At InMobi, we’re committed to delivering high-quality ad experiences that uphold trust across the mobile advertising ecosystem. We see ad quality (AQ) and inventory quality (IQ) not as checklists, but as the foundation of ad experiences that respect and protect brands, publishers, and users alike.

Ad Quality and Inventory Quality Go Hand in Hand

We treat AQ and IQ as two sides of the same coin. AQ ensures we deliver meaningful, high-quality ads with minimal disruption to users, while IQ ensures those ads appear in trusted, brand-safe, and fraud-free environments. Strong inventory quality powers strong ad quality, and together they come to life at InMobi through the partnerships, teams, and safeguards we’ve built. 

The Pillars of Our Quality Framework

1. Trusted Industry Partnerships and Certifications

We’ve built partnerships, certifications, and practices to uphold the highest industry standards. We partner with GeoEdge for creative scanning, HUMAN and DoubleVerify (DV) for invalid traffic (IVT) detection, and Integral Ad Science (IAS), DV, and HUMAN for post-bid brand safety.

We’re certified by the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) for Brand Safety, are fully compliant with the Open Measurement SDK (OMSDK) and are active members of TAG and The HUMAN Collective. We’ve also supported and implemented all key industry standards, such as app-ads.txt, ads.txt, sellers.json, and schain, since their inception.

2. Always-On, Built-In Checks

Our systems work continuously, ensuring quality isn’t just maintained, but actively enforced. Every app and website we onboard onto our exchange undergoes automated inventory checks. We have internal systems to aid the detection of app ratings. We move apps and websites with missing details or those that fail the checks to the pending flow or directly flag them. 

Our systems also constantly monitor traffic and demand-side partner behavior to prevent malicious activity. We block demand-side platforms (DSPs) that show signs of non-compliance, dissociate with partners that fail to take corrective action, and permanently block repeat offenders. 

3. Trust & Safety, Powered by People

Maintaining high standards of ad quality and inventory quality doesn’t come from technology alone, but from people, too. Our Trust & Safety team reviews problematic creatives daily, ensuring that every decision aligns with our policies and ethics, and broader industry standards.

We maintain a robust publisher onboarding and review process. If an app or website is flagged or is pending approval, we reinstate it only after the publisher provides the required details and our Support team verifies them. These internal processes have been certified by TAG as a part of the Brand Safety certification.

This balance of technology and human supervision ensures we stay both proactive and systemic in how we manage quality.

4. Transparency and Control in Publisher Hands

We believe publishers should always have control over their inventory to maintain ad quality while optimizing performance. Through InMobi’s customer interface, publishers can restrict ads based on editorial content, block advertisers and competitors by domain, categories, or app bundles, and directly monitor the status of their app-ads.txt and ads.txt files.

Shaping the Future: Making Ads Matter, More Than Ever

Ad quality and inventory quality have long been at the core of what we do, built on strong teams, partnerships, safeguards, and controls. As we move forward, we’re reimagining quality with AI at the center, keeping publishers, brands, and end-users in mind. Every ad on InMobi’s platform now passes through a real-time AI quality layer that evaluates creatives, landing pages, and supply paths before an impression is served.

This allows InMobi to detect and prevent blank ads, fraud, policy violations, latency issues, and user-experience disruptions with far greater precision. This AI-first approach helps brands and publishers trust that each impression delivered through InMobi meets consistent quality and policy standards.

But our work doesn’t stop there. Constantly evolving the end ad experience is just as essential for maintaining quality. Our focus remains unchanged: to make ads more engaging and impactful for everyone in the ecosystem.

Programmatic transparency has hit a weird snag. The one signal everyone trusted: the TiD, isn’t what it used to be. Prebid’s changes have scrambled the consistency, DSPs are grumbling about noise, and SSPs are guarding their turf like a cat sitting on a warm laptop. It’s a standoff: buyers need clarity, sellers need protection, and nobody wants to blink first.

Of course, this isn’t the first standoff programmatic has seen. The ecosystem has always been a balancing act between complexity and efficiency. On one side, the open marketplace enables advertisers to reach audiences at scale across thousands of publishers. On the other, every additional layer that you can find in the Lumascape (think mediation, SSPs, exchange, DSPs, DMPs, etc), adds value but also ends up adding more hops, and sometimes more opacity.

In recent years, transparency has become programmatic’s North Star. Initiatives like Supply Path Optimization (SPO), direct publisher integrations, and open standards all reflect a simple truth: when buyers and sellers see how impressions move through the chain, pricing improves, waste drops, and trust grows. 

But transparency comes with tension. DSPs want clarity to sharpen bidding, while publishers and SSPs want to protect yield strategies and control how their inventory is seen. That balance has always been delicate, and the latest changes to how transaction identifiers are handled have made it even harder and more urgent to resolve.

The debate around Prebid’s decision to alter how Transaction IDs (TiDs) are assigned has crystallized the transparency tension. For years, OpenRTB defined the TiD as the common thread stitching an auction together, with source.tid meant to remain consistent across all participants for reconciliation.

That convention shifted in August 2025, when Prebid began issuing bidder-specific TiDs. The change was positioned as a way to protect publisher pricing and reduce leakage, but it fractured the industry’s one shared reference point. Analysts flagged the move as a departure from OpenRTB’s intent, and the IAB Tech Lab publicly challenged it as non-compliant and risky for interoperability.

This moment has forced a larger question: if a single exchange-level TiD is no longer guaranteed, what other signals can preserve a shared view of reality without compromising publisher controls? Increasingly, attention is turning to the Mediation Auction ID (AID), a complementary identifier reshaping how the industry approaches SPO. Together, TiDs and Mediation AIDs mark a turning point: transparency is no longer optional, but its design must work for all sides.

The Industry’s Transparency Tug-of-War

Transparency in programmatic is not just a philosophical preference, it’s an operational requirement. 

For buyers, transparency signals enable more accurate decision-making. A DSP receiving dozens of requests for the same impression needs a way to distinguish unique opportunities from duplicates. Without that clarity, bidding logic becomes inefficient, infrastructure costs skyrocket, and campaign performance suffers. 

For publishers and SSPs, transparency is equally important, though in different ways. Publishers want assurance that their inventory is being represented accurately in the marketplace and that pricing strategies are respected. SSPs, meanwhile, must balance the demands of buyers for cleaner signals with their responsibility to protect publisher value and maintain competitive yield. 

This tension defines the transparency tug-of-war: each side recognizes its importance, but the trade-offs between efficiency, control, and revenue protection create friction. It is within this backdrop that the TiD controversy has unfolded. 

TiDs: The One Identifier Everyone Could Agree On… Until Now

Since their introduction in OpenRTB 2.5, Transaction IDs (TiDs) have served a simple but vital purpose: to act as a unique identifier for an auction. In practice, a TiD functions like a license plate for an impression. It ensures that all participants DSPs, SSPs, and exchanges reference the same transaction consistently across logs and reporting. 

This consistency has long been critical for reconciliation. Buyers could align their bidding data with exchange logs, publishers could confirm how their impressions were auctioned, and intermediaries could troubleshoot discrepancies. In short, TiDs were a signal of trust in a complex and multi-hop supply chain.

Prebid’s Big Little Change: One Auction, Many IDs

Earlier this year, Prebid introduced a major change to how TiDs are generated. Instead of assigning a single TiD per auction, Prebid now creates unique TiDs per bidder, per request.

The rationale was straightforward. By introducing bidder-specific identifiers, Prebid sought to:

• Protect publisher pricing strategies by preventing buyers from reverse-engineering supply paths. 
• Reduce the risk of impression leakage that could enable disintermediation. 
• Reinforce user privacy in an era where data signals are under increasing scrutiny. 

But the consequences have been significant. For DSPs, this change effectively breaks the chain of consistency. Without a single TiD traveling across all bidders, DSPs lose the ability to trace a single impression across multiple SSPs. This weakens SPO efforts, complicates log reconciliation, and forces DSPs to operate with less clarity in an already noisy environment. 

The IAB Tech Lab has gone so far as to challenge the change, arguing that bidder-specific TiDs undermine the interoperability that open standards are designed to ensure. Their concern is that such fragmentation erodes one of the few stable signals buyers have relied upon for transparency. 

The debate has become emblematic of a broader industry crossroads: how do we balance publisher protections with buyer efficiency in a way that sustains trust across the ecosystem?

The AdTech Balancing Act: Guardrails vs. Glass Walls

The TiD controversy highlights the industry’s central dilemma: privacy and transparency are both essential, but they often operate in tension.

• Privacy safeguards users and publishers. It ensures that sensitive information is not exposed in ways that could be exploited. 
• Transparency drives efficiency, fairness, and accountability, ensuring that advertisers and DSPs can make informed bidding decisions. 

Neither can be compromised. The challenge lies in designing systems that honor both principles without tipping the scale too far in one direction. 

This is where newer transparency signals, such as the Mediation Auction ID, enter the conversation.

Beyond TiDs: The Rise of Mediation Auction IDs

Where TiD lives at the exchange layer, a Mediation AID is created at the mediation layer, the point in the in-app stack where a platform like AdMob, AppLovin MAX, or ironSource orchestrates a unified auction or a hybrid of real-time bidding and waterfall. Mediation systems decide which connected networks/SSPs may compete and how, then fan requests out and collect responses. 

OpenRTB already acknowledges the presence of an upstream decision maker through the source.fd flag, which indicates whether the final impression decision was taken by the exchange (0) or an upstream source (1). In SDK bidding scenarios, many exchanges explicitly set fd=1 to reflect that the mediation platform made the call: an admission, in effect, that the “auction of record” sits one layer higher.

A Mediation AID captures the identity of that higher-level auction event. When the mediation platform assigns and propagates a per-auction identifier downstream, it gives demand a way to recognize that multiple requests possibly arriving through different SSPs, are actually the same underlying impression opportunity. That one piece of context unlocks a cascade of practical benefits:

• Reliable deduplication and smarter modelling. With a Mediation AID, a DSP can collapse dozens of near-simultaneous requests into a single decision object, reducing noisy spend, stabilizing pacing, and improving first-price strategies. Mediation AIDs are arguably the most relevant ID for deduplication, enabling consolidation of redundant requests tied to the same impression.  
• Clearer price evaluation. Mediation is where publishers express yield preferences- floors, priorities, price experiments. A Mediation AID gives buyers a consistent handle to observe how a given opportunity was valued within the mediation stack, allowing pricing logic to reflect publisher-side intent rather than just network-level heuristics.  
• Lower infrastructure cost for everyone. The ability to recognize “many paths, one impression” has direct systems implications. Instead of spinning up inference and targeting models for each duplicate, a DSP can route computation to one canonical request, trimming bandwidth, CPU, and storage without sacrificing win rate, exactly the kind of efficiency gain the industry has been seeking as duplication grows.

The TiD + Mediation AID Equation: Complementary, Not Competitive

It’s tempting to see Mediation AIDs as a reaction to evolving TiD practices, but they’re better understood as orthogonal. A TiD, when consistent, gives you a shared exchange-level handle; a Mediation AID gives you visibility into the auction of origin one level upstream. In combination, they provide a double-entry system that describes both where an auction was decided (mediation vs. exchange) and how that decision propagated across the hops to demand. 

This duality already exists in the protocol. The source.fd flag distinguishes where the final decision is taken; the schain object expresses the entities in the payment path; ext fields provide room for supply partners to carry additional context such as a Mediation AID. Several exchanges explicitly document both tid requirements and the use of ext to carry vendor-specific context, a natural home for a mediation-level identifier.  

In short: a TiD (when present) is the cross-participant thread at the exchange layer. A Mediation AID describes the upstream decision event. Together, they restore transparency while honoring the realities of modern in-app monetization. When a shared TiD is present, passing it alongside the Mediation AID creates the richest transparency. Where bidder-specific TiDs are in use, a Mediation AID restores a common reconciliation handle. The approach is neither prescriptive nor exclusionary: both identifiers can coexist and serve different but complementary truths about the same opportunity.

What Makes Mediation AIDs A “Hero Signal”

If transparency is about improving outcomes for both buyers and sellers without overexposing publisher strategy, Mediation AIDs check every box:

• Auction-scoped, not user-scoped 
  They expire with the event, carry no user data, and minimize privacy concerns while staying useful for pricing and reconciliation.
• Reflect real decisioning 
  In SDK bidding, mediation decides the winner, not the exchange. Mediation AIDs align transparency with that reality, operationalizing what OpenRTB’s fd flag signals. 
• Protect publishers without overexposing strategy 
  AIDs can be random and opaque, enough for deduplication and log reconciliation, but not enough to reveal floors or waterfalls. 
• Enable honest multi-hop measurement 
  When an impression travels across multiple SSPs, the AID ensures each path is recognized as part of the same opportunity. 
• Ready to use today 
  They can be implemented immediately via OpenRTB ext fields, no overhaul required. 
• Align incentives on both sides 
  DSPs gain cleaner signals and stronger SPO, while publishers see proof their rules are respected, leading to greater confidence, higher bids, and stronger yield over time.

Two Sides, One Signal: How Mediation AIDs Empower Buyers and Sellers

It’s important to acknowledge the merits on both sides of the TiD debate. Publishers and wrappers have legitimate reasons to guard against path inference that could undercut yield or reveal sensitive mechanics. At the same time, buyers can’t be expected to optimize in the dark; deduplicating requests and aligning modelling to the true unit of competition is foundational, not optional. 

From a buyer’s perspective, Mediation AIDs provide deterministic grouping of requests that belong to one auction, unlocking cleaner SPO, tighter pacing, and more robust first-price strategies. Where duplication is high, the savings in compute and network load are tangible. 

From a publisher and SSP perspective, Mediation AIDs are a way to prove and not just claim that the marketplace is honouring the logic set at mediation. Rather than revealing the logic itself, the signal simply helps the rest of the chain understand that multiple paths point back to the same decision event. Randomized and opaque, AIDs enable deduplication and reconciliation without exposing floors or waterfalls. This balance lets DSPs optimize supply paths and price more confidently, while giving publishers visibility into performance across mediation stacks. 

What makes Mediation AIDs compelling is that they square this circle. They restore a shared view of “what’s the same” without exposing “why it was valued that way.” They make it easier for DSPs to cut waste and for publishers to verify that upstream rules are reflected downstream. And they do it with low privacy risk, using instrumentation the market already understands.

InMobi’s Stance: Anchoring on Transparency as a Long-Term Commitment

For InMobi, the transparency debate is not about choosing sides between DSPs and SSPs but about helping the ecosystem progress toward shared value. We believe that identifiers like the Mediation Auction ID represent the type of practical innovation the industry needs-signals that reduce duplication and inefficiency for buyers while giving publishers confidence that their inventory is being valued and transacted with integrity. 

This perspective reflects InMobi’s broader stance: transparency is not a short-term tactic or a differentiator to be guarded; it is a foundational principle for sustainable programmatic growth. By leaning into transparency signals like Mediation AIDs, TIDs, and GPID, InMobi aims to bridge the needs of both demand and supply, fostering a marketplace that is efficient, trustworthy, and resilient.

A Brief Note On Scope: Mediation AIDs vs. Other Signals

The ecosystem employs several transparency signals, some publisher-defined, some standardized, some community-led. While those have merit, the focus here is intentionally narrow: Mediation AIDs speak directly to the structure of in-app auctions, which is where much of today’s duplication and opacity originates. They’re not a silver bullet for every transparency challenge, but for reconciling what is being auctioned and where that auction was decided they’re unusually high-leverage. 

Understanding the Role of Mediation Auction IDs

At a high level, the mediation auction ID is a unique identifier assigned at the mediation layer - where multiple ad networks and exchanges compete in a unified auction for a single impression within an app. This auction ID travels downstream embedded in bid requests delivered to DSPs across the supply chain. It functions as a clear, consistent reference to the original auction event, giving DSPs critical insight into which bid requests actually belong together as part of the same impression opportunity. 

Why does this matter? Previously, DSPs faced a fragmented supply environment where the same impression could be represented by many seemingly separate bid requests from different supply sources. This mismatch caused noisy data, bidding inefficiencies, and difficulties in attribution—all of which hampered campaign performance and increased operational costs. 

The mediation auction ID bridges this gap by providing a reliable linkage back to the core auction event at the mediation layer. In doing so, it delivers a level of transparency and granularity that other available signals—such as supply chain extensions or platform-specific identifiers—simply cannot match.

How This Signal Transforms the Demand Side

Maintaining clean and actionable signals is a fundamental challenge for DSPs targeting diverse campaign objectives, whether driving brand awareness, performance metrics, or sustained engagement through retargeting. The mediation auction ID enhances the demand side in profound and tangible ways. 

For campaigns focused on brand awareness, the mediation auction ID ensures marketers have a truthful count of unique impressions that reach real users—not echo chambers of duplicates triggered by multi-source bid requests. This clarity enhances reach measurement and improves pacing strategies, helping brands maximize the impact of their advertising budgets. 

Performance campaigns, tasked with driving concrete outcomes like installs or purchases, gain a sharper edge through mediation auction IDs. These identifiers help prevent overbidding on what appear as multiple distinct opportunities but are in fact duplicates of the same user engagement. The result is more combative eCPMs, efficient CPA metrics, and a bid strategy aligned precisely with true demand. 

DSPs specializing in retargeting benefit as well, as the mediation auction ID provides the granularity needed to manage frequency caps effectively. It prevents repetitive bids on the same user impression that can frustrate users and exhaust budgets unnecessarily.

Why No Other Signal Matches Mediation Auction IDs

Signals currently available to DSPs provide partial visibility but fall short in delivering a holistic, actionable picture. At the root of the problem is the lack of a definitive, auction-level identifier that spans the entire mediation-to-demand journey. Supply chain objects articulate the chain of custody but not unified auction events. Publisher or app identifiers reveal context but lack the precision needed to differentiate between unique and duplicate requests. 

The mediation auction ID uniquely fills this technical void. By tying bid requests unequivocally to the original mediation auction event, it delivers an irreplaceable reconciliation anchor. This enables DSPs to deduplicate bid requests confidently, optimize infrastructure costs by reducing redundant processing, and execute more accurate attribution and reporting.

