The Groove

Peggy Anne Salz

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MARKETING
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The Groove

The Groove brought to you by author, analyst and content marketing strategist Peggy Anne Salz, founder and owner of MobileGroove. Spotlighting the companies and cool people at the intersection of content, community and commerce. Connecting the dots in the Now to frame the future. MobileGroove: https://mobilegroove.com/

JAN 30

Inside what3words: Building a Brand That Markets Itself

Smart. Scalable. Viral. Three words to sum up what3words’ smart marketing strategy that excels on three fronts: an in-house programmatic team that moves fast and optimizes faster, a word-of-mouth flywheel that gets customers to spread the message for them, and big-league brand partnerships that rocket revenue and reach. In this episode of MobileGroove, our host, Peggy Anne Salz, chats with Jane Stephenson, Marketing Director at what3words, and Michelle Dunn, Head of Consumer Marketing, about how they’ve turned a simple but powerful idea—dividing the world into 3x3 meter squares with unique three-word addresses—into an international success. With millions of users across 193 countries, partnerships with brands like Lamborghini, Land Rover, and DHL, and real-world impact through collaborations with emergency services like the LA Fire Department, what3words is more than just another app—it’s a case study in strategic marketing, organic growth, and brand storytelling done right. From TV shows casually featuring them in plotlines to real-life rescue stories that fuel social media buzz, they’ve mastered the art of making their audience do the talking. If you’re into creative, high-impact marketing that gets results (without breaking the bank), you won’t want to miss this one! 00:00 - Intro 02:16 - What is what3words? 04:35 - Making functional feel personal 06:23 - Successful brand partnerships 09:58 - The wild use cases 11:40 - Measuring what works 15:10 - In-house performance marketing 18:58 - Building beyond the app 23:48 - Media equity and alternative ads 29:50 - How what3words makes money 32:32 - A pivotal moment

38 min
JAN 23

How To Beat Mobile Gaming’s Final Boss in 2025

Marked by a crazy dynamic of fewer downloads and stronger player spending, mobile gaming is gearing up for its climactic finale against the industry's biggest boss in what Gonçalo Martins, VP of Marketing at BoomBit, calls the "mobile gaming trilogy." In this episode of MobileGroove, powered by Verve, Gonçalo releases his director's cut, complete with strategies BoomBit is using to adapt and thrive in 2025. From cross-promotion to get more value out of interested players to new ad mon approaches that make more out of first-party data, he candidly shares the strategies BoomBit will follow to make sure 2025 is a blockbuster success for your studio—so tune in for tips and trend data you can harness to make this a banner year for your game. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:38 - Mobile gaming as a movie genre 03:39 - Spending trends (hypercasual trends) 05:43 - What different demographics want 08:00 - Leveraging cross-promo 13:00 - Alternative targeting strategies 16:16 - First-party data strategies 21:52 - Brand advertising in games 23;52 - Monetization trends 26:08 - BI as a service 27:57 - SSP and DSP partnerships 31:05 - Predictions for 2025 35:00 - 2025 as a movie

39 min
JAN 13

Inside Tripledot Studios’ Strategy (and Soundtrack) for Mobile Gaming Ad Monetization

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

42 min
12/19/2024

Future-Proofing Your Programmatic Data Strategy for 2025

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

48 min
12/05/2024

From the Saddle to the Screen: 5+ Lessons App Growth Markets Can Learn from Cycling

Great app growth is like a perfect bike ride: it takes a ride that works (your app), a sustainable pace (steady growth), and quick thinking to pivot when obstacles arise. In this episode of In The Groove with Peggy Anne Salz, Lorenzo Rossi, Co-founder and Head of Growth at REPLUG, takes us on a journey through the parallels between cycling and scaling mobile apps. Just like a high-performance rider needs the right gear and a solid plan to secure a place on the podium, your app requires precision, perseverance, and smart strategy to push past plateaus and win the race for users' attention. Lorenzo shares REPLUG's five-stage framework for transforming small budgets into big wins and offers practical advice on the growth hacks that drive success in and out of the saddle. Lorenzo Rossi - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenzorossi1987/ REPLUG - http://www.rplg.io CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:37 - Why cycling is like app growth 08:19 - The 5 Stage Framework 11:41 - Strategic spend 15:01 - When to shift gears 17:45 - The supporting elements 21:19 - The must-track KPIs 24:39 - A big pivot for big results 26:40 - The way to stay responsive 30:07 - Three growth hacks 35:41 - How to enjoy the ride 39:04 - The motivational marketing billboard 40:15 - Best way to connect with Lorenzo

