of mind when discussing revenue goals and strategy. This year started out with murmurs of a looming recession. Whether or not there is an economic downturn in our future, it’s important to make sure that marketers are allocating their budgets wisely.
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has observed a tight correlation between advertising spend and economic indicators such as GDP growth. Most marketers know from experience that when the economy turns, their budget is an easy target. Because of this, it is imperative that marketers prove the value of their marketing campaigns to the C-levels in charge. Discussions of budget cuts will likely be a major topic at MAU 2023; as well as data strategies marketers can use to demonstrate their return on investment.
Acquiring a customer can cost five times more than keeping current ones. Marketers that prioritize lifetime value (LTV) and customer relationships will not repeat the mistakes of the 2007–2009 global recession, which proved that re-acquisition of customers was challenging and expensive. Investing in retargeting and retention tactics early on should be a top priority for app marketers, especially with the uncertain nature of the US economy.
The IDFA’s Long-Term Impact
Apple’s latest privacy changes are always a hot topic of conversation at mobile conferences. The IDFA, or The Identifier for Advertisers, helps advertisers identify the user operating a specific device on an iOS system. With the IDFA, advertisers can accurately track the browsing behavior of a user across the mobile ecosystem. This helps deliver personalized and targeted ads, restrict how often a certain user sees an ad, measure campaign performance and more. However, with an “opt in'' prompt now a requirement for app developers, many leaders in the mobile space worried these changes would negatively impact their ROI.
Now that we’re a few years out from these initial privacy changes, app advertisers seem to be letting go of their worry. There are many app categories in which the IDFA opt-in rate is well over 50% and other verticals that suggest users welcome advertisements. For example, mobile gamers enjoy advertisements for incentives within their game. Ads served in gaming environments are highly engaging with good viewability, especially through formats such as rewarded video or interstitials.
Many DSPs have also innovated alternative ways to track and predict users’ mobile behavior in today’s age of enhanced data privacy. For example, YouAppi’s DSP has developed a way to support targeted campaigns by using its proprietary contextual targeting algorithms. These proprietary contextual targeting algorithms leverage machine learning to identify connections between a diverse set of contextual signals and build probabilistic data models. This type of probabilistic modeling is compliant with Apple’s IDFA changes.
Retargeting Tools
User acquisition is always on the forefront of app developers’ minds. Creating strategies around growing a user base leads to a higher return on investment and profitability in the long run. However, last year we heard many app marketers explaining how implementing retargeting campaigns early on has helped them not only retain the users they have worked hard to gain, but also consistently drive revenue for their app.
Retargeting campaigns help increase overall engagement by reminding users of key features, new updates or exciting rewards that can be accessed within an app. By being consistent with retargeting campaigns, brands can save money and convert more free users into paying ones. In a time of budget cuts and uncertainty in the economy, retargeting is most certainly going to be top of mind for app marketers attending MAU this year.
Artificial Intelligence Opportunities in Mobile Marketing
ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, and it’s bound to be a topic of conversation at this year’s MAU. Artificial intelligence is changing the way humans interact with the world while also unlocking new efficiencies in advertising technology. ChatGPT, for instance, can influence digital marketing in many different ways. It can generate automated, customized replies to customers' queries or craft unique content for different advertising campaigns.
AI can also be immensely helpful for digital marketers in personalizing campaigns and content to meet the preferences of individual customers. ChatGPT can analyze customer data and offer tailored recommendations to address specific preferences and needs using its machine learning and natural language processing capabilities.
Meet us in Vegas!
We’re so excited to be back with our friends in mobile next week! Find us at these events 👇 and click here to request an invite!