Unlocking Benefits for DSPs

By incorporating mediation auction IDs, DSPs can reap robust benefits that impact campaign performance and operational efficiency:

• Cleaner Bid Requests and Improved Win Rates: With mediation auction IDs, DSPs can immediately identify when multiple bid requests come from one auction event. This prevents them from bidding multiple times on the same user impression, improving win rate accuracy and fostering more strategic bidding decisions. 
• Reduced Infrastructure Costs: De-duplicating requests before running expensive targeting models and bid logic saves significant compute power and bandwidth, critical for DSPs handling billions of impressions daily. The mediation auction ID enables this streamlined processing, lowering latency and operational overhead. 
• Enhanced Frequency Control and User Experience: Effective pacing and frequency capping hinge on knowing exactly how many unique impressions a user sees. The mediation auction ID allows DSPs to manage user exposure precisely even when duplicate bid requests abound, preventing ad fatigue and boosting campaign health. 
• More Transparent Attribution and Reporting: With a definitive auction-level identifier, DSPs and their clients can reconcile impressions, clicks, and conversions more confidently across complex supply chains, strengthening trust and measurement fidelity. 
• Refined Pricing and Bid Shading: Mediation auction IDs help DSPs understand if multiple bids correspond to the same opportunity, allowing more effective bid shading to win at optimal prices without overpaying. 

The Industry Perspective: Transparency as a Shared Goal 

The broader programmatic community recognizes that transparency is foundational to a healthy marketplace. Industry thought leaders emphasize the growing need for signals that both preserve privacy and empower marketers to make informed decisions. As Katherine Dyer, former President of Media at Nielsen, conveyed in a recent conference, “Effective transparency mechanisms aren’t just nice to have; they are business-critical - enabling both publishers and advertisers to have shared confidence in what’s being transacted.”

For publishers, mediation auction IDs strike the right balance: they can be randomized and opaque enough to protect sensitive details like floors or waterfall logic, while still providing the consistency needed for deduplication and reconciliation. At the same time, transparency enables publishers to validate yield strategies and understand how their inventory performs across different paths to market. Ultimately, systems that help buyers find and value publisher inventory more efficiently flow revenue back to content creators, reinforcing transparency as a shared win for both sides of the ecosystem. 

Regulatory bodies and industry watchdogs echo this, advocating for more accountable and auditable auction processes. The mediation auction ID embodies this call, offering a privacy-conscious, operationally meaningful transparency layer that benefits all parties across the transaction.

Upholding Transparency with InMobi Exchange

In this evolving landscape, InMobi Exchange stands out by supporting the mediation auction ID signal robustly across its SDK footprint and supply chain. This forward-looking stance helps bridge transparency gaps for demand partners, providing them with clean, consistent, and trustworthy signals that lead to optimized bidding, clearer measurement, and healthier campaign outcomes. Supporting mediation auction IDs is not a mere feature differentiation—it’s a commitment to pushing the entire programmatic ecosystem forward, building supply paths that are more efficient, accountable, and consistent. 

The mediation auction ID may not yet be ubiquitous, but it represents an important evolution in programmatic transparency and efficiency. By delivering a clear reference point at the mediation level, it solves a critical challenge for DSPs and the wider supply chain. As adoption grows, it holds the promise of transforming mobile app advertising into a marketplace where every impression is clear, every bid is justified, and every partner can operate with greater trust and confidence. 

We believe that transparency is a core enabler of performance. By providing clarity and accountability, we help create a marketplace that supports stronger outcomes for both DSPs and publishers. Our focus is on building fairness and long-term value across the ecosystem.

As we look ahead to the balance of 2025 and into 2026, the data is clear: the mobile landscape isn’t just shifting—it’s transforming around consumer expectations.

The recently published U.S. Mobile Trends report from eMarketer reveals a key milestone: for the first time, mobile video ad spending is expected to surpass mobile search. In 2026, video will account for 39.5% of all mobile ad spend—outpacing search at 38.3%. It’s not just a media stat—it’s a reflection of how people now prefer to engage. Short-form content, immersive storytelling, and seamless visual experiences are shaping how brands earn attention in the moments that matter.

Just as important is how these ad experiences are delivered. Programmatic direct now drives 86% of programmatic mobile display spending. Even in traditionally open environments, like RTB, it leads with 60.1% of spend. Why? Because brands are demanding more control, quality, and transparency—so they can deliver better, more relevant experiences to their audiences. We’ve championed this shift with a focus on curated supply, privacy-forward data, and outcome-driven strategy.

But perhaps the most transformative trend is convergence. Where mobile advertising was once fragmented—split by platforms, formats, and targeting methodologies—it’s now becoming unified. AI-powered optimization is removing friction between in-app and mobile web, between branding and performance. Instead of thinking in terms of channels, marketers are increasingly thinking in terms of experiences.

This convergence is consumer-led. People don’t think in channels—they expect consistency and relevance wherever they are. Mobile web, in-app, social, retail—all of it blurring into a single, connected canvas for brand engagement. And AI is helping marketers meet those expectations—dynamically adapting creative, targeting, and measurement to individual behavior and context.

What’s more, the walls between monetization and commerce are coming down. RTB platforms are seeing increased e-commerce spend. Retail media is becoming mobile-first. The long-held division between brand and performance is dissolving in favor of integrated, full-funnel strategies that start with the customer and work backward.

This is a watershed moment. One where marketers can finally plan holistically, activate seamlessly, and optimize intelligently—across every stage of the journey.

The brands that will win in 2026 and beyond are those that stop thinking in terms of channels and start thinking in terms of customer outcomes. Those who embrace video-first storytelling, engage people where they are, invest in transparency and control, and use AI to build not just smarter campaigns—but more human ones.

We’re not just observing these shifts—we’re building toward them. With a focus on innovation, privacy, and performance, InMobi Advertising is helping brands navigate the future with clarity, agility, and customer-first ambition.

The mobile moment is here. Let’s make it matter.

InMobi Advertising supports marketers with a comprehensive suite of AI-powered tools, data and services for optimizing modern app growth strategies that adapts for the full range of deterministic and probabilistic attribution models in use today — including industry-leading solutions  for SKAdNetwork (SKAN) and AdAttributionKit (AAK) privacy-preserving attribution frameworks on iOS — ensuring each campaign is optimized and scaled in the most cost-effective manner.  Combined with our advanced experimentation framework, marketers can run A/B tests and structured experiments to unlock fresh insights that directly fuel growth.

This milestone also signals that we continue to advance what we deliver together for brands. From navigating complex attribution models involving both deterministic and probabilistic signals with and without user IDs to exploring novel signals for informing campaign optimization and advanced A/B testing, InMobi Advertising's solutions, bolstered by AppsFlyer's market-leading measurement platform, innovation and infrastructure, help marketers make more informed decisions and achieve greater efficiency in a complex ecosystem.

"Becoming an AppsFlyer Premier Partner reflects the strides we've made in delivering measurable performance gains and meaningful insights," says Kunal Nagpal, Chief Business Officer, InMobi Advertising. "As marketers demand more transparency and precision from their media partners, our collaboration with AppsFlyer enables smarter decision-making through actionable, data-backed signals."

"InMobi’s recognition as a Premier Partner reflects the strength of our long-standing collaboration, their continued momentum, and our shared commitment to helping advertisers drive value through accurate measurement and campaign optimization," said Camila Carneiro, Director of Partner Development at AppsFlyer. "The growing depth of engagement between our teams is translating into meaningful results for our mutual clients, and we look forward to continuing to drive value together."

For brands looking to navigate today's mobile landscape with confidence and clarity, InMobi Advertising and AppsFlyer offer a compelling, performance-first approach to marketing. Connect with our team to learn more about this and other partnerships.

In our last blog, we explored how Publisher-Passed Signals (PPS) in the InMobi Advertising SDK enhance ad monetization by capturing first-party signals, acting as a vital bridge between publishers and advertisers, and enabling better supply representation, bidding optimizations, and more. Our research shows that signal-enriched impressions deliver 1.5–1.8x higher eCPMs.

Now, let’s dive into why adopting PPS is a strategic move for publishers to unlock new monetization opportunities and how seamlessly these signals can get integrated.

Why Publisher-Passed Signals Matter: Unlocking Yield Through Smarter Targeting

For publishers, passing high-quality, privacy-compliant signals isn’t just about adapting to industry changes—it’s about driving meaningful outcomes. Publisher-Passed Signals (PPS) improve addressability without compromising user privacy, and deliver measurable monetization impact:

1. Enable Better Targeting & Buyer Confidence: Rich, non-PII signals help advertisers accurately reach users with higher purchase intent, improving campaign performance and making your inventory more attractive.
2. Improve Supply Representation: Meeting Supply Path Optimization (SPO) thresholds and securing priority in a Queries Per Second (QPS)-constrained ecosystem by ensuring efficient, high-quality supply access.
3. Drive Higher Fill Rates and eCPMs: Enhanced signals increase the chances of bids on your inventory, improving fill and auction pressure, ultimately boosting yield.
4. Enhance User Experience: Better-targeted, relevant ads drive engagement and retention by delivering what users are more likely to respond to. InMobi Advertising enables publishers to diversify ads with access to 400K+ advertisers and 180+ DSPs, driving premium, full-funnel programmatic demand.

Publisher-Passed Signals are the foundation for sustainable, high-performance monetization. Now is the time to activate them.

How to Integrate and Send Signals to the InMobi Advertising SDK

We understand that integrations can be complicated, so we've streamlined the process to make it as simple and direct as possible. Publishers can easily share first-party signals in just two steps:

For more detailed instructions, refer to the official InMobi Integration Guide.

NOTE

• If you’re already working with InMobi via an SDK-integration, then you don’t need to integrate any additional SDK.
• The frequency of updating these key value pairs depends on the type of signal. For example, cohort signals might only need to be sent once, while session-level signals should be updated with each session.
• These signals are likely already being used via callbacks from mediations or other partners. Publishers just need to forward this data to the InMobi Advertising SDK.

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Publishers are sitting on a goldmine of first-party signals and are only beginning to unlock its full potential. These signals are essential in powering user acquisition (UA), analytics, attribution, and measurement. However, their application in ad monetization has been underutilized—leaving massive revenue opportunities untapped.

We see a significant opportunity to expand their use for ad monetization and yield optimization, fostering a more balanced ecosystem and unlocking new pathways for sustained revenue growth. So, how can publishers make the most of this opportunity?

Publisher-Passed Signals (PPS), a feature of the InMobi Advertising SDK, enables publishers to securely share first-party data with minimal implementation effort, strengthening supply representation, bid efficiency, and ad revenue.

From a technical standpoint, PPS delivers: 

• Secure Signal Sharing: Facilitates privacy-safe signal sharing, enabling effective data utilization while ensuring compliance and user privacy.
• Enhanced Supply Representation: Enriches inventory with contextual metadata, allowing buyers to identify and prioritize high-value users better.
• Optimized Bidding Strategies: Equips buyers with scalable, high-quality signals to reduce bid latency and increase the precision of targeting logic.

From a monetization standpoint, PPS offers:

• Increased Revenue Potential: Unlocks access to premium demand, leading to improved fill rates and higher eCPMs for gaming and non-gaming publishers.
• Higher-Quality Ad Experiences: Drives better ad relevance by leveraging contextual signals to deliver more engaging and well-aligned creatives across the user journey.

Let's explore PPS from both the advertiser and publisher perspectives—and understand how we've designed the solution to be privacy-safe at every step.

Bridging the Gap: Signals That Drive Advertiser Demand 

Effectively using first-party signals helps publishers make more money. Advertisers want to reach the right audiences, and first-party signals serve as the bridge. Publisher-Passed Signals (PPS) are the key to stronger ad monetization in 2025, maximizing the value of every user.

So, what exactly are the types of publisher first-party signals proving effective for bridging that gap? We’ve zeroed in on the following types of signals that can unlock greater demand for publishers than previously recognized: 

1. User-Behavioral Signals: Share in-app purchase history and user journey patterns to refine targeting and boost conversions.
2. Auction-Level Signals: Reveal key bidding patterns and ad pricing insights to strengthen bid efficiency and maximize revenue.
3. Session-Level Signals: Leverage users' past interactions within the game or app, such as time spent and ads watched, to enhance engagement and retention.

Game developers can boost ad monetization by passing first-party signals to an SSP, enabling better-targeted user acquisition ads and unlocking contextual brand ads that engage and delight players. To the right are examples of signals and their key-value pairs, where the key represents the signal type, and the value is the associated metric. 

A user or cohort exhibiting these signals from a gaming app is of high value to advertisers, as their high ad views and frequent clicks—despite limited in-app purchases—demonstrate seasoned gameplay and a strong likelihood of engaging with lower-funnel ad campaigns. 

Non-gaming app developers can improve ad monetization by passing first-party signals that enhance targeting for both brand and user acquisition (UA) advertisers. This allows them to attract a more diverse mix of advertisers with full-funnel KPIs—from awareness to conversion—ultimately driving better yield and ad experiences. To the right are examples of signals and their key-value pairs, where the key represents the signal type, and the value is the associated metric.

A user or cohort exhibiting these signals from a non-gaming app is of high value to advertisers. Their high ad views and clearing prices from previous auctions imply strong engagement, better bid efficiency, higher ad competitiveness, and a proven likelihood of driving returns on ad spend.

Privacy-First Monetization: Unlocking the Power of Non-PII Signals

At InMobi Advertising, user privacy is foundational. The signals publishers pass to InMobi are non-personally identifiable (non-PII), session-based, and contextual—making them fully privacy-compliant and requiring no additional user consent or separate contracts.

These signals vary by session and user behavior, ensuring they cannot be tied to an individual. For example, a session depth signal (e.g., a user viewing 100 ads) offers valuable insight without revealing any personal information. Many of these signals are already approved for UA and attribution—now it's time to activate them for monetization.

Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming blog on Publisher-Passed Signals. Unlock the latest on Publisher-Passed Signals and other impactful growth and monetization strategies. Sign up for the InMobi Connect newsletter today.

Marketers are now facing a “back to the future” moment. As privacy concerns have grown, legions of pundits have joined the chorus of backlash against the so-called “surveillance economy,” declaring the third-party cookie a false prophet, overstepping its humble origins. In turn, numerous advertising platforms have heralded the return of contextual targeting, once considered a relic of the past, as the savior of digital advertising’s future. But while this approach has its place, it's not the messiah advertisers are looking for.

Addressability's Resilience in the Digital Era

So, what do advertisers truly want? And, more importantly, how do they want to reach consumers? The truth is, even while there is a resurgence of contextual targeting chatter, advertising dollars have flooded into CTV and retail media networks - not because they’re revolutionary, but because they promise a preponderance of logged-in users and, therefore, index highly on addressability. For marketers – particularly brand advertisers – these channels offer more precision in targeting, making it easier for them to reach the right audience efficiently.

Enter Curation: The Next Step in Addressability

The ascendancy of “curation,” which is arguably the buzzword-du-jour, is the natural next step in the evolution of addressability.  In simplest terms curation uses data signals to package inventory in a way that enhances targeting precision and efficiency. At its core, curation seeks to better understand the propensities and preferences of each individual user. That’s not to say there isn’t room for contextual targeting in this paradigm, but more often than not, curation involves targeting defined audience profiles. It allows marketers to refine their strategies and zero in on specific audience profiles—beyond just context. So, while context still has a role to play, audience-based curation is quickly becoming the go-to approach in today’s fragmented digital ecosystem.

Skeptics argue that “curation” is nothing more than “ad targeting” repackaged under a different name. It is just not that simple.

Ad targeting has traditionally been the domain of the buy-side of the ecosystem, with DSPs making the decision on which ad requests to bid. In contrast, curation entails the migration of targeting decisions to the sell-side of the industry. But why is sell-side curation suddenly becoming so popular? Let’s break it down:

Why Curation Is Gaining Traction

There are compelling reasons why sell-side curation is increasingly taking hold:

• Signal Scarcity: As traditional identifiers (third-party cookies and IDFAs) become less reliable, the quest to find the right signal amidst the noise intensifies. Buy-side platforms must now evaluate more ad requests to reach their target audience, increasing infrastructure costs and reducing overall efficiency.
• QPS Allocation Limits: Many buy-side platforms have strict limits on queries per second (QPS), so they can only evaluate a finite volume of supply, exacerbating the signal scarcity problem. QPS limits result in missed opportunities for targeting relevant ad requests, translating into wasted ad spend.  
• Efficient Infrastructure: Beyond QPS limits, buy-side platforms still optimize spend decisions to drive more efficient traffic. We have seen first-hand that DSPs allocate more budget to supply platforms that drive more efficient traffic, measured by fill rates and auction win rates. By packaging inventory that meets specific audience requirements, curation minimizes inefficiencies in the processing of ad requests, ensuring optimal utilization of infrastructure resources.

The Unique Advantage of Sell-Side Curation 

Sell-side platforms have a unique advantage when it comes to addressing these inefficiencies:

• Efficient packaging of ad inventory: Sell-side platforms have full visibility of bid requests from the publishers with whom they work. This means they can "curate" the inventory and surface the most relevant ad impressions to buy-side platforms. By streamlining the evaluation of bid requests, they can deliver more precise targeting for advertisers and reduce infrastructure costs. Moreover, by reducing the volume of callouts to buy-side platforms required to deliver against marketing objectives, curation has the potential to dramatically reduce carbon emissions across the programmatic ecosystem.
• Consistent audience execution: Sell-side curation allows marketers to target the same inventory and audiences across multiple buy-side platforms, ensuring consistent campaign execution for advertisers that utilize multiple buying channels.
• Greater access to bid signals: By virtue of their proximity in the value chain, sell-side platforms have greater access to data signals from publishers, providing better visibility into where valuable audience signals are concentrated. While some buy-side platforms also have access to these signals, their ability to process, evaluate and utilize them fully is typically constrained.
• Better compliance with privacy restrictions: For certain verticals (pharma, in particular), marketers are increasingly wary of the liberties that some buy-side platforms take with the  modeling of user data. Curation offers an opportunity for data owners to exercise greater control over how their data is used to curate inventory supply.
• Better Economics: Buy-side platforms often add fees for audience targeting on top of the data cost as an essential component of their business model. These fees reduce the advertising dollars available for working media. In contrast, sell-side platforms are motivated to drive more media spending through their system by passing the expense of targeting data through at cost to advertisers without extracting additional margin. This allows marketers to allocate more of their budget to working media, maximizing the efficiency of their spending.

The Future of Addressability 

Sell-side curation is poised to revolutionize how marketers reach their audiences. By improving targeting precision and reducing infrastructure costs, it offers a powerful solution to the challenges of modern advertising. However, full adoption of this strategy is still evolving.

In Part 2 of this conversation, we’ll delve into the reasons why some marketers are still hesitant to fully embrace sell-side curation —and how InMobi is working to address these concerns.

“Getting new users on your application is just step one. A successful mobile strategy is three-pronged with acquisition, in-app engagement, and retention.” 