43 min
11/14/2024

How Game Publishers Can Maximize Engagement with Smart Diversification

With rising costs and a 30% revenue cut taken by major app stores on every in-app purchase, studios can’t afford to keep placing bets on traditional models or small pockets of growth. Instead, diversification is the new mantra. Done right, it doesn’t just generate revenues; it powers value-driven experiences and optimizes every touchpoint for maximum retention. Glance, (formerly Nostra), an unconsolidated subsidiary of InMobi Group and the largest mobile gaming platform in India and Southeast Asia, and Sunday—a gaming publisher laser-focused on LiveOps and smart monetization—are two companies turning this model into gold. Deepak Venkatramani, GM of Gaming at Glance and Nicholas Bloom, Business Development Manager at Sunday, join Peggy Anne Salz in this episode to share what it takes to get your games in front of new and eager audiences. Nick takes us through Sunday’s sophisticated hybrid-casual model, supported by “game lifecycle ninjas” who understand how to keep players hooked, while Deepak details how Glance utilizes lock screens to eliminate friction, enable game discovery, and grow engagement 2x. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:10 - Where is the growth? 05:14 - What's unique about games? 07:54 - Accessibility for the user 09:54 - Break down your game 14:42 - Criteria for choosing opportunities 20:44 - Engagement metric uplifts 24:23 - The game beyond the game 26:15 - Segmentation and personalization 29:17 - What's next for alternatives?

35 min
10/31/2024

How To Unlock $2 Trillion In New Growth In The Next 10 Years

$2 trillion is on the table, and only one thing will determine if your brand can carve out a portion of the pie: personalization. No longer just a buzzword, personalization has become the dividing line between average brands and top performers. As Mark Abraham explains in his latest release, the game has changed—soon, brands won’t be judged by product quality alone but by the custom-tailored experiences they deliver. Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group, Co-Author of Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI and strategist for over 100 iconic brands, Mark jumps In The Groove with Peggy Anne Salz to discuss how brands can unlock an estimated $2 trillion in new growth this decade. The key to unlocking this growth is what he and his co-author, David Edelman, call "the Personalization Advantage." It’s the competitive edge he describes in his book, drawing on real-world insights from leading brands like Starbucks and Google, along with practical steps to avoid common pitfalls. With tools like the Personalization Index, the Five Promises, and a focus on AI-driven strategy, Personalized is the playbook for “strategists, not just marketers” and paves a path for success in 2025 and beyond. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 03:08 - The boldest ask from a brand 05:23 - The engagement ladder 07:11 - Dos and Don'ts of AI personalization 09:59 - p=ms 12:21 - You can start small 16:27 - Personalization high-performer 20:35 - The Five Promises 21:52 - Pandora use case 24:28 - Delight me 27:25 - Spotify + Four Seasons use cases 29:30 - What consumers need to do 30:45 - Building trust 31:54 - Rapid-fire Q&A 34:00 - Connecting with Mark

37 min
10/03/2024

Reduce D1 Churn With In-Game Audio Ads

With mobile game D1 churn rates sitting at an impressive 72%, studios can’t afford to disrupt gameplay with annoying or irrelevant ads. Sahil Modi, Partnership Manager at Audiomob, offers audio ads as an alternative. He explains how Audiomob’s contextually targeted in-game ads rocket ad revenue while reducing gameplay friction. Tune in to this episode as Sahil reveals Audiomob’s newest integration—fully equipped with user-friendly plugins and “SDKs that put the player first.” CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:58 - What publishers think of audio ads 02:18 - Creating a cool audio experience 04:55 - CPI campaign with an audio ad

8 min

The Groove brought to you by author, analyst and content marketing strategist Peggy Anne Salz, founder and owner of MobileGroove. Spotlighting the companies and cool people at the intersection of content, community and commerce. Connecting the dots in the Now to frame the future. MobileGroove: https://mobilegroove.com/

Creator

Peggy Anne Salz
Years Active

2021 - 2025
Episodes

84
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Peggy Anne Salz
Show Website

The Groove