Phil Golas, VP Technology and Activation, Spark Foundry 

In today’s competitive digital landscape, user retention is key to brand success. With mobile as an always-on touchpoint, brands can go beyond transactions to build lasting relationships through personalized engagement, in-app experiences, and app-driven loyalty programs. 

Loyalty programs have strongly demonstrated their impact for brands like Starbucks, with their rewards members driving 60% of the brand’s sales, demonstrating the program's impact on retention and spending. Similarly, American Airlines, for example, earned almost $1 billion in loyalty reward revenues in Q3 2024.

Why Loyalty and Personalization Matters 

Loyalty programs are no longer just perks; they are essential for sustained brand success. With competition intensifying across industries, brands must ensure that they continuously engage users at key moments during discovery, purchase, and post-purchase. A well-structured and executed loyalty strategy increases customer lifetime value, enhances brand advocacy, and creates deeper customer relationships. A survey by Bizrate Insights found that 61% of US adults value loyalty programs tailored to their shopping preferences, which not only speaks to why having a loyalty program is important but also about value of personalization. 

Amazon Prime is a powerful example of how personalization fuels loyalty and drives business success. With over 60% of U.S. households holding a Prime membership, Amazon leverages AI-driven personalization to enhance customer experiences and encourage repeat engagement. Features like tailored product recommendations, exclusive discounts, and early access to sales create a seamless, customized shopping journey. This deep personalization directly impacts spending habits – Prime members spend more than twice annually compared to non-members, with an average of $1,400 compared to $600. By continuously refining its recommendation engine and loyalty perks, Amazon strengthens its relationship with customers, proving that personalization is the cornerstone of long-term loyalty and increased revenue.

As loyalty becomes essential, building and executing omnichannel strategies has become the key to building long-term retention. Media agencies play a pivotal role as strategic partners for advertisers in orchestrating digital transformation that includes comprehensive loyalty strategies. A bespoke loyalty approach integrates paid media, organic engagement, and proprietary platforms to ensure seamless engagement across touchpoints.  

Recognizing the challenges of reaching consumers across fragmented digital landscapes, Gap Inc. leverages expertise of media agencies to deploy tailored marketing strategies that bridge the physical and digital customer experience, ensuring seamless engagement across multiple touchpoints and consumer segments. This move highlights how agencies play a critical role in helping brands navigate the complexity of modern digital engagement. 

Role of Media Agencies in Loyalty Strategy 

Agencies have the unique perspective of getting a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of mobile app-driven loyalty programs for a variety of organizations with a range of goals and levels of sophistication. This unique perspective enables them to serve as a consultative resource, streamlining optimization of the channel mix, budget allocation, and campaign execution. 

1. Channel Mix: Agencies help advertisers balance mobile-first and web-first approaches, maximizing in-app engagement, push notifications, and gamification for mobile users while leveraging SEO, content marketing, and retargeting for web users. Also helping identify the right platform.  
2. Budget Allocation: Agencies optimize media spending across digital channels to maximize ROI. They strategically allocate budgets toward high-impact platforms, ensuring cost-efficient customer acquisition, re-engagement, and retention.  
3. Personalized Messaging: A strong brand narrative builds trust and long-term engagement. Agencies craft messaging strategies that integrate brand and performance media, balancing storytelling with measurable outcomes. In-app engagement to help advertisers identify and capitalize on key mobile moments, delivering contextually relevant messaging that enhances engagement. 
4. Campaign Execution: Agencies lead execution across paid media, re-engagement campaigns, and retention strategies, ensuring that messaging remains relevant and timely. With support from partners (like a full-service DSP), they use AI-driven insights and personalize outreach efforts to reduce churn and maximize conversions. They ensure brands connect with users across third-party apps and owned platforms, amplifying reach and interaction. 

With users spending more time than ever on mobile while at the same time downloading and using fewer apps as they become loyal to favorites, evolved agencies have a great focus on partners with sizable reach across mobile devices. Hence, it is critical to select the right ad tech partners for execution of a successful loyalty campaign. With agencies having visibility and experience across the full ad tech landscape, they are well-positioned to help advertisers assess the factors most important to their unique objectives, including prioritization of platforms that offer AI-led creative optimization, ML-driven data utilization, data accessibility, sophisticated bidders, and transparency in reporting, to maximize their ad performance. 

How Media Agencies Choose the Right Mobile Ad Tech Partners 

Agencies assess the following capabilities of potential ad tech partners: 

1. AI-Driven Targeting and DSP Integration: Agencies seek partners with robust machine learning capabilities to analyze first-party and third-party data for precise audience segmentation. This enables efficient customer acquisition by targeting high-value users at the right time and frequency. Full-service Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) act as an extension of agency teams, streamlining ad delivery, optimizing supply paths, and improving ROI. 
2. Access to Premium Inventories: Ensuring access to high-quality ad placements across multiple surfaces, including in-app, mobile web, and lock screens, is crucial for campaign reach. Agencies prioritize partners with direct inventory access and premium ad exchanges, maximizing engagement opportunities across diverse mobile environments. 
3. Creative Optimization and Innovation: Personalization remains key to engagement. Agencies look for AdTech partners with AI/ML-driven creative selection capabilities which optimizes deliveries on best performing creatives. Further, partners which offer a first-principal approach and custom creative solutions like playables, innovative engagement units, and other interactive formats help ensure differentiation in a competitive digital space. 
4. Advanced Bidding and User Whitelisting: Machine learning-powered bidders help agencies whitelist high-intent users, ensuring that ad spends are allocated toward audiences most likely to convert. This optimizes budget efficiency and increases retention rates. 
5. Advanced Remarketing and Cross-OS Targeting Capabilities: Agencies prioritize AdTech solutions that enable seamless remarketing across operating systems while adapting to evolving privacy constraints. With deterministic tracking limitations, a combination of privacy-compliant technologies like SKAN and probabilistic attribution models helps infer user journeys, optimize re-engagement, and assess post-install actions effectively. By leveraging machine learning and predictive analytics, agencies empower advertisers to reconnect with high-value users while ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations. 
   InMobi Performance Solutions have helped marquee advertisers across the globe for remarketing campaigns, like Homeplus in South Korea and Swiggy in India, that have become huge success stories. 
6. Reporting and Transparency: Measurability is key in loyalty marketing, and agencies prioritize AdTech partners that provide comprehensive, transparent reporting. By working with Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs), brands gain clear visibility into campaign performance, allowing for data-driven optimizations. InMobi Performance Solutions work in close collaboration with leading Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs) to support advertisers' mobile growth strategies and maintain transparent reporting.
    

Best Practices for Loyalty Campaigns 

Maintaining user engagement in loyalty marketing requires strategic execution, especially in the modern mobile landscape: 

1. Optimize Mobile Notifications: Avoid over-communication through push notifications to prevent user fatigue. 
2. Segmented Mobile Campaigns: Tailor messaging based on user behaviors and demographics to deliver personalized content. 
3. Data-Driven Mobile Loyalty Structures: Utilize analytics to personalize experiences, strengthening customer relationships. 

Sephora's Beauty Insider program exemplifies effective mobile engagement with balanced engagement and communication fostering customer loyalty. The program offers a mobile app that provides personalized product recommendations, access to the Beauty Insider Community, and exclusive promotions. This approach fosters a sense of community and keeps members engaged beyond purchases. Additionally, Sephora introduced Beauty Insider Challenges – gamified experiences accessible via their mobile app, allowing members to earn points by completing tasks such as using in-store services or engaging with digital features. This strategy not only increases purchases through rewards but also encourages exploration of Sephora's offerings, enhancing customer loyalty through interactive mobile experiences.

The Future of Omnichannel Loyalty 

As omnichannel loyalty strategies become essential to long-term retention, media agencies play a pivotal role in orchestrating comprehensive engagement initiatives that span multiple channels. By expertly marrying brand storytelling with performance-driven tactics, agencies ensure that loyalty strategies drive both immediate conversions and long-term brand equity. 

Media agencies have the expertise to bridge the gap between web and mobile experiences, ensuring a seamless journey for customers across platforms. Their strategic approach to integrating creative innovation, AI-driven targeting, and transparent measurement practices makes them invaluable partners in maximizing user retention and brand loyalty. 

"In today’s competitive digital landscape, media agencies unite omnichannel strategies, personalized loyalty programs, and data-driven AdTech to boost user retention and build enduring brand relationships." 

Dharak Desai, Regional VP – Performance Sales NA & EMEA, InMobi

Join Us on the Journey 

As we continue to explore the facets of user retention and loyalty, join us on this journey. Subscribe now below to receive updates and insights that will empower your brand to thrive in today's dynamic market. 

So, we’re pleased to announce that InMobi Advertising has added two new certifications from the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG). In addition to being Certified against Fraud, InMobi Advertising is now Certified against Malware and Brand Safety Certified. With these two new certifications, InMobi Advertising is a Platinum Partner, the highest recognition from TAG for companies adopting rigorous standards to protect partners and the industry.

“Achieving TAG Platinum status is TAG's highest honor, signifying that a company has implemented rigorous protections across at least three of TAG's program areas to protect its clients and partners," said TAG CEO Mike Zaneis. "We are delighted to recognize InMobi Advertising for implementing the full scope of industry best practices necessary to achieve TAG Platinum status and protect the digital advertising supply chain, and we look forward to continuing to work with InMobi Advertising to raise and extend our industry's standards in future."

The InMobi Advertising standard on brand safety and responsible media goes well beyond TAG certification:

Responsible, Transparent Media:

• Privacy-first advertising that respects data compliance standards (GDPR, CCPA and others)
• Direct SDK integration more than 5,000 publishers and 50,000 apps across the globe, lowering overall emissions across our supply chain
• AI-powered contextual targeting to prevent ads from appearing near inappropriate content
• Only around 5% of supply is flagged as not brand suitable, post-bid, resulting in TAG’s ‘Certified for Brand Safety’ seal, confirming our best-in-class brand safety compliance

Verified, Fraud-Free Inventory:

• Proactive monitoring and real-time fraud protection through DoubleVerify and HUMAN
• Incoming supply verified against Jounce data for untrusted, cheap reach and made for advertising (MFA)
• Verification of on-boarded supply against Data Center IP (DCIP) and Pirate Mobile App List (PMAL), updated frequently by TAG
• IVT rates less than 1%, keeping fraudulent activity well below industry norms, which re-affirms our positioning as a recertified partner against fraud

Industry-Leading Viewability and Engagement:

• 87% viewability for display ads; 80.8% viewability for video ads
• Full-screen interstitials drive 25% higher attention than standard benchmarks
• Every creative coming into the platform gets scanned through GeoEdge to weed out content that’s sensitive or offensive, has any malware or cyber-security risks, protecting both advertisers and publishers
• TAG’s anti-malware seal further confirms that we enable effective, engaging advertising while taking care of client sensitivities and protecting the consumers 

The certifications and Platinum Status reconfirm InMobi Advertising’s commitment to brand safety, supply path verification, and adequate measures to protect brands, publishers, and consumers, ensuring high-impact advertising that drives real connections between brands and consumers. 

“Loyalty program is synonymous with apps. It should be the best experience of your brand” 

- Ashley Travis, Sr. Director Media, Loyalty, Digital Merchandising, Pizza Hut

In today’s mobile-first world, apps have evolved into the heartbeat of modern brand loyalty. With users spending an average of five hours daily on mobile devices and dedicating 90% of that time to apps, the role of mobile apps in shaping consumer behavior has reached unparalleled significance.  

Apps are no longer just transactional tools; they are the digital gateway to omnichannel brand experiences. Advertisers that succeed in this space understand that an app is more than a product—it is a bridge to deeper, more meaningful relationships. However, while people are spending more time than ever on their mobile devices, they are installing (12% decline) and opening fewer apps (7% decline) per month (2023 vs. 2020). At the same time, session lengths are increasing, suggesting that while users engage with fewer apps, they do so more deeply. This makes it even more critical for brands to focus on sustained engagement beyond just the initial install. 

This shift indicates that users are becoming increasingly loyal to their preferred apps and have less appetite to discover new ones. As a result, brands must focus on delivering sustained engagement beyond just the initial install to maintain their place in users' daily routines. 

Challenges in the Modern Loyalty Landscape 

While mobile time spent continues to rise, privacy-first frameworks like Apple’s ATT and SKAdNetwork have disrupted traditional data attribution methods. This has forced performance marketers to reimagine how they measure app success while respecting user privacy. For example: 

• On iOS the users opt in rate to ATT when prompted has improved year on year, with gaming (37%), F&B (34%), and e-commerce (34%) leading the categories. However, this still requires marketers to clearly articulate the value exchange. Cross-promotion continues to be a powerful tool in increasing opt-in rates, especially within the hyper-casual gaming sector. Although it already has the highest opt-in rate across networks for games, this figure rises significantly to 59% for installs driven by cross-promotion. 
• AI/ML technologies are increasingly used to bridge the gap created by limited real-time feedback, enabling predictive analytics and personalized experiences. 

Why Mobile Apps Are Critical to Loyalty 

Mobile apps have become the most direct and consistent touchpoint for consumer engagement, enabling seamless and on-demand interactions. With 9 out of 10 mobile minutes spent in-app, advertisers must leverage this opportunity to build deeper relationships with their users. However, retention remains a challenge – Day 14 retention rates have declined by 15% year-over-year. This highlights the need for brands to prioritize meaningful, loyalty-driven engagement that extends well beyond the initial download. 

The key lies in delivering hyper-personalized experiences, powered by data-driven insights and AI-driven optimizations. 

Mobile apps offer unparalleled opportunities for brands to deepen customer relationships. Successful programs like MyMcDonald’s Rewards (over 175 million active users within a 90-day period across 60 markets) show the power of app-based engagement and how loyalty programs drive retention. 

In the Food & Beverage industry, the adoption of loyalty programs has significantly increased, leading to a surge in app installations and user engagement. For instance, Chipotle's loyalty program, launched in 2019, has grown to over 40 million members by early 2024, contributing to substantial increases in digital sales. Similarly, Starbucks' Rewards program boasts nearly 34 million members, accounting for 60% of the company's sales.  

These examples highlight how well-implemented loyalty programs can enhance customer engagement and drive sales. 

• Loyalty-driven engagement works: U.S. consumers held an average of 17.9 loyalty program memberships in 2023, actively participating in 50% of them.
• First-Party Data Utilization: Apps provide valuable user insights, purchases, preferences, and behaviors enabling optimized loyalty strategies. 
• AI & ML for Predictive Insights: Advanced analytics help anticipate user needs and refine marketing efforts. 
• Omnichannel Strategies: Integrating AI-powered personalization with media planning ensures seamless and effective engagement. 
• Adapting to Privacy Regulations: Balancing user privacy with personalization through privacy-safe attribution and contextual targeting is key. 

The evolution of app loyalty is unfolding rapidly, and staying ahead requires continuous adaptation and innovation. From AI-driven optimizations to omnichannel execution, brands that harness the full potential of mobile apps will set the benchmark for success in the digital era. 

"At InMobi, we collaborate with leading brands to elevate their loyalty programs, ensuring seamless user acquisition and long-term retention. By leveraging data-driven insights and AI-powered personalization, we help brands build deeper, more meaningful connections with their customers—turning one-time users into lifelong loyalists." 

- Abhinav Mohan, VP & GM- Global Performance Revenue, InMobi  

Join Us on the Journey 

This series is your guide to navigating the dynamic world of mobile app loyalty. Whether you are looking to refine your app strategy, design innovative loyalty programs, or leverage data to its fullest potential, there is something here for you. 

Do not miss out – subscribe now to stay updated as we reveal strategies that will define the future of mobile-driven loyalty. 

A. Ad Diversification with Brand Ads

The growing role of brand ads for ad diversification was a major theme, highlighted across two panels, Gamesforum Unfiltered: Monetization and Changes to Templates: Ad Experiences & Quality. Panelists from LoopMe and PubMatic emphasized that brand ads are essential for creating a well-rounded and immersive user experience in games, especially when introduced early in the user journey as players are already familiar with major brands.

Srivatsa Narasimhan, General Manager and Vice President at Scopely, shared how Marvel was a perfect brand fit for Monopoly, showcasing the potential of well-aligned brand placements in games. However, not all publishers were convinced. Some stated that brand ads must go beyond just being a buzzword and simply inserting banner formats won’t cut it. Most importantly, for brand ads to gain traction, their ARPDAU and eCPMs must be competitive to become a sustainable revenue stream for publishers.

B. Optimizing Ad Quality for Maximum Impact

The importance of rendering more thoughtful ads resonated strongly throughout sessions, with a shared belief that long-term impact matters more than short-term attention. Testing effective ad content also remains a challenge for publishers due to ever-evolving APIs, limited publisher control, and seasonal fluctuations in ad content.

InMobi Advertising enables ad diversification for publishers through its network of 400K+ advertisers and 180+ DSPs, delivering a mix of brand and app install ads. Watch Kunal Nagpal, Chief Business Officer, InMobi Advertising, discuss how a full-funnel approach enhances ad quality, engagement, and more, with MobileGroove.

C. Effective User Segmentation and Signal Utilization

On user segmentation, there were discussions on leveraging more signals to deliver relevant ads. Start.io explained how for new users, signals can be initially limited to demographics and location, but as engagement progresses, additional signals emerge that can help improve campaign ROI for advertisers.

InMobi Advertising hosted a panel on Leveraging First-Party Signals for Ad Monetization, using signals beyond segmentation and analytics use cases. The group showcased how publishers can pass existing signals to convey user value to buyers, unlock premium brand ad spend, and enhance bidding strategies. These signals require no consent pop-ups or new addendums, only signals that add value.

Božo Jankovic, Head of Ad Monetization, GameBiz Consulting shared a publisher’s perspective on the need for standardization of these signals and more clarity on the expected revenue impact.

InMobi Advertising is running a closed beta with three casual gaming publishers to test its first-party signals feature. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or write to supply@inmobi.com for more details.

Celebrating our partner AppsFlyer

After an inspiring MAMA San Francisco 2025, InMobi Advertising is thrilled to spotlight our rich collaboration with partner AppsFlyer, the global leader in marketing measurement, attribution, and data analytics, which our team is honored to be recognized by in the 17^th edition of the AppsFlyer Performance Index.

With the launch of their current partner program, AppsFlyer set a new standard for how the full range of ecosystem partners that each play a distinct role in bringing app growth strategies to life can forge a united front oriented around exceeding the business objectives of their mutual customers. InMobi Advertising is pleased to have attained the rank of AppsFlyer Advance Partner and has found this robust program to be an excellent catalyst for nurturing highly effective collaboration.

“The InMobi Advertising and AppsFlyer teams maintain a strong, collaborative relationship organically. The AppsFlyer Partner Program allows us to leverage these natural synergies to deliver more for performance marketers,” adds Vasuta Agarwal, InMobi Advertising Chief Business Officer for Performance Marketing.  “AppsFlyer’s comprehensive partner engagement approach brings more opportunities to pursue joint initiatives in thoughtful ways that deliver maximum benefit to our mutual clients, respective businesses, and the industry at-large.”

How joint InMobi Advertising and AppsFlyer customers are realizing the value of our partnership

The close collaboration between InMobi Advertising and AppsFlyer bolstered by their enhanced Partner Program is already driving meaningful results for growth marketers across a wide range of app categories and geographic boundaries, including MobilityWare.

When iOS AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) upended the app growth campaign attribution and optimization workflow back in 2020, questions arose in its immediate aftermath around the role Mobile Measurement Platforms (MMPs) would play in a privacy-first world as Apple directed focus towards its own privacy-preserving attribution framework SKAdNetwork (SKAN) in tandem.

Savvy app marketers like MobilityWare quickly recognized that campaign attribution in a privacy-first world made their work with AppsFlyer more business-critical than ever.  InMobi Advertising was an early advocate of AppsFlyer’s Single Source of Truth (SSOT) solution which brings a nuanced, hybrid approach to iOS campaign attribution that unifies and de-duplicates insights gleaned from Apple’s SKAN as well as all other iOS attribution models.

MobilityWare embraced AppsFlyer’s novel iOS campaign attribution approach at the recommendation of InMobi Advertising. 

“As an ad monetized business, predicting the full value of users during the first 48 hours post-install has proven challenging in the wake of ATT,” explains MobilityWare’s Chris Kim. “InMobi and AppsFlyer have been great partners in helping us overcome these obstacles and uncover meaningful insights that balance SKAN and probabilistic attribution data.”

Hear for yourself how MobilityWare is unlocking the additive benefits that arise when key partners come together in joint pursuit of solutions tailored to an app’s unique business objectives in an upcoming episode of the PocketGamer podcast releasing on February 25.  You can be sure hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow will dig into how this powerful engagement model illustrates a highly effective modern playbook for app growth during their illuminating discussion with MobilityWare Director of UA, Chris Kim who was joined by Adam Smart, AppsFlyer’s Director of Product for Gaming, and InMobi Advertising VP of App Growth Strategy and Solutions, Dharak Desai.  

“It’s been rewarding to see partners like InMobi Advertising fully embrace the intent of our structured Partner Program,” says Idan Horenczyk, Senior Partner Development Manager at AppsFlyer. “We’ve seen a notable increase in the volume and effectiveness of engagement between our respective teams across all practice areas from senior leadership to tactical execution, which in turn has delivered real-world value to our mutual clients.” 

Explore how your app growth plans can benefit from our partnership with AppsFlyer

InMobi Advertising loved connecting with the AppsFlyer team and many of our joint clients at AppsFlyer MAMA San Francisco this week, and looks forward to supporting more MAMA events around the globe where you can connect with both our teams live.  And you can always reach out to your InMobi Advertising or AppsFlyer account teams to explore how our partnership can benefit your app’s growth strategies.

1. AI-Powered Personalization: Breakthrough discussions on how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing targeted advertising, making marketing more intelligent, more intuitive and more beautiful than ever before.
2. Privacy-First Ad Strategies: Further advancements that help balance hyper-personalization coupled with robust data protection – now the holy grail of modern digital marketing.
3. Immersive Ad Experiences: Demonstrations of augmented reality and interactive advertising technologies that transform how brands connect with consumers.
4. Ethical Data Utilization: The future of responsible data collection and use, addressing the critical balance between deep insights and consumer privacy.
5. Emerging Platforms and Channels: Insights into emerging advertising technologies that are set to reshape digital marketing in 2025 and beyond.

Conversations at CES always set the tone for the first half of the year; the topics, trends and networking are always a highlight for the InMobi Advertising team and we look forward to exploring the future of advertising together. 

InMobi Advertising via Google SDK bidding unlocks new monetization potential for publishers such as:

1. Harnessing the power of bidding with the InMobi Advertising SDK

   InMobi Advertising via SDK bidding empowers publishers with enhanced demand access, improved timeouts, and reliable ad rendering capabilities. Publishers with active SDK bidding integrations attract a broader range of buyers, including those who exclusively bid on SDK bidding-enabled apps.

   InMobi Advertising’s buyers bring diverse demand, ranging from brand awareness to app install ads. Publishers can drive user engagement and retention by receiving relevant ads that seamlessly integrate with gameplay and minimize disruption. Leveraging SDK bidding ensures smooth, consistent ad rendering, delivering high-quality, engaging experiences optimized for user satisfaction.

2. Combining bidding and waterfall monetization

   With InMobi Advertising, publishers have the flexibility to monetize their apps with both waterfall and bidding. Support for hybrid integration means that publishers can integrate without removing existing setups, while having the optionality to optimize monetization strategy without sacrificing the unique advantages of each auction type.

   Waterfall offers manual optimization and access to a diverse range of ad sources, while bidding enables real-time competition among all buyers.

3. Enhancing addressability with the InMobi Advertising SDK

   Adopting the right strategies to enhance addressability is critical to boost monetization. SDK-based integrations enable robust signal collection, increasing the value of impressions by making apps and users more discoverable for buyers.

   The InMobi Advertising SDK also supports Google’s Secure Signals, simplifying the process of passing key signals publishers use regularly, including first-party data and universal IDs.

Kickstart Monetization with InMobi Advertising on Google SDK bidding

Since April 2024, over 100 gaming and non-gaming publishers have enabled SDK bidding with InMobi Advertising. Get started with AdMob or Ad Manager to integrate the InMobi Advertising SDK today. 

The Forrester Wave report evaluated 10 platforms across 33 different criteria. InMobi Exchange was identified as a mobile-first offering and scored top marks possible in twelve criteria, including Programmatic Auctions, Desktop and Mobile Video, Mobile App, In-game, Native, Beyond RTB, Audience Creation and Targeting, Identity and Measurement, Yield Controls and Optimization, and Open Standards and Transparency. 

Forrester cited InMobi Exchange as a “mobile must-have” stating the company “sets the bar for maturity in the mobile ad space with a powerful combination of advertising demand sources, signal partnerships, identity solutions, and technical flexibility to bring mobile app advertising features to near-parity with web advertising.” Forrester also noted our strategic vision along with a roadmap that “addresses gray areas and unresolved publisher issues…with industry-first solutions like the addressability gradient.”  

As publishers work to improve the monetization dollars and reduce their own complexity, Forrester highlights three critical areas for publishers to consider when looking for an SSP provider: 

1. Quality Ads and Inventory: SSPs with sophisticated ad quality controls help filter out bad ads, enhancing user experience and retention. 
2. Channel Expertise: Partners with channel-specific expertise can help publishers optimize bid requests and maximize inventory value. 
3. Inventory Curation: SSPs that excel in curating inventory consistently deliver higher yields and help publishers stand out in a crowded market.  

InMobi Exchange allows publishers to unlock seamless multi-channel monetization. The platform delivers full-funnel programmatic demand and AI-driven ad experiences, ensuring robust ad quality assurance and flexible integration paths with industry-leading ad quality controls that improve user engagement. Comprehensive in-house consent, privacy, and addressability solutions empower publishers to enhance monetization effortlessly and without added costs. Beyond monetization, InMobi Advertising provides deeper discovery, distribution, and user acquisition across cutting-edge platforms and surfaces. 

InMobi Exchange, in return, gives buyers unparalleled access to our global list of 40,000+ premium apps. Because of the direct inventory, buyers can access hardware-level insights, real-time ad control, and the precision needed to maximize user engagement. The direct sourced inventory also delivers a higher-level of inventory curation, resulting in higher yields. InMobi Exchange’s inventory also goes through 100 percent pre-bid filtering of invalid traffic and vetted via our measurement partners. 

The mobile-first high-attention formats, industry-leading viewability and sustainability-linked media buying options, InMobi Exchange provides brands with a secure, high-performing, and sustainable solution for impactful advertising. 

Hacks to Elevate Your Game

Explore In-App Advertising Early

Publishers should consider incorporating In-App Advertising (IAA) from the beginning of their monetization journey rather than introducing it too late in a user's app usage. This allows users to become familiar with ads early on, particularly in gaming apps, with transparency around how IAA helps keep the app free and relevant. 

Segmentation for Success 

Publishers are increasingly focusing on user segmentation to personalize experiences for both paying and non-paying users. A session lead by Božo Jankovic, Head of Ad Monetization at Gamebiz Consulting highlighted how segmentation helps identify how receptive users are to different ad formats. It also enables publishers to nudge non-paying users toward conversion while showing promotions and paid features to spenders only, reducing the risk of In-App Purchases (IAP) cannibalization by IAA.  

Look Beyond eCPMs—Leverage Data 

As the effective cost per mille (eCPMs) drop globally, it's crucial to go beyond just monitoring eCPMs, which tend to average out over time. Instead, consider tracking the first eCPM for new users and metrics like average revenue per user (ARPU) to measure long-term impact. Be data-driven by understanding the formats, placements, and metrics that matter most to your audience and test hypotheses before making strategic decisions. 

Trends to Keep an Eye On 

Thoughts echoed by publishers like Voodoo, Product Madness, Kyln, Kwalee and more: 

1. Emerging Ad Formats: In-game, audio, and offline ads continue to present exciting opportunities, but require further exploration and education to unlock full potential.

2. Rising Demand for Ad Quality Tools: Publishers are seeking tools that offer deeper visibility and control over bad ads. 

3. Deeper Integration of Product Teams: Product teams in gaming studios are becoming more integral, focusing on the game economy and assessing the broader impact of features and releases. 

4. Expansion Beyond Gaming: Larger gaming studios are exploring non-gaming and mobile web spaces to capture broader markets and remain relevant. 

5. Growth of Hybrid Monetization: The combination of In-App Purchases (IAP) and In-App Advertising (IAA) will continue to grow, with IAA gaining increased importance. 

6. Evolution of Alternative App Stores: Publishers are exploring alternative or custom app stores to reduce fees and retain more revenue, bypassing traditional app store commissions. 

Collective Call for Change: Ads Need to Be Tamed  

A recurring theme at Gamesforum was the increasing concern over bad ads and poor ad quality, highlighted in two sessions: Gamesforum Unfiltered Ad Monetization panel and the Fireside Chat Ad Quality x App Health. Panelists included publishers like Kwalee, 52 Entertainment, Product Madness and more. 

The panel advocated that ignoring ad content harms long-term retention, as the ads shown directly influence a game’s lasting success. Displaying fake or inappropriate ads to meet KPIs is equally unacceptable, and removing ads entirely isn't the solution. They spoke about the need to care for users and establish higher standards around ad quality and ad experience.  

As we prepare to wrap up 2024 and enter 2025, InMobi encourages publishers to embrace emerging trends and strategies to maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly changing mobile advertising ecosystem. InMobi is committed to being a key partner in this journey, offering solutions that simplify mobile monetization and beyond. 

As part of our commitment to driving industry-wide change, InMobi has been actively involved in the recent Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Attention Task Force. We've contributed to industry efforts to the drafting of a new standard for measuring attention, including guiderails for the development of widely applicable metrics for assessing attention and the creation of a unified language for discussing and implementing attention metrics.

The Task Force released its first Attention Measurement Explainer, which provides valuable insights into data signals, measuring attention at scale, enhancing media quality, and improving campaign performance.

The Power of Attention Metrics

Attention metrics are far more than simply the measurement hype du jour. Market trends underscore the significance of attention metrics, with over 90% of global advertisers (DoubleVerify, 2023) now incorporating them into their media planning, and more than 70% of buyers (ExchangeWire, 2023) willing to pay a premium for ads that capture superior attention.

The benefits speak for themselves for marketers:

• Enhanced awareness: Engagements exceeding five seconds are linked to nearly double the brand consideration
• Increased user engagement: High-attention ad placements on InMobi Exchange achieve up to 5x higher click-through rates and 50% higher view-through rates
• Higher conversions: Optimizing for attention can boost sales by over 50%
• Improved brand affinity: High-attention creatives result in more than double the brand recall
• Environmental benefits: High-attention media leads to 50% lower emissions

Strategic Recommendations

While 90% of advertisers plan to incorporate attention metrics into their media planning this year, widespread adoption is something to strive for; once you integrate attention metrics into campaigns, consider:

1. Integrate Attention Metrics: Begin incorporating these metrics into your campaigns for better performance
2. Collaborate with Partners: Work with partners to create high-impact, attention-grabbing media
3. Diversify Approaches: Explore various measurement vendors and techniques (such as data signals and visual tracking) to find what best aligns with your goals 
4. Establish Benchmarks: Set benchmarks with industry experts to guide media quality 
5. Link Data to Goals: Connect attention data directly to your campaign objectives for enhanced strategic planning and outcomes

Get Started with InMobi's Attention Metrics

If you are just beginning your brand’s attention metrics journey, here are some guiderails for best practices:

1. Define clear objectives that harness the power of attention 
2. Engage with our expert partners to fine-tune your measurement and optimization strategies 
3. Invest confidently in high-impact media and watch your campaigns exceed expectations 
4. Share your success stories to encourage wider adoption of attention metrics

Ready to revolutionize your advertising efforts? Contact us at ptd@inmobi.com and propel your media performance into a new era. Together, we can create advertising that doesn't just get seen – it gets noticed. 

The IAB Technology Laboratory (IAB Tech Lab) has introduced the Global Privacy Protocol (GPP) to respond to this growing need for a unified tech approach to compliance.

Why do we need the GPP?

It is challenging to keep up with evolving privacy regulations across Europe, Canada, and a growing list of US States. Especially in the US, in the absence of an overarching federal framework, states are stepping in to establish individual data privacy laws. 

The emphasis on consent for sensitive data is an emerging trend among US state laws. Various state privacy laws that have been recently implemented have broadened the scope of sensitive data by incorporating different interpretations. Two recent developments highlight the growing federal scrutiny of sensitive data processing: 

1. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) emphasised that "Browsing and location data are sensitive. Full stop." 
2. The House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced a federal bill to make it illegal for data brokers to sell or share Americans’ sensitive data with foreign adversaries in March 2024.

There are numerous substantive differences across US state privacy laws. To help ad tech players address the challenges of managing consent signals for multiple states across the US, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and IAB Tech Lab have introduced - the IAB’s Multi-State Privacy Agreement (MSPA) which works in conjunction with IAB Tech Lab’s US State Signals initiatives, which was released as part of the Global Privacy Protocol (GPP).  

Let’s understand each of these and how they are interconnected. 

What is the Multi-State Privacy Agreement (MSPA)?

The MSPA is an industry contractual framework intended to aid advertisers, publishers, agencies, and ad tech intermediaries in complying with multiple state laws. It is a set of privacy-protective terms that spring into place among a network of signatories, that follow the data as it flows through the digital ad supply chain. 

The MSPA expands the scope of opt-outs and grants consumers the ability to opt out when their personal information will be “sold” to a third party or “shared” or “processed” for purposes of targeted advertising. 

The US National Privacy String was specifically designed to support the MSPA and transport user opt-ins and opt-outs between partners in the US. The MSPA creates interoperability among all state privacy laws by providing a national approach and works together with the GPP.

The GPP supports MSPA by including a section on MSPA’s national approach and was developed to simplify the transmission of privacy signals throughout the ad ecosystem. 

What is the US State Signals?

The erstwhile US Privacy Specifications which have previously been used by companies to address the CCPA has been deprecated, and IAB Tech Lab encourages the industry to shift towards using the GPP and US State Signals specifications. 

The US State Signals are a set of privacy string specifications for US states that must be used in conjunction with the GPP. 

IAB strongly recommends that a company be a signatory to the MSPA, though it is not a prerequisite to use the new state-level signals. MSPA signatories can send either the US National Privacy String or US State Signals; the MSPA accommodates both approaches. But if you’re not an MSPA signatory, you should only send or receive US State Signals with your partners. 

In a nutshell: 

The new US state-level signals, when used in conjunction with the MSPA, will aid the industry in complying with state privacy laws. The IAB recommends and urges publishers to implement the GPP and the US State Signals, and also read and determine if they will be signing the MSPA. 

What is the IAB’s Global Privacy Protocol (GPP)?

The GPP is a technical protocol designed to streamline the transmission of privacy and consumer choice signals to all downstream partners and help its participants adapt to regulatory demands across markets.

Publishers can enable the GPP by using a Consent Management Platform (CMP). A global API enables seamless integration of the GPP with the CMP used by publishers to collect user consent from websites and apps. It provides mechanisms for obtaining and recording user consent, as well as respecting user preferences for data processing.

By participating in the GPP, publishers can:

• help their users enforce their privacy rights by using a CMP,
• reduce the cost of managing privacy compliance,
• mitigate privacy risks, and
• leverage more flexibility to support new regional signals.

Privacy Signals supported by the GPP

The GPP eliminates the need to integrate with multiple privacy signal standards and instead provides a signal standard that currently supports:

• the IAB Europe TCF,
• the IAB Canada TCF,
• the MSPA’s US National string,
• US state-specific privacy strings for 15 US states, including California, Virginia, Utah, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Oregon, Montana, Texas, Delaware, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Iowa.
• Global Privacy Control (GPC)

How will the GPP impact TCF v2.0 Specifications? 

The IAB Europe TCF v2.0 specifications are still available and supported. IAB advises the industry, especially those who need to consider consent signaling across multiple jurisdictions, to adopt the GPP as it will be the primary framework where future global user consent and preference signaling will be made available. 

InMobi CMP and the Global Privacy Protocol

Having a certified CMP on board is key to working smoothly with the GPP. It ensures that consumer privacy remains at the core of everything through a single platform. 

We are glad to announce that our InMobi CMP can help publishers achieve all IAB recommendations through a single platform as InMobi CMP supports the GPP for both websites and app! Discover the InMobi CMP >

InMobi's iOS product leader Pranay Pant and I took advantage of a WWDC Lab consultation with the team behind AdAttributionKit, which provided helpful clarity about Apple’s latest vision for attributing campaign performance while protecting user privacy.  Let’s dig into all the key details to know about AdAttributionKit, where SKAdNetwork fits into the new measurement equation on iOS, and what it all means for app marketers. 

Background

Apple has been previewing the arrival of AdAttributionKit since the start of 2024, with early takes interpreting it as a new tool that would run parallel to SKAdNetwork (SKAN) for the purposes of supporting alternative iOS app marketplace campaign attribution to fulfil requirements of the European Digital Markets Act (DMA).  While AAK does indeed support campaign attribution for alternative marketplaces, Apple actually began quietly replacing references to the 5^th version of SKAN that was announced during WWDC 2023 but never materialized, with AAK throughout apple.com.  The same pattern also emerged where AdAttributionKit began appearing throughout their site in place of Private Click Measurement (PCM), SKAN’s web measurement companion.  You can see a few examples I caught in the image below.

Fast-forward to today, and now Apple has confirmed that going forward, privacy-preserving attribution for both app and web based conversions will live under the unified heading of AdAttributionKit. The initial iteration of App AdAttributionKit came packaged with iOS 17.4 with the exception of what’s likely its most exciting feature, re-engagement, which will be supported starting in iOS 18.

What About SKAN?

Apple did confirm that SKAN will only exist in a maintenance mode going forward and eventually be sunset, but app marketers and their partners can rest assured efforts invested incorporating SKAN into their iOS growth strategies have not been in vain.  AdAttributionKit builds on the familiar functionality of SKAN 4.0, and the two systems will remain interoperable. 

What’s New With AdAttributionKit?

Insight Into Re-Engagement Conversions on iOS

The app marketing ecosystem can collectively rejoice because AdAttributionKit comes with support for measuring conversion actions users who have already installed an advertised app take as a result of their in-app ad campaigns.  This welcomed new functionality addresses one of the most frequently cited pain points of working with its predecessor SKAN. 

How Re-Engagement in AdAttributionKit Works

If an advertiser wants a campaign to measure re-engagement conversions, their ad network partners simply need to include the new “Eligible for Reengagement” property in their impression payload with a value of “true”.  Now, when users who have already installed the advertiser’s app click on an ad and complete a desired action, these conversions will be identified in postbacks via a new parameter called “Conversion Type” with a value of “Reengagement”. 

Here’s some important details to note about AdAttributionKit’s re-engagement functionality:

• Only a single winning ad receives credit for driving re-engagement.  Non-winning ad networks are ineligible. 
• Ads that drive re-engagement are eligible to receive up to 3 postbacks following the same conversion windows defined in SKAN 4.0.
• Hierarchical Conversion Value mapping schemas are currently defined at the app level, and should account for both install and re-engagement conversion events in a single schema.
• For re-engagement, only click-based conversions are supported.
• Ad Networks can provide separate URLs to be presented with ad impressions for when a user re-engages VS. installs an app.
• Universal links that open a destination within the advertised app are supported in re-engagement, and will be appended with a query parameter that identifies when a re-engagement is attributed to their advertising efforts.
• Re-engagement in AAK is compatible with SKOverlay and SKStoreProductViewController StoreKit ad renders as well as all custom ad formats

More Meaningful Consideration for How Users Interact with In-App Ads When Assigning Attribution Credit

Like app install campaigns in SKAN 2.2 and above, AdAttributionKit can award credit for influencing a conversion event to one winning ad and up to five additional non-winning ads as long as each ad was in view for at least 2 seconds. What changes in AAK is how winning and non-winning ads eligible for attribution credit get calculated. 

In addition to how recently an ad was presented to a user who converts, AdAttributionKit now considers a new parameter called ‘Interaction Type’ that distinguishes between ‘Clicks’ and ‘Views’ when assigning attribution credit.  This new ‘Interaction Type’ parameter replaces and improves upon the ‘Fidelity Type’ value from SKAN, which was not a fully accurate representation of whether an ad had been truly clicked or just viewed.  Interaction Type removes any ambiguity around clicks and views for all supported ad formats so that only a user’s real-world engagement with an ad is considered when assigning attribution credit. 

The Apple team clarified during my WWDC Lab consultation that the new methodology of assessing ad interactions in AAK has also been incorporated in SKAN to enable an apples-to-apples approach when assigning attribution credit in cases where both AAK and SKAN ad impressions are eligible. 

Enhanced Testing Capabilities

Timing mechanisms for defining conversion windows and applying randomized delays to postback transmissions to help obfuscate user identity have presented challenges when testing  implementations of SKAdNetwork.  AdAttributionKit comes with a new developer mode that will make testing much easier by shortening conversion windows and removing randomized delays so postbacks are delivered much more rapidly.  This new testing feature is enabled via a toggle found in the Developer menu of iOS settings. 

Other Differences Between SKAN and AdAttributionKit

Here’s a couple other points of distinction between SKAN and AAK to be aware of:

• Only in-app ad conversions are supported in AAK.  Web-to-app attribution is not currently covered.
• To help mitigate fraud, each ad network can only have one impression open at a time per user for each advertiser, and the ad must be served on top of any other user interaction types.
• Several postback parameters have been upgraded and/or renamed, which are summarized in the image below.

What Stays the Same?

Much of the familiar functionality from SKAdNetwork 4.0 stays consistent in AdAttributionKit.  This includes:

• 4-tiered Crowd Anonymity controls the level of data granularity received in postbacks for the following parameters:
  • Hierarchical Fine and Coarse-Grained Conversion Values
  • Hierarchical Source IDs which identify a campaign using up to 4 digits
  • Publisher Item Identifier, known as Source ID in SKAdNetwork, which  specifies where an ad was shown
  • Marketplace Identifier, a new parameter in AAK to comply with support for alternative app marketplaces that drive conversions as required by DMA
• 3 fixed conversion windows of 0-48 hours, days 3-7, and days 8-35 for all Conversion Types
• To further protect identity, before a postback is sent to ad networks and advertisers, a randomized delay is applied after each conversion window closes

For more details on core functionality of SKAN 4.0 and its predecessors, check out InMobi’s Ultimate Guide to SKAN. 

How App Marketers can Prepare for AdAttributionKit

The unveiling of AAK is yet another sign currents continue to flow in the direction of a privacy-first future with increasing force.  It’s encouraging that as of last fall, nearly two-thirds of app marketers have made notable progress in their SKAN adoption journey according to research InMobi conducted in partnership with Advertiser Perceptions which you can dive into here. While it will take some time for consumers and adtech players to reach an inflection point with iOS 18 and AdAttributionKit adoption, there’s plenty for app marketers to do today that will put them in the best position to thrive across iOS versions and privacy-preserving attribution frameworks.

Start or accelerate your SKAN 4.0 adoption plans

AAK relies on the same core functionality as SKAN’s latest version, with some notable improvements such as long-awaited support for measuring the effectiveness of re-engagement efforts.  As of May ’24, SKAN 4.0 now accounts for the vast majority of SKAN compatible supply, observed by InMobi DSP in over 80% of bid requests. As long as your app is running iOS 16.1 SDK or higher, all you have to do is update your SKAN conversion value mapping schema to take advantage of Coarse Conversion Values, and you’ll be in a great position to take advantage of AdAttributionKit as it rolls out. 

Take a comprehensive approach to your iOS measurement strategy

A blended approach to iOS campaign attribution that includes SKAN as well as a mix of other methodologies and data signals allows app marketers to squeeze every bit of campaign performance juice they can today while also preparing for what’s ahead. In addition to consented ID-based attribution data when available, other sources worth considering include probabilistic models built by MMPs as well as media mix modeling (MMM) and incrementality testing. 

As ID-based signals continue to decay and Android Privacy Sandbox looms on the horizon, validating SKAN insights alongside a broad mix of other measurement approaches will make the transition to a fully privacy-first future far less jarring.

And not to point or wag any fingers, but Apple did reiterate during my recent lab consult that mitigating attempts to identify users without consent, also known as ‘fingerprinting’, remains a priority. In the aftermath of AppTrackingTransparency (ATT), app marketers and their partners have understandably been known to sometimes lean on this technique in probabilistic attribution models.   Thus far, Apple has been gracious in their enforcement (or lack thereof) of  developer policies prohibiting this practice.  However, commitment to this rule remains steadfast, with Apple expressing intent to advance a two-pronged approach that  eventually addresses policy violations through enforcement during app review cycles as well as launching mitigating product features, citing the ’23 release of Privacy Manifests and Required Reason APIs as an early step in this direction.  All the more reason a comprehensive attribution approach is key to future-proofing your app’s growth strategies. 

Lean on the expertise of MMPs, media partners and agencies

Key growth ecosystem partners are your not-so-secret weapon when it comes to untangling and distilling the business-critical details app marketers need to inform resilient growth strategies.  Here’s three key areas where MMPs, media partners and agencies are ready and willing to help:

• Demystify the intense complexity of AdAttributionKit and SKAdNetwork
• Advise on a healthy measurement strategy that balances reporting insights with campaign optimization
• Fine-tune the right mix of creative, ad formats and channels for maximum performance

Explore how AI and machine-learning can help overcome signal loss

Campaign attribution and optimization has taken a hit from signal delays and decay that AI and machine-learning is well-suited to solve.  Predictive models are manifesting in a number of ways to overcome signal loss, and continue to get smarter as training repositories of privacy-safe SKAN campaign insights become more robust.  Here’s some use cases to explore where machine learning is proving to be a powerful tool for overcoming inherent challenges of the privacy era:

• Conversion value modeling when postbacks don’t meet privacy thresholds
• Conversion day and time modeling to account for randomized delay timers
• Distinct ID-based and privacy-safe bidding models across the customer journey for installs, post-install events and ROAS
• Deep-learning audience lookalike models based on privacy-safe insights from an app’s full universe of attributed and unattributed installs and post-install conversion events
• Interaction type probability models for informing impression valuation based on likelihood users will click, install or take a post-install action

Closing Thoughts

WWDC ’24 and the introduction of AdAttributionKit reinforced my confidence that Apple is committed to making privacy-safe campaign measurement work for app performance marketers. In addition to the notable feature enhancements that come with AAK, there were also a  number of covert positive indications that Apple is taking industry feedback to heart and invested in making AdAttributionKit a workable solution for the long haul.  To illustrate what I mean, consider the more intuitive naming of AdAttributionKit and its updated parameters like Interaction or Conversion Type, compared to SKAdNetwork.  Or,  how the new framework has its own logo tile prominently displayed alongside core software like StoreKit and App Store Connect  on the ‘What’s New?’ page of Apple’s developer site. 

Have thoughts of your own? I’d love to hear them! You’re welcome to reach out via LinkedIn or Twitter/X, and I’ve included a roundup of links from around the industry below if you want to get to know AdAttributionKit even better. 

**BONUS** 

Here's a handy flipbook of highlights about AdAttributionKit available for download as well as a roundup of links from across the industry. Enjoy! 

AdAttributionKit Highlights Flipbook

Download Flipbook

AdAttributionKit Link Roundup

From Apple.com

• Apple Developer Site: Measuring Ad Performance with AdAttributionKit
• WWDC ’24 Video: Meet AdAttributionKit
• AdAttributionKit Developer Documentation

From Around the Industry

• Eric Seufert, MobileDevMemo: Unpacking Apple’s New Ad Attribution Framework
• Adjust: WWDC24 Recap Blog
• AppsFlyer: WWDC14 and AdAttributionKit: Keep Calm and SKAN on
• Branch: From Predictions to Reality: AdAttributionKit Unveiled at WWDC 2024
• Kochava: Apple’s AI Moment: WWDC24 Key Takeaways
• Singular: AdAttributionKit: the new SKAdNetwork?

I joined InMobi straight after finishing my master’s degree, it has been six years now and the journey continues. From being a complete fresher to now being a working mother of a toddler, this place has seen me grow professionally as well as personally. Currently, as an SDE IV, I take the role of a backend developer for our Demand Side Platforms.

What inspired you to pursue a career in tech?

Growing up I knew I wanted to study science and technology, but computer science was not something I had given much thought to, I wanted to study biotech. The lack of scope in that domain was a concern for my parents, who suggested that I consider computers as an option. While I did not even study coding and computer science in my school years, the prospect sounded equally exciting and I decided to give it a shot when entering college. Initially, it was really challenging to shift gears and explore this completely new domain of technology, since most people begin their journey from school itself and I had to start learning from the very basics. The challenges made the journey all the more exciting and had me glued to the dynamic problem-solving nature of the field. There has been no going back since then and I have no regrets.

What is the most exciting part about being an engineer at InMobi?

Technology itself is the most exciting part about being an engineer, the constant advancements make the job challenging and you never sit back thinking that you know it all. What makes it even more exciting at InMobi is the fact, that we are not just maintaining our tech but advancing at a quick pace. The reason that I have never wanted to switch jobs while working here is that there has never been an end to learning. The regular hackathon that we have at InMobi, provides a great learning platform where we get to work in groups that are different from our team and mentors that are from different business functions, ensuring that we not only excel in our teams but also get an understanding of how the other teams in the organization function and what are some the problem statements that they are working on.

I have also been fortunate to have found some amazing mentors here, who have helped me advance my learning. Mentors who don’t tell you the solution that will in solving a problem but guide me in a way that I find my own solution to the problem.

What was it like resuming work after your maternity break?

One of our values is, “Enjoying Freedom with Responsibility” and it is not something that is just written on the walls of the office, we completely live by that here and it is something that I have experienced from the beginning, which is why I had no fear of having to compromise on my career as I went on my maternity break.

Having the flexibility to balance my personal and professional roles in the way that I want to helps me give my hundred per cent to both aspects of my life. After my 6-month break, I was able to get my role and take up projects that were challenging and at par with my capabilities. I did not feel in any way that I was returning to a team that had moved ahead with my being left behind.

A piece of advice for aspiring women in tech

You have to be prepared that it is a male-dominated space, but that should not stop you or scare you in any way. You have to give your best and your efforts will get acknowledged, while the gender gap is there, there are no real biases that you fear.

What is privacy manifest?

The privacy manifest is a file added into an app's code, detailing the privacy practices of the app and any third-party SDKs it uses. Xcode compiles all these privacy manifest files into a single report. Apple's systems then automatically scan this report to update the app's privacy information visible on the App Store. What makes this beneficial?

1. Automation for app developers: Privacy manifest streamlines the process of gathering and verifying privacy practices of third-party SDKs, consolidating multiple manifest files into a single report for automatic compilation and updates on the App Stores (previously done manually).
2. More transparency: It provides app developers and users with clear insights into third-party data collection and usage, aiding informed decision-making.
3. Potential end to fingerprinting: Privacy manifest can potentially eradicate fingerprinting and probabilistic attribution. App developers and associated SDKs must declare their use of Apple’s APIs, preventing misuse  of APIs for fingerprinting and promoting SKAdNetwork as the primary attribution mechanism for advertisers.

Four key aspects of privacy manifest

1. Data usage: This section outlines the types of data collected, its intended use, whether it’s linked to users, and if it’s utilized for tracking, as per Apple's guidelines. 
2. Reason API: To prevent fingerprinting, the privacy manifest must describe the APIs used and their purposes, ensuring apps only access APIs specified in the manifest.
3. Tracking domain: If data collected is used for user tracking, the privacy manifest must include a tracking domain to prevent unauthorized tracking. iOS 17 will block tracking domains if a user hasn’t granted permission.
4. Signature: SDKs must be digitally signed for authenticity to ensure the legitimacy of the SDK.

InMobi’s stance

InMobi is dedicated to safeguarding user privacy via strict adherence to industrial privacy standards. Please note that not all aspects of privacy manifest apply to the InMobi SDK. The InMobi SDK isn’t listed in Apple's commonly used SDKs that need to include details on data usage, tracking domains, and SDK signature. We're monitoring this closely and will let you know if anything changes. 

However, all app developers must describe their use of the required Reason API in their privacy manifest. Apple published an update that starting March 13, 2024, if an app uses APIs needing approved reasons, app developers will receive an email stating the missing reasons in the privacy manifest. Starting May 1, 2024, they must include the approved reasons for listed APIs in the app's code.

We have released support for privacy manifest on InMobi SDK 10.7.2 detailing InMobi SDK's Reason API usage. We are committed to ensuring that our upcoming SDK releases include support for any additional requirements. We highly recommend adopting the latest SDK versions listed here to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.

For more information, please contact your dedicated Customer Success Manager or email support@inmobi.com.

This steep rise, however, brings with it substantial environmental costs. Over time, digital advertising, and by extension, programmatic advertising technology, has become a silent but significant contributor to the global carbon footprint. Programmatic advertising generates an astonishing 215,000 metric tons of carbon emissions each month across five major global economies 

Digital ad campaigns, despite taking active steps to streamline campaign paths and adopt sustainable practices, have been only partially successful in their efforts. A striking statistic reveals the impact of ad campaigns on our environment: A single ad campaign delivering 1 million impressions emits the same carbon footprint as that of 1 passenger on a round trip flight from Boston to London.  

The current advertising emission scenario demands decisive action from stakeholders across the advertising supply chain. This transformation is not just a response to growing environmental awareness, but a necessary adaptation in an industry where digital efficiency and ecological responsibility must coexist. The necessity for this shift arises from an urgent need to mitigate the digital carbon footprint, ensuring that the advertising technologies of tomorrow are not only advanced but also aligned with the global commitment to environmental stewardship.  

Adtech players have long overlooked their true environmental impact, given the lack of significant Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (energy in operations) emissions. However, the serving of trillions of daily ad impressions - including the need for data storage, network, analytics, and auction processing - requires a substantial indirect energy contribution; energy which is responsible for a sizable carbon footprint. As such, Scope 3 emissions, which occur from a company’s participation in the advertising value chain, account for a major chunk of advertising emissions.  

At InMobi, we are making a clear commitment to take the next big steps - get our house in order and work together with our industry clients and partners to build a more sustainable digital advertising ecosystem.  

Our approach to emission reduction, however, has not centred around just Scope 3 reduction, but has been a holistic combination of commitments and goal setting exercises aimed at mitigating our carbon footprint, and adopting and marketing green media products that would further the cause of sustainable advertising. Our focus has been twofold- 

• Adhere to the latest media quality standards, offering green media products to our buyers to help them (and us) measure and reduce the impact of their campaigns 
• Pursue more sustainable practices in our operations, optimising for energy use, waste, procurement

In 2023 we made notable advancements towards a sustainable future at InMobi. Some of the steps taken include: 

• Committing to set near and long-term company-wide emission reductions in line with science-based net zero with the SBTi 
• Joining Ad Net Zero and committed to the coalition’s 5-point action plan 
• Partnering with supply chain emissions leader Scope3, to create transparency on media-related emissions across our inventory, launching in 2024 

As  we embark on our 2024 journey, in line with our commitment to science based net zero, we aim to: 

• Formalize our commitment, by submitting our emission reduction targets to SBTi 
• Get our house in order, and keep reducing the environmental impact from our operations 
• Embrace sustainable media products & latest media quality standards, to deliver better performance with lower emissions 
• Engage our clients & partners to drive collective impact 

At InMobi, we aspire to a culture of innovation that drives sustainable tech to foster a positive impact for a more purposeful approach to AdTech. Read our Sustainability snapshot to learn about our journey so far & what lies ahead in 2024! 

Last year, at our Maximizing Monetization panel at GDC 2023, we revealed a startling statistic: 78% of ad requests were not passing adequate consent strings. Meanwhile, those that were enjoyed significantly higher eCPMs.  

So, what's adequate, why does it matter, and what’s the situation today? Let's dive in. 

Broadly speaking, an adequate consent string is one that is up to date with industry standards. In Q1, publishers who were passing IAB TCF 2.0 consent strings were enjoying CPMs that were upwards of 90% higher than those who weren't. Yet, at the time, only 28% of apps were passing these strings. Most apps (61%) were passing Boolean-based consent, and an alarming number passed either invalid strings or no consent strings at all. 

Fortunately, adoption of TCF 2.0 has improved since last Spring, though significant room for improvement remains. Today, just 43% of ad requests are passing TCF 2.0 or later consent strings. This means that more than half of all ad requests are not optimized to unlock the best bids from premium demand. 

Why does this matter? In short, apps that pass valid and up-to-date consent strings still make more money than those that don't. Today, inventory in Europe with TCF 2.0 or later consent strings is enjoying approximately 83% higher eCPMs than inventory with only Boolean-based consent and three times higher fill rate than inventory that passes no consent information at all. 

Granted, there are nuances based on ad format, partial consent, and the like. Nonetheless, improving consent management is the single best thing that publishers can do to unlock their ad revenue potential. 

While some publishers may choose to manage consent in-house, this route is both arduous - particularly as new privacy laws go into effect and standards evolve - and increasingly incompatible with demand partners. For instance, Google will soon require publishers to leverage a Google-certified consent management platform (CMP) to continue monetizing.  

To help mobile publishers navigate these ever-changing regulations and industry requirements, we rolled out the InMobi Choice CMP, a completely free platform purpose-built for the needs of mobile app and web. 

Consent requirements and privacy regulations may change, but our commitment to helping publishers foster trust and unlock revenue will not. 

To learn more or get started today, visit https://www.inmobi.com/cmp.

Tell us about your current role at InMobi

Right now, I run 1Weather, a leading weather app on Google Play with over 100M downloads. Every month, over 15 million trust 1Weather to plan their day and keep them safe. The 1Weather growth story has been phenomenal, and we continue to add about 3M new users every single month, thanks to our OEM and Telco partners.

The 1Weather journey started back in 2019, a very modest app primarily part of the Sprint telco portfolio of devices, to now being the defacto weather destination for users across multiple telco networks and several OEM partners. For someone who came into this role from a partnerships and monetization background, running a wider set of functions including product and engineering has been a learning experience.

Walk us through your journey at InMobi

I really cannot believe it has been 11 years already! Every day is so new that you lose track of time. I joined in October 2012, to do what was then referred to as Online Sales Operations. Simply put, we had 2 ways of acquiring customers. The traditional and the high-touch route (Direct Sales), where we had teams based out of San Francisco, New York, London, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, and a few more, reaching out to potential partners and managing existing partnerships. Online sales focused on doing it all remotely, doing it at scale with a team based out of Bangalore. The unit was new not just to me and my team, but also to the company. Sitting out of Bangalore, we cold-called game developers and app publishers across the globe, and we as a team were successful in setting up a seamless online sales channel. A team of five that started this gig, we even won a CEO award at the time.

I then transitioned to running publisher partnerships as a function, initially heading teams for accounts in Europe and North America. Fast forward a couple of years, and my team ran partnerships globally except for publishers from China, Japan, and Korea. The growth from 2012 to 2015 was phenomenal – we started modestly and moved on to working with some of the biggest and badest names in the mobile publishing industry. Travel became the new norm and I got to visit some of the fanciest places in the world. I even visited Oulu, a city very close to the North Pole, to meet one of our biggest gaming partners and he remains a good friend to date. At some point in this role, we decided that we needed a hybrid model instead of a fully Bangalore-based partner management setup. I relocated to our San Francisco office and set up a team here from scratch. This was a whole different experience, hiring top local talent while continuing to run a large team at our headquarters.

As I mentioned, there is never a dull day around here. When things look all settled in, we like to bring in some chaos. We were acquiring Pinsight media from the erstwhile US telco Sprint. They had a portfolio of apps that included 1Weather and I expressed interest in running this engine. In all honesty, it was a zero-to-one role. At InMobi, we help publishers monetize via ads but this was a first for all of us. It always helps when the CEO tells you, “It's okay if it does not work out, we’ll find you something nicer”.

To sum it all up, I think the journey so far has been amazing and extremely rewarding. I have in every sense built my career at InMobi and I am very proud of that.

What has made you stay with the organization?

At InMobi, I have been associated with a lot of zero-to-one business and that has resulted in me being much more invested and attached, each project has been like my own baby. Of course, there are pros and cons to that, you tend to get more emotionally attached than intended but I’ve been empowered to think big and have an entrepreneurial mindset throughout. This stands out and I realize its importance in my conversations with industry friends. More often than not, they have a very objective view of their jobs which is just transactional and about getting the job done. This has never been the case for me here. A lot of trust has come my way from the founders and leaders I have worked with. You will see that the organization believes in giving opportunities to individuals who have shown enough grit and can transcend ambiguity, to tackle some of the hardest problems, and give them room to fail, learn, and grow. That is how I have been groomed as a leader, and as I built my team, this is what I focus on.

Your proudest accomplishment at InMobi so far?

Between 2013 and 2015, I had the honor of working with some of the largest gaming publishers in Europe. They were all very successful game developers, with over a few billion downloads on the store, but at heart, all of them were grounded individuals, who spoke about everything from daily chores to summer vacations. I love working with our partners, connecting with them beyond work, and getting to know them as people, their interests, their hobbies, and for a few, even their outlook on life. This personal theory on investing in people comes from our leadership. To me, personally, this is how I go about working with people. Be that a colleague, a team member, or a big business partner. Everybody has a story, and those stories make them unique, one-of-a-kind, and amazing to work with. InMobi allows you to do things differently, and textbooks hold very little place.

A bit about your life outside work

Vaidehi, my beautiful life partner, and I live in the San Francisco Bay area with our three-year-old, Sriram. Vaidehi teaches meditation, and we met at a meditation workshop by the Art of Living Foundation a long time ago. We are both drawn to spirituality and believe there is much more to life.

When we are not finding a park or a lesson to take our toddler to, I am either trying to find the best sambar and dosa in the bay or exploring a new national park (our all-time favorite is Zion). Even after 7 years in the US, we still miss India and we like spending time in India with our parents, exploring temples, and doing silence meditation workshops.

To work with leaders like Srikanth and build a career with us, explore opportunities on our careers page.

A recent panel at AdExchanger’s Programmatic I/O in New York explored the future of personalized advertising and new standards and solutions for ID-less targeting and measurement. Participants included Nathan Rhule, Associate Media Director of Programmatic at Tombras; Justin Adler, Director of Product for Human; InMobi’s Todd Rose, SVP Global Business Development and Addressability; and Joelle Freeman, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Butler Till.  

 InMobi’s Joe Hustek offers some event takeaways in the following Q&A with Tombras’ Nathan Rhule: 

Joe Hustek: You recently attended Programmatic I/O and spoke on a panel hosted by InMobi’s brand safety partner Human. What was the topic and what were your specific key points and areas of interest or concern?   

Nathan Rhule: The topic was Addressability unveiled. While it’s a subject that has been talked about for some time, it’s an issue that has been slowly evolving and is nearing the final countdown. I have a lot of people talking to me about cookie-less targeting, but none of it works unless you first figure out how to change perceptions and goals around measurement that can work with limited tracking.    

 Joe: With 2024 reportedly being the year that the Chrome cookie finally crumbles and Google’s Privacy Sandbox goes into effect, what are you / the agency doing to prepare clients and assure them that you can offer meaningful targeting and measurement?   

Nathan: As an agency, we’re building out and testing our proprietary tool “Tombras Identity,” which brings together best-in-class measurement partners, data sets, and big-data analytics to provide future-proof media solutions. This will ensure that as identity changes, our clients are able to perform audience discovery and effective targeting and measurement without the need for a single form of identity (cookies). 

Joe: With all the focus and heat around attention metrics, what are you doing differently or seeing work with clients?   

Nathan: The level of interest in Attention Metrics has been muted due to the (sometimes) added cost and the lack of ubiquity across supply. In addition, clients are hesitant to move away from standard metrics and in some cases would prefer to use “testing dollars” on a new form of measurement. Testing dollars are not always accessible, so we have to work with our clients on the right opportunity to test without putting their business in a vulnerable state. We are in the early stages of testing this approach with some clients to determine a correlation between Attention Metrics and on-site activities or conversion events.  

Joe: With all the hype around AI, what new approaches or technologies are you using to ensure that your clients stay on the leading edge?   

Nathan: We’re exploring the use of AI to enhance our platform’s standard algorithms by implementing custom algorithms based on a client’s business objectives. These allow us to pull in multiple data points such as client-owned bidstream data and publicly shared information that in turn allows our campaigns to become more efficient and reach the exact audience that is most likely to interact with a client’s business objective. We are in the early stages on how we’re using AI, and the conversation and use cases will continue to evolve and have an even greater impact on advertising.   

Joe: Last question. Any changes to the digital ecosystem in the next year or two that you’re particularly interested in?     

Nathan: The continuous expansion of historically non-programmatic channels, such as Linear TV and DOOH, and the ability to buy and measure all channels within a single platform. This will introduce never-before-tapped traditional budgets into the programmatic ecosystem and ultimately provide a more holistic view of a brand’s media investment.  

For a deeper dive on Addressability and Attention Metrics, please check out our “3 A’s of Advertising” playbook, and come find our team at CES.  

The core objective of Responsible AI is to ensure that AI technologies are designed and deployed in ways that are fair, transparent, accountable, and respectful of human rights and well-being, while minimizing potential harm and maximizing benefits. It also helps foster trust and mitigate risks. 

Recent developments in Responsible AI have been significant, with the UK hosting the inaugural AI Safety Summit in early November 2023. This summit convened key countries, leading tech companies, and researchers to collectively establish safety measures for assessing and monitoring the most significant AI risks. As a remarkable outcome, all participating nations signed the Bletchley Declaration, uniting in their pursuit of Responsible AI. 

Previously, UK, USA, India, and other countries have published their country-wide principles for Responsible AI. Some of them (e.g., UK) have also taken the next step to publish guidelines and processes around these principles.  Governments worldwide are increasingly recognizing both the opportunities and risks associated with AI, and Responsible AI is the ‘great responsibility’ side of AI’s ‘great power.’ 

When aggregating the principles established by different nations, five key common themes emerge that you will see below.

Now, in the context of the ad tech industry, companies will look to harness AI to build better value for their customers and, in turn, create a competitive advantage for themselves. While doing so, it’s important not to lose track of the fact that Responsible AI needs to be incorporated as a mindset and practice for long-term gains versus falling prey to short-term AI wins.  

Let’s look at how the worlds of ad tech and Responsible AI intersect. 

1. Safety and Security: AI's versatility and autonomy poses safety and security concerns across various domains, including biotechnology, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and other national security dangers. The reality is that the misuse of AI in ad tech won’t have a magnitude of impact on safety and security as, let’s say, biotechnology or national cybersecurity. However, it is still an essential aspect from a user safety point of view. While we must continuously and proactively think about all potential use cases, compliance with privacy policies and responsible AI-based addressability solutions will ensure that this industry is moving forward in the right direction. 
2. Transparency: AI systems must be transparent and explainable. All ad tech companies will (if not already) invest heavily in observability at each step of the AI lifecycle (see here to know more about these steps) to maximize transparency, gain more control, and drive efforts toward Responsible AI. It is best to use a third-party partner whose core focus is AI observability.  
3. Equality and Fairness: Ad tech companies will need to put robust systems and processes in place to ensure that their AI technology is not leading to discrimination or violation of rights in any way when using general-purpose LLMs or niche ML models. Also, ad tech companies will also need to closely monitor and improve the diversity of their AI teams. 
4. Accountability and governance: AI is a technology that will complement, and not replace, a human’s effort. Humans will need to be accountable to AI technology and place the proper governance in pursuit of Responsible AI. While new senior roles are already being created in ad tech organizations (e.g., CIO, CDO, Head of AI, etc.) whose key remits will include Responsible AI, it will also be essential to segregate roles and responsibilities among the rest of the AI team – for example, the role of an ML engineer versus a Data Scientist or an ML Ops person. 
5. “You’ll never work alone”:  Similar to sustainability initiatives where all parties are aligned on the need to come together as a team to proceed forward, Responsible AI is also a team game where all ad tech entities will need to come together for the greater good of the industry. Central bodies like IAB have already created an Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee, and we anticipate that the investments and participation in these initiatives will grow significantly quickly. Liverpool fans knew this all along! 

These are truly exciting times as we stand on the cusp of a new era of ad tech. With each passing day, we are witnessing the responsible evolution of artificial intelligence. 

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) upended campaign attribution on iOS two years ago, and app growth marketers have been operating in survival mode ever since.  While some have taken the time to transition to SKAN, others are still clinging to attribution methods that rely on fingerprinting, also known as “probabilistic attribution” or “MMP attribution,” as a lifeline.   

However, the prevailing theory has been that this approach is only a temporary workaround for Apple’s sanctioned privacy-safe attribution framework, SKAdNetwork (SKAN). This theory is grounded in the fact that Apple has had a rule prohibiting fingerprinting in its iOS developer policies since ATT rolled out, and it’s only a matter of time before Apple starts to enforce it.   

Because Apple has levied no consequences on apps using fingerprinting, the full force of ATT has yet to make impact. But with a new set of features in iOS 17 aimed at closing this loophole starting in spring ’24, we are now on a collision course, which we’ve covered in more detail here. 

To understand if app marketers and their agency partners are taking heed of this wake-up call, InMobi worked with Advertiser Perceptions to take a temperature check in September 2023. The results of this survey reveal there is still work to be done before apps can successfully change course and be prepared for the privacy-first era ahead.   

Current attribution methods being used 

While still common for apps to maintain a level of reliance on fingerprinting-based attribution, nearly two-thirds have begun their SKAN attribution adoption journey.  

If fingerprinting-based attribution methods still play a part in your app growth strategy, you are certainly not alone. However, if you fall in the 27% of app marketers who have not begun to embrace SKAN and rely only on probabilistic workarounds for measuring campaign performance on iOS, you’re lagging behind your peers.   

Why are marketers not adopting SKAN? 

The top reason why marketers are not adopting SKAN is because they are hitting the easy button with probabilistic attribution. SKAN’s complexity as well as the perception of reduced performance and cost-effectiveness are other key reasons why some app marketers have been avoiding SKAN at this point.     

Marketers’ understanding of fingerprinting 

There also seem to be gaps in understanding exactly what fingerprinting is and whether it is being used for campaign attribution. Nearly half of app marketers are blissfully unaware that probabilistic attribution may be considered fingerprinting, and another 17% aren’t even clear what fingerprinting is. A likely reason for this is because fingerprinting is often referred to as “probabilistic attribution” or “MMP attribution,” and measurement partners typically would not expressly call out that their models are employing fingerprinting.   

Many are still not aware of Apple’s plans to end fingerprinting, let alone clear on what to do to prepare

Just over half of app marketers and their agencies reported that they are at least somewhat familiar with Apple’s plans to put an end to fingerprinting on iOS next spring. But on the flip side, almost half of those surveyed admit they are not very familiar with Apple’s plans to combat fingerprinting, and half of that group confessed they are entirely in the dark.   

As far as what to do with this information, just over a quarter of survey respondents recognize the need to accelerate SKAN adoption plans, while the rest are in a “wait and see” reactive mode with no immediate plans to change course. It’s hard to blame those who have chosen to let the dust settle before upending strategies that are performing acceptably. Seeing the can getting kicked down the road by Google for three years on third-party cookie deprecation has created an “I’ll believe it when I see it” mindset amongst marketers. Apple has reinforced their policy against fingerprinting multiple times since ATT was released in 2021, but they have not yet taken any meaningful action to enforce this rule, at least until now.   

Don’t get caught asleep at the wheel in 2024 

Apple not only made their disdain for fingerprinting abundantly clear (again) during their Worldwide Developer Conference in June, they also announced details of how they would enforce it this time. A new feature called Privacy Manifests takes square aim at holding app developers and their third-party SDK partners accountable for disclosing their data collection and usage practices, and it zeroes in on a set of Required Reason APIs that Apple deems particularly high risk for abuse in fingerprinting. The Privacy Manifests feature was included in the recently released iOS 17 and is set to take full effect in the spring. To help app marketers gain a better grasp of what fingerprinting is, why it’s at risk of disappearing next year, and what they should do about it, InMobi has put together a handy guide: RIP Fingerprinting in 2024? The Need-to-Know and How App Marketers Should Prepare.  

If you’re part of the 53% of app marketers using probabilistic attribution alongside SKAN, you’re on the right track and should look to accelerate SKAN adoption even further as spring 2024 approaches. For the 27% of apps who haven’t kicked off their SKAN adoption journey yet, it would be wise to set these plans in motion with urgency or risk winding up lost in the dark on a dead-end road with no probabilistic signals to help point you in the right direction.  

I’ll be the first to admit that SKAN is indeed complicated and early versions had significant limitations, but the good news is that Apple is committed to continually improving it. SKAN 4 has brought significant improvements over SKAN 3, and SKAN 5 is on the way. SKAN’s deterministic accuracy is unmatched and any perceived drawbacks can be overcome with the right shift in mindset complemented by effective predictive modeling that offsets privacy-minded signal loss. Leading apps in every category are finding ways to successfully navigate it alongside partners with the right expertise and solutions.   

If you’re ready to start accelerating your SKAN adoption journey before fingerprinting fades away, InMobi’s Ultimate Guide to SKAN is a comprehensive resource designed to help you along the way, and if you could use some personalized advice from our team of SKAN experts as you map out the right strategy to ensure your app’s performance is ready to thrive in the privacy-first world, just say the word.    

You can dive into our full research with Advertiser Perceptions on the 2023 state of app performance campaign attribution in the privacy-first era here: 

Read now

Tell us a bit about yourself

I joined InMobi in 2021, after spending the first couple of years of my career with Morgan Stanley. Moving to InMobi was all about change, both personally and professionally. I had lived all my life in Mumbai, until some months back when I relocated to Bengaluru as we all started coming back to office after the pandemic.

As someone who had just started their career in technology, I wanted to join InMobi to transition from a big corporate to a tech-driven organization with a start-up mindset. Before joining InMobi, I wanted to continue my education and study data science further but because of the pandemic my options became limited and I was considering pursuing my master's degree remotely. This was also a conversation that I had during my interview here. Today, I have been with InMobi for over two years now and I have also finished my full-time remote master’s degree in data science from The University of Texas, Austin.

What was it like living the life of a student and engineer at InMobi together?

There were challenges but that is what made it more fun and rewarding. My manager was always flexible and accommodating of my college schedule. There were times when deadlines for a college assignment and an office project clashed, and the pressure to fulfill both commitments and give my best was obviously there. But that only encouraged me to excel and I always had my team supporting me through it all.

What inspired you to pursue a career in tech?

Science has always been my area of interest growing up. I knew I wanted to build things that have an impact. Build what? – that I wasn’t completely sure of. Even when I started pursuing a degree in engineering, I was not sure if computer science was my calling. What changed that was my internship at IIT, Mumbai. During that three-month internship in my second year of college, my interest in computer science grew, particularly in data science.

Tell us about your role at InMobi

I am currently an SDE II, working with the demand-side platform team, which deals end-to-end with the advertiser side of the business. I work in the post-serve pod, which to explain on a very high level, primarily focuses on collecting data after the advertisements have gone live on the devices of consumers. It is a feedback mechanism of sorts, collecting and processing data to billing the advertisers. The bidder team uses our data inventories to build insights that further optimize our demand side business.

What is an interesting project that you are currently working on?

Right now, I am working on SKAdNetwork (SKAN), a privacy-focused attribution mechanism developed by Apple which abstracts most of the user information from advertisers. Working towards optimizing the data that we get and onboarding the newest version of SKAN is something I have personally been contributing to and it has been a fulfilling and interesting project in terms of learning as a data enthusiast. I have been able to see the impact of the project on our revenue and also help the bidding team. The project has been quite significant since we know that privacy is only going to get stricter, and information is going to get abstracted by other networks sooner rather than later.

A piece of advice for aspiring women in tech

Never give up – it is going to get intimidating at times. Even though the gender gaps are diminishing, it remains to be a male-dominated space. But that should not stop you or discourage you at any point from doing what you truly enjoy. Be confident about your work, invest in networking, and remember to ask without fear of judgment. Your male colleagues can be your allies and cheerleaders too.

To build your tech career with InMobi and work with inspiring women like Neha, opportunities on our careers page.

A period event, CoC only requires InMobians to block a session with the leader of their choice and catch up with them in the cafeteria and talk about all that’s on their mind. Discussions on personal growth, organizational growth, or talking about a simple idea that one thinks is the next big – such conversations happen with a candid flow and materialize beautifully, as the aroma of coffee and the music sets the perfect atmosphere for the event.

CoC is based on the idea of providing a platform for conversations with leaders. While work-related conversations happen every day, such an event encourages InMobians to talk about topics that go deeper and carry substance for individuals on both professional and personal levels. Getting an idea about different roles and responsibilities brings a new perspective to the table and leads to innovative thinking. With CoC, we aim to drive real connections and build an atmosphere that encourages conversations beyond work.

Let’s have a look at what InMobians have to say about their experience of the latest edition of Conversations over Coffee.

“I think 30 minutes ran out like anything…. the conversations revealed a lot about how to grow professionally and personally. I got to discovering the leader’s interest and finding common grounds where we can connect more and contribute together.”

“It was an amazing opportunity to connect with experienced dynamic leaders across InMobi and seek their guidance.”

“The biggest takeaway from my conversation was that my career journey should be only defined by me and not anyone else. But at the same time, I shouldn’t let that thought consume me. Enjoy the balance. I certainly feel more clear-minded post the conversation.”

“I was made to realize, how conversations at work can include things outside the capacity of our work which only brings people closer and creates a sense of belonging. And that is what InMobi culture is all about.”

“CoC has helped me gain perspective and get a hold on my thoughts.”

“Connecting with the leaders today over a cup of coffee led to a very friendly and free-flowing conversation. I was able to get a sense of direction, in terms of what the future holds for me.”

“We often see the founders and leaders from a different lens and put them on a pedestal. It is instances like these, that make us realize that they too are human, vulnerable, and imperfect.”

If a workplace culture like this inspires you, then explore opportunities on our careers website.

MFA is a term used to describe some websites or web content that are primarily designed to poach ad revenue from online advertising networks and exchanges by providing cheap reach to advertisers. According to Jounce’s criteria for classifying MFA sites, they usually have three characteristics: paid traffic acquisition, aggressive monetization by stuffing pages with ads, and superficial KPIs. 

From a user perspective, content on MFA sites is usually overloaded with keywords to optimize for SEO and offers little value or information to the user. On the advertiser side, the cluttered user experience and low-quality ad placements may provide advertisers with low-cost ad impressions, and maybe even viewable ad impressions, but the ad experiences leave a lot to be desired for the advertiser. No wonder that Jounce, a leading voice on supply path management, defines MFA sites as “inventory that achieves superficial KPIs like viewability by creating a user-hostile advertising experience.” 

To be clear, they are usually not featuring fraudulent inventory as defined by conventional IVT standards, but they are not good at driving real connections between consumers and advertisers. 

But why all this noise now? 

A study by American National Advertisers (ANA) found that MFA sites represent 21% of impressions and capture up to 15% of ad spend. Similarly, Jounce estimates that the share of web auctions attributed to MFA sites is 4.5x more than three years ago. 

In the same report, Jounce points out the difference in conversion metrics between premium publishers and MFA publishers, and no points for guessing which inventory ends up with a massive conversion deficit.  

Additionally, as sustainability in media buying becomes an important topic, it’s important to know that MFA sites also have a higher carbon footprint. According to ANA, MFA sites produce 26% higher carbon emissions than non-MFA inventory.  

So what can you do? 

There are two steps you can take to ensure your ads are worth the bucks:  

1. Choose the right ad environment: Your ad gets noticed when it appears in a user-focused environment not an ad-focused environment. In the web environment, your ad competes with content and multiple other ads for user attention.  
   • In-app ads on the other hand are clutter free: With clearly defined boundaries, and typically only one ad per page, in-app gets your brand more user attention. 
   • In-app is also much more protected than web: As the content on the apps go through a more rigorous set of checks before the app is available in the App Store or Play Store — both at a content and user experience level.  
2. Prioritize quality media buys: The cheapest media is rarely the best media. As an advertiser, it is critical that you balance cost with quality. Viewable, fraud-free, and brand safe are must-haves. Look for supply partners that not only give you visibility into these metrics but are working (or are open to working) with third-party measurement vendors to implement best practices that reduce your exposure to low quality inventory. 

InMobi’s Stance 

InMobi has consistently demonstrated its commitment to quality and authenticity. Rooted in the in-app ecosystem, InMobi has an inherent advantage over web-based Exchanges when it comes to inventory quality control.  

But we don’t stop at that. InMobi Exchange deploys a dedicated and skilled Supply Operations team that conducts 16 different checks on each inventory partner before a single ad request is allowed.  

To learn more about trust and safety on the InMobi Exchange, please visit us here:

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Today, navigating and complying with ever-evolving privacy regulations is more complex than ever. For instance, publishers must consider an ever-growing number of regional regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as well as standards established by organizations like the IAB (with TCF v2.2) and those set forth by tech providers like Google. 

Now, publishers with users in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom are facing another deadline: integrate a Google certified and TCF v2.2 compliant Consent Management Platform (CMP) by January 2024, or risk losing ad monetization with Google. As such, finding a solution that balances user privacy, publisher needs, and monetization goals is paramount.

What does that mean? Let’s dive in and explore the four pillars of consent management. 

1. Free Access 

CMPs should be accessible to all, without financial barriers. Offering CMPs for free not only encourages organizations — especially smaller publishers with limited resources — to prioritize and comply with privacy regulations, but it also cultivates a culture of respecting user consent and data privacy across the digital landscape. This accessibility should set a standard for the industry, encouraging uniformity and transparency in managing user consent. 

2. Future Readiness 

Staying ahead of the ever-evolving landscape of privacy regulations is crucial. Whether it's compliance with the upcoming Global Privacy Platform (GPP) framework, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) in India, or other emerging regulations, consistently adhering to these standards is paramount to futureproofing your business. This not only ensures compliance, but it also unlocks greater advertiser demand, resulting in increased monetization potential, higher fill rates, and eCPMs.  

3. Flexible Customization  

An effective CMP must empower publishers with the flexibility to tailor consent management according to their specific needs. This encompasses customization options to reflect their brand identity, which guarantees a seamless user experience and, consequently, optimizes and maximizes consent rates. 

4. Easiness of Implementation 

Simplicity in implementation is key. Publishers often handle multiple SDKs, necessitating a streamlined process that doesn’t consume excessive time or resources. The set-up process should be composed of just a few straightforward steps, offering publishers the reassurance that compliance can be swiftly and effortlessly achieved.

Looking Ahead

The many challenges faced by publishers in adapting to privacy regulations require a CMP that is accessible, futureproof, offers flexible customization, and is easy to implement.  

At InMobi, we firmly uphold these four pillars, recognizing their vital role in empowering publishers to navigate the complex landscape of user privacy while ensuring successful monetization strategies.  

To discover more about InMobi’s CMP, please visit https://go.inmobi.com/inmobi-choice/.

Here are a few of the immediate takeaways: 

The Bidding vs. Waterfall Battle 

Among the many hot topics, a key focus was header bidding versus waterfall. As the industry prepares for Google to move to a bidding-only model on AdMob, there is a sense of uncertainty among publishers regarding the impact on revenue. While it's commonly agreed that bidding can reduce latency and improve operational efficiency, publishers are yet to be convinced that it offers a higher eCPM conclusively. The results of bidding tend to vary significantly depending on the game, platform, format, and country. Therefore, most publishers are currently testing a hybrid model that incorporates both waterfall and bidding. However, many publishers are apprehensive about a future with only bidding and the lack of transparency and advanced reporting tools to optimize the process. Industry experts predict that publishers will experience a significant change in their revenue baseline once these Google guidelines come into effect in 2024. 

The Balance Between Monetization and Privacy   

The focus on user consent and privacy has become more prevalent since the introduction of GDPR, CCPA regulations, and the latest set of guidelines from IAB TCF 2.2. Publishers are under pressure to adopt an approved Consent Management Platform (CMP) before the deadline set by Google for Jan 2024. Consequently, publishers are trying to determine how these regulations will impact their ad monetization revenue. According to industry experts, brands prefer users who have given their consent and are willing to pay more for it. While some publishers have tested and seen a significant increase in eCPM after enabling a CMP, most are still worried about the impact on their revenue. To help publishers navigate the complex privacy landscape, in August, InMobi acquired Quantcast Choice, a CMP that is designed to seamlessly align with rapidly changing global privacy regulations.   

Elevating Gameplay with Innovative Ad Formats  

User acquisition and retention are two of the primary focus areas for publishers, especially those in the gaming industry who are continually looking for innovative ad formats that are native to the user journey and gameplay to facilitate that. While traditional ad formats work well for ad monetization, publishers are searching for new video and audio formats. Offer walls and no-ad packs are among the in-app purchases that publishers are exploring to diversify revenue, and an upcoming format that is gaining interest is Skip-it, which allows users to purchase tickets to skip ads. Industry experts predict that by 2024, gaming will evolve to offer users a more cohesive experience while safeguarding revenue sources. 

While 2024 may pose new challenges with the ever-evolving privacy landscape, it will also provide exciting opportunities for the ad tech industry to grow and evolve. 

Here are some of our employee well-being benefits and policies that are designed to support InMobians in their different life stages and foster a fuller and more enriching life.

Parental Support

Parenthood is a life-defining journey and we at InMobi, want all the new parents amongst us to embrace this phase of life with utmost joy, without having to worry about their commitment to work and their career. Our gender-neutral parental leave policy is centered around the caregiver’s responsibility, where the parents who are primary caregivers to the child can enjoy up to seven months of paid flexi-parental leave.

Furthermore, our partnership with KLAY schools, a premium daycare service provider, covers all yound parents' exclusive discounts on daycare fees and prederential seats across KLAY centers in India. 

Time-off Policy

Understanding the importance of maintaining a healthy balance of work and personal time off, we provide InMobians with a wide range of leave options. Guided by our value of enjoying freedom with responsibility, what makes our time-off policy special is that you need no approval for leaves up to five days.

Mental and Physical Well-being

At InMobi, we pay equal importance to the physical as well as mental well-being of all InMobians. By providing subscriptions to apps such as Calm, 1to1help, and Therapist Support, we encourage each one of us to prioritize our mental health, because good mental health is more than just the absence of illnesses.

As part of our overall wellness commitment, our cafeteria spoils InMobians with choice, providing an array of nutritional food options and live salad counters. Our onsite gym, yoga, and Zumba sessions conducted by best-in-class instructors make fitness accessible for all InMobians.

Flexible Work Environment

We at InMobi believe in providing an environment that inspires InMobians to do the best and most meaningful work of their life. Our Sabbatical policy allows all InMobians who have completed a year with us, to take a career break. From pursuing a long overdue passion, taking time off for further education, or putting on your entrepreneurial hat, we are here to support you.

Health Care Benefits

Offering the best-in-class healthcare to all InMobians and their loved ones is a top priority for us. The InMobi Flex policy is a unique insurance benefit that offers choice-based insurance plans that offer personalization based on the life stage of diverse needs of InMobians and their dependents. Our partnership with Practo, India’s largest digital healthcare platform brings together a plethora of medical facilities at no-cost or subsidized costs to all our employees and their families.

Rewards and Recognition (R&R)

The R&R programs at InMobi are designed to acknowledge the consistent hard work and commitment of InMobains. Emmy’s, a quarterly award program with multiple categories, runs across the organization to recognize the exceptional performance of teams and individuals, celebrating both small and big wins, and representing InMobi values.

But what stands out are the celebratory perks that come with completing five years and above milestones. All our long-tenured employees are spoilt with goodies of choice, from holiday packages to the latest tech gadgets.

iLead is the leadership learning and development curriculum at the InMobi Group. It is a journey comprising three pitstops: Milestone – A first-time people manager training program, Capstone – A training program for seasoned people leaders, and Keystone – A program curated for high-potential future leaders.

Based on the core of our people philosophy, the Capstone program focuses on growing, nurturing, and developing the talent of seasoned people leaders in the organization, while creating a cross-functional global community for learning.

Program Structure

The program is designed for a five-month course period that takes the participants on an experiential journey that intends to build self and social awareness, unlocking the true potential of leaders. The program focuses on the four InMobi leadership attributes, Bold and Ambitious; Inspire, not Manage; Make it Happen; and Being Customer Obsessed, and is segmented into four parts:

• The Gathering

Bringing together people leaders from diverse functions, the initial weeks of the Capstone program focus on the participants interacting and meeting their peer group as they embark on this journey together. The phase is designed to help participants get an inside-out view through an authentic leadership masterclass and an outside-in perspective by undergoing a customer leadership masterclass. Exploring the foundations of leadership, identifying personal focus areas, and reflecting and aligning on the same form the core of the first segment of the program.

• The Calling

The second stage encouraged participants to introspect and zero in on the focus of their personal journey, with the help of one-on-one speed coaching sessions.

• The Journey

Having identified their focus areas, the group then kick-started their self-faced learning path. Workshop, simulations, and curated additional resources help build on the identified leadership attributes and challenge the practical application of the knowledge gained in the process.

• The Homecoming

The final pitstop brings together the participants with their consolidated learnings as they gear up for their group presentations. The project compels the groups to put together unique presentations that focus on problem statements having a direct impact on people, business, and customer strategy.

The program curriculum crafted by our Learning and Development team ensured that the participants are challenged, pushed to their potential, and indulged in self-reflection while also getting the opportunity to understand the problems, experiences, and leadership approaches of their peers.

From the Participants’ Desk

“Over the course of the program, I was able to challenge my personal limiting beliefs. The opportunity to interact and collaborate with folks from different functions helped in get diverse perspectives and learn that problems are not always best solved by functional experts. My key takeaway has been learning the importance of spending the right amount of time on the problem-understanding stage to come to the best solutions.” – Aakash Apoorva Oza

“Having gone through the Milestone program a couple of years back, the Capstone stone journey was a great learning experience to dive deep into the challenges that I face at work and build upon my identified strengths with the help of a customized curriculum and one-on-one training sessions.” - Alisha Chatterjee

“One of the learnings that I am excited to take back to my team is the idea that our personal strengths could cause a bias and be a weakness in specific situations. It is important to step back and look at a problem from all sides and not allow past experiences to cause a blind spot in our solutions.” – Adam Pickett

“The one key takeaway for me through the course of the multiple reflection circles and peer groups that have been a part of, is that we are all in this together. While we often second-guess ourselves in this journey quite often, it is important to lean in on each other and take help.” – Chavi Sengar

Watch this video to hear more about the program:

Retail Media remains a linchpin in both retailers' growth plans and brands' advertising strategies. However, brands in the current inflationary environment are increasingly adopting a more conservative approach to selecting partners, prioritizing technologies and services with proven ROI as part of their investment decisions. As such, retailers understand that merely having a Retail Media Network (RMN) isn't enough these days. They need to provide significant market value and strength in helping advertisers hit all of their goals instead of simply showcasing their unique differentiators. Ultimately, they are acknowledging that they're selling a service that must be genuinely valuable. However, working with less mature RMNs sometimes feels like grappling with a "retail media tax" for brands, underscoring the importance of maturity and robustness in platform capabilities.  

Large RMNs such as Walmart, Ahold Delhaize, and Kroger, are witnessing significant profit growth due to their expansive measurement capabilities, insightful analytics, and considerable media scale. They are set to continue dominating the market over medium and smaller RMNs that lack the same level of depth. 

The landscape is evolving further with both established and new RMNs, like HyVee’s Red Media, recognizing their role as competing not only within the space but also with other media providers like NBC, iHeart Radio, and Spotify. This calls for an expanded competitive mindset and a robust understanding of the media buying space, which may pose challenges for some retailers who are still not fully investing in their Retail Media teams and culture. 

On the brand side, when it comes to retail media partnerships, brands hope that their retail media partners can inevitably help them solve three critical things: measurement standardization, incrementality, and in-store attribution. While the importance of each may vary, collectively, they represent the top priorities for brands seeking solutions from their retail media partners. Measurement standardization, as driven by Albertsons Media Collective, might snag the top prize for most important given the sheer amount of attention and buzz it generated amongst the retail media discussions. 

Brands also emphasized the necessity for RMNs to focus more on effectively utilizing the existing shopper dollars on their networks, rather than focusing on acquiring new revenue streams from national brand and other budgets. Additionally, having partners distinguish between online and in-store sales percentages holds significant importance in the eyes of brand advertisers, even if these capabilities are still nascent and not fully built out. The interest in offsite Retail Media is evident, with retailers like Dollar General prominently featured in sessions, and offsite being highlighted as a key investment opportunity for brand advertisers like Coca Cola.  

Lastly, the significance of building a competent team to navigate Retail Media processes is underscored, almost equal to the importance of choosing the right Retail Media partner. You need people who are ready to drive innovative change and who know the landscape. But it is recognized that you can’t simply hire a team with all of the best titles in Retail Media, you have to also make sure that all the teams they will work with are educated on Retail Media and understand the goal of what this investment will bring to the business overall. 

Groceryshop has proven to be a game-changing event for those who want to learn about the latest trends and market insights within the Retail Media, grocery, and CPG brand space, and this year did not disappoint. To stay up-to-date on more innovations, research, and trends within the realm of Retail Media, feel free to follow InMobi on LinkedIn or get in touch with us at inmobicommerce@inmobi.com today to learn more about what we can do for you! 

It’s easy to be skeptical and think this is yet another boy-crying-wolf situation in the world of ad tech. We’ve been hearing Google talk about its plans to deprecate third-party cookies since 2020. It’s been delayed twice and is now scheduled to happen in early 2024. And while Apple has had a policy against device fingerprinting since the launch of ATT in 2021, it has done little to enforce fingerprinting apart from trying to make an example of one app back in 2021.   

Why is it different this time?   

Well, for one, Apple has a plan – it’s called Privacy Manifests. And even Google has a plan called SDK Runtime, which is part of Android Privacy Sandbox and is already in beta testing.   

Apple announced at its WWDC event in June that the company would be launching a new feature called Privacy Manifests to help app developers better understand and represent the data collection practices of the third-party SDKs that are included in apps. With these new required disclosures, Apple intends to curb the practice of fingerprinting.   

Wait, what is fingerprinting anyway? Why is it on the chopping block? 

Fingerprinting is a method used within digital and mobile advertising for identifying and targeting users as well as measuring performance. Fingerprinting probabilistically identifies users using various pieces of information about a device, e.g. IP address, handset model, carrier, user preferences, available memory, etc. Because of its probabilistic methodology, many have questioned the reliability and accuracy of fingerprinting. For example, many fingerprinting models are anchored by the IP address, but IP addresses are often shared by multiple people using the same Wi-Fi network. They are also very temporary as individuals move from place to place in the course of a day.   

Despite its limitations, fingerprinting has become a go-to alternative for many advertisers in the wake of ATT given the loss of deterministic identifiers and the immaturity of SKAN. This is problematic as we enter a privacy-first world because fingerprinting leverages data users have not consented to sharing for purposes of user tracking and identification. Apple and Google have both prohibited the practice of fingerprinting, but there has been little done to enforce their policies — until now.   

Privacy Manifests: Apple’s plan to end fingerprinting 

Unveiled at WWDC in June 2023, Privacy Manifests require third-party SDKs included within apps to formally publish their data collection and privacy practices. Specifically, SDK developers must list within their Privacy Manifest: 

• What type of data is being collected 
• How and why it’s being collected  
• If the data is being used to track or being linked to users  
• If and what URLs the data is being connected to for tracking 

Apple also published a set of Required Reason APIs to go a step further in combating the practice of fingerprinting. These Required Reason APIs connect to data that Apple sees as “high risk for fingerprinting” and require any SDK or app using them to specify an allowed reason. So it is safe to assume that fingerprinting is not an allowed reason and that as these new requirements take hold, they will break a lot of the fingerprinting models that exist today. 

Privacy Manifests vs. Privacy Nutrition Labels 

Privacy Manifests are designed to improve the accuracy of Privacy Nutrition Labels, which Apple introduced in 2020, requiring developers to publicly share in their App Store listings what user data was being collected and used by their apps and why. Many developers responded that it was challenging to understand and represent the privacy practices of the various third-party SDKs included in their apps. Privacy Manifests are Apple’s response to this pain point.     

However, Privacy Manifests do not shift the accountability of SDK data practices to SDKs. Ultimate accountability for an app’s privacy practices still remains with the host-app. Privacy Manifests simply make it easier for host-apps to get and organize the information they need from their SDK partners to accurately represent their data privacy practices within an app’s Privacy Nutrition Label. Specifically: 

• They shift the burden of documenting SDK partners’ data practices to SDK owners.   
• They also conveniently aggregate all Privacy Manifests from an app’s SDK partners into a single report.   
• And to help a developer identify tracking domains, there is also something called the Points of Interest instrument in Xcode 15 to assist.   

What about Google? 

Google also has a plan to prevent fingerprinting on Android once Google Advertising IDs (GAIDs) are eliminated with the launch of Android Privacy Sandbox. They have created a separate environment called SDK Runtime so that SDKs do not have the same access and permissions to user data as the host app, as they have had before. Among other things, this prevents SDKs from having unnecessary, unconsented access to device data that could be used for fingerprinting.       

When will this all take effect? 

Apple’s Privacy Manifests recently went live in iOS 17.  However, there is a bit of a grace period on enforcement. Apple has said that starting this fall, they will follow up with developers if they do not see an allowed reason selected for accessing a Required Reason API. Starting in the spring of 2024, Apple will start to reject any apps that do not select an allowed reason for accessing a Required Reason API as part of the App Store review process. 

For Android, beta testing for Android Privacy Sandbox is already in progress with broader roll-out currently slated for later next year. This launch will effectively eliminate GAIDs, but because of SDK Runtime which is already live as of Android 13, fingerprinting will not be the easy-button alternative that it has been for iOS in the wake of ATT.   

How can app performance advertisers prepare for 2024? 

Advertisers may choose to make hay while the sun shines while they still can, but they should realize that the sun is setting soon on fingerprinting. When it does, they don’t want to be caught off guard and have their campaign performance disrupted. It takes time to transition to SKAN, and with Android Privacy Sandbox also coming in 2024, the time is now to embrace this new privacy-first world.    

No need to go it alone. The best way to get started is to talk to partners like InMobi who have a built-up a trove of learnings across app categories over the last 2 years and also have a proprietary platform specifically built to optimize using SKAN conversion values and campaign/source IDs. To learn more about SKAN, check out our Ultimate Guide to SKAN. For a free workshop and consultation on SKAN, get in touch with us at https://go.inmobi.com/app-performance-strategy-session/ 

Reach out today

Tell us about your role

I head the product marketing pod for InMobi Exchange. We have a team of about fifteen people, spread across geographies in London, North America, and India. There are two aspects to what the team largely does. The first is to bring in outside information to help drive the product strategy. Being customer-oriented is our core value. Therefore, we work very closely with our product managers and business teams to talk to our customers, understand and solve their problems, and bring that into our product planning sessions. The other facet is planning and executing our go-to-market strategies, where we again work along with the marketing and business teams. To explain the positioning of the team in terms of a Venn diagram, we are placed right in the center of where the product, marketing, and business teams come together.

What impact does the team have on InMobi Exchange?

The product marketing team is a new body at InMobi, being only about two years old. The team’s impact is largely around the organization’s fundamental approach of being customer-obsessed. We ensure that customer feedback and point-of-view are incorporated in the what, when, and how of the products that we are building. We are part of an ever-evolving industry, so the other impact would be to keep our internal teams up to date on all the changes that are happening in the ecosystem. Our efforts also have a major indirect impact on the revenue because they lead to transactional conversations that help in building deeper connections with customers.

How has your journey with the InMobi Exchange team unfolded?

I have been at InMobi for ten years now. I started my journey with the InMobi Exchange team and I have stuck with it throughout. I have changed multiple roles during my journey and what has made me stay with the team throughout and not take up roles in other divisions of the organization is the growth path that it created for me. It is as exciting as a rocket ship; it is a two-way relationship of contributing to the business and the business accelerating your career aspirations. I was based out of Bangalore earlier and then relocated to London. There are opportunities here for everyone who has the passion and zest for continuous learning and growth. To sum it all up, it feels great to be working with the team that we have built.

What makes InMobi different?

The culture is definitely one. Having been at InMobi for so many years now, I have experienced and grown accustomed to it in the most natural way. It is when I have conversations with new joiners about their experiences is when I realize how special and distinct the culture here is. The core values of the organization are such that they help an individual grow and flourish, both professionally and personally. Also, the kind of growth InMobi has had, there are instances where we have failed but have always come back stronger. We are always looking for growth avenues and we go out and achieve that said growth. InMobi has done this by not only magnifying the existing set of businesses but also diversifying its portfolio. Therefore, to me, it is the combination of InMobi’s culture and growth mindset that makes it unique.

Your proudest moment at InMobi

Probably the time we touched a one million daily run rate mark for the InMobi Exchange. When I joined, we were doing a run rate of five thousand a day, and that was if it was a good day. That journey from five thousand to a million had its own sets of failures and successes, we made mistakes, rectified them, and learned with each passing day.

The challenges you enjoy at work

What I am currently enjoying the most is solving problems that might come up after the next twelve months or longer. We have teams that are great with execution and have a vision for the next couple of months, so guiding them through that and having an even longer sight is an exciting challenge. Brainstorming and tying our ideas with the pace of the industry is an interesting puzzle with no correct answers. Then eventually seeing those ideas turn into execution plans and results is extremely rewarding.

A piece of advice for individuals looking to join your team

I would encourage everyone to ask a lot of questions and have proactive conversations, right from the interview process. Questions about your role, team, culture, and organization and how they align with your preferences. Talk about your career aspirations and how they fit in because, in the end, it is a two-way relationship that requires honest discussions.

To build a career with InMobi and work with leaders like Saurav, explore opportunities on our careers page.

Let me share a few of my memories from growing up in the Pacific Northwest. My childhood revolved around the beach—building forts with gnarled driftwood, racing over the rocks to narrowly avoid barnacles, and searching for sand dollars or crabs. Today I am keenly aware of the need to preserve nature, our environment, and reduce carbon emissions on an enterprise level to make positive strides in mitigating global warming. Climate change is wreaking havoc in our lives with impacts ranging from heat waves, melting ice caps, rising sea levels and increased severe weather events.

Just as people look inward for self-development, or seek professional coaching for growth, companies benefit from environmental guidance and governance. That’s why InMobi’s new partnership with Ad Net Zero is so critical in driving our sustainability mission. There are countless benefits of joining an industry coalition that champions sustainability specifically to ad tech. 

A Global Reckoning: Reversing the Impossible   

Why is nature important? It’s a safe and peaceful place for us to learn and grow. It’s a calming place to gain perspective in a chaotic world. Clean drinking water, clear skies free of pollution/smog, these are components of a healthy planet. This is what we want to get back to. And for a brief moment during the height of the Covid lockdowns we were given a glimpse of what a greener, more sustainable world might look like. It was miraculous to see the immediate impact from the shutdown—air pollution disappeared, wildlife returned from hiding, and scientists marveled that we might indeed be able to turn the clock back on some of the environmental damage. A few examples: 

1. The coronavirus pandemic has had an unexpected side effect in Venice, where the normally cloudy canals have transformed into water crystal clear enough to see fish swimming below.
2. According to IQAir’s 2020 World Air Quality Report , Covid lockdowns led to improved air quality in 84% of countries worldwide and 65% of global cities analyzed experienced better air quality in 2020 compared to 2019. 
3. Result: “The connection between Covid-19 and air pollution has shone new light on the latter, especially as many locations have observed visibly cleaner air – revealing that air quality improvements are possible with urgent, collective action,” the report said.  

How can we take these learnings and implement at the individual level, company level and country level? Oh how far we can go; the things we could achieve.

A Catalyst for Taking Action  

There is alchemy in the business of making promises. It’s not simply about companies setting lofty goals; we have to take action, measure and continue to move forward. This isn’t a quest for the sake of a quest, or an unattainable dream. We know after the Covid lockdown, that real progress to diluting pollution and increase air/water quality is possible.     

It’s an exciting time because we are all finally recognize and value, the need to act quickly and the ramifications our actions have on the planet—both positive and negative. If we act together, we have the ability to enact lasting change, to move the needle forward to a greener, brighter future.  

Noteworthy Advances    

InMobi exchange is powered by Microsoft Azure, and as a result is 100% carbon neutral. After integrating Microsoft Azure’s API, we are pleased to announce the following steps forward in green tech and reducing our digital waste:   

• Our emissions factor is in the top 5th percentile vs average server emission factors.   
• Our server use is 80-90% greener than alternative on-premise solutions, even high-efficiency ones.   
• Direct SDK integrations partnered with ML drives emission reductions of up to 30%.   

(Source: All data from the Microsoft Azure Impact Emissions Dashboard)    

Undiluted Dreams of Sustainability   

As we at InMobi unveil our future plans, including more partnerships, sustainable initiatives and greener technology, I find myself energized by the actions of so many InMobians and the Ad Net Zero initiative. We are all inextricably linked—and that has never been more apparent than after a global pandemic. Life is about leaving a legacy—this is true for companies, countries and individuals. What will your legacy be?  I hope you’ll personally join InMobi’s corporate efforts to secure a greener and more sustainable future for us all.  

What made you join the commerce team at InMobi?

Retail media is the fastest-growing branch of ad tech and martech, and I have been working in this industry for over a decade now. What excited me about this opportunity at InMobi was the company’s depth of experience in the mobile ecosystem, which is the primary conduit of online commerce and media. The team is leveraging this history to create truly differentiated solutions to real problems shared by advertisers and retailers in this new frontier of media.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

It’s definitely being able to work with a team that is laser-focused on solving real customer problems with innovative solutions. The leadership here sets the tone of innovation and it is threaded in our way of thinking, culture, and everything that we do here. You can see this in very basic things like how we confront problems and solve them for our customers.

How do you see the future of InMobi Commerce unfolding?

At InMobi Commerce, we solve for more than just monetizing fleeting opportunities to show paid media, we bring depth that allows advertisers and retailers to work together and create truly novel retail solutions for consumers. Our enthusiastic approach to solving customer problems is what sets us apart and that is what makes us one of the most innovative companies. I could not be more excited to be a part of this and see InMobi Commerce grow exponentially.

Watch the video and see Dan talk candidly about InMobi Commerce.

To work with leaders like Dan and join the InMobi Commerce team, explore opportunities on our careers page.

What makes working with the InMobi Commerce team exciting?

What excites me most about InMobi Commerce is the AI-first vision, but more importantly, the fact that I get to work with some of the best minds in the retail media space. We obsessively look at each problem through an AI lens. The whole product has been built from the ground up with an AI-first approach, leveraging AI in every feasible way from automatic targeting and smart bidder to campaign optimization and intelligent suggestions.

Besides that, there is also the fact that we are still in a nascent stage and hence there is a huge scope for making our system better by pushing our limits in each of the components in every dimension. Moreover, there are a lot of open challenges like maximizing the welfare of the advertiser, automatically generative video and image creatives for the long tail advertisers, privacy-preserving personalized ads for consumers, and new ad experiences like augmented reality and virtual try-ons.

What would you describe as the mission of the team?

The mission of the team is to help the three personas in the retail media space – shoppers, retailers, and advertisers – in the best way possible. The shoppers get to discover the most relevant products, the retailers generate more dollars through the retail media programs, and the advertisers get the best return on their ad investments.

How is AI helping InMobi Commerce achieve this mission?

AI lies at the core of all that we do as a team. When shoppers are searching for a product on retailer sites, our Semantic model helps in find the product based on their search term and retailer catalogue. An ensemble of the Semantic model and deep image similarity model, suggests similar products to the shoppers. We help retailers solve for scale and efficiency and serve a broad spectrum of advertisers.

Through our AI-powered autonomous campaigns, we help long-tail advertisers with limited resources and expertise to run successful campaigns by choosing what product to promote, their ad budget, and the campaign objective. For high-touch advertising agencies, our AI-assisted campaigns enable the experts to make informed decisions through forecasting, intelligent insights, and smart suggestions thereby reducing the operational cost of running a successful retail media program for our retailers. 

Speaking of advertisers, we help them get the best ROI by assisting them in their journey during the planning and execution stages. Our AI-powered autonomous systems built-in with auto-targeting and smart bidder capabilities, help improve the effectiveness of these campaigns by continuously monitoring their performance and taking corrective actions to keep them on track with the objectives. 

What keeps you excited about working at InMobi?

It would definitely be the empathetic leadership that I get to experience at InMobi. I am encouraged to try out disruptive ideas, learn from failures, and grow along the way.

Watch the video to find out more about what Raja has to share about InMobi Commerce.

To work with tech professionals like Raja and join the InMobi Commerce team, explore opportunities on our careers page.

Tell us about your role at InMobi

In my current role as the Vice President of Sales and Brand Partnerships at InMobi, I head our sales teams for the east and mid-west regions of North America. We are a team of salespeople, who work to drive new business from direct clients and agencies for the organization.

The journey that led you to join InMobi

I have always been on the advertising side of the business. I started my professional journey with a media agency in Toronto, Canada, and then moved to New York to pursue an opportunity with a performance agency. The plan was to come to New York for a year or two and get some US experience. But it has been over a decade now and I’m still here. Before joining InMobi, I worked with Criteo for about 7 years, having started with a small group in the east region and growing it to a large national key accounts team.

The role that InMobi presented fascinated me, since it primarily focused on growth, with North America being a focus region for opportunity. Also, since the pandemic, people have been more engaged with their mobiles than ever before, which makes in-app the most thrilling and exciting space to work in.

What makes InMobi different from the other organizations?

Since I joined the company, I have been most impressed by the people and teams here at InMobi. Especially the sales team that I am fortunate enough to be a part of! It is so fulfilling to see how each person is a go-getter, a problem solver, and does the most, sometimes even with limited resources, to grow our business. Freedom and autonomy are the values we stand by, and you will see that it is completely ingrained in the DNA of the organization. I have seen that everyone here is always curious to find answers and takes the initiative to go out there and get those answers. Being such a large global organization, this really fosters a culture of networking and team building.

Your proudest moment at InMobi?

There is no one moment or memory that I can pinpoint. I feel super proud every time I step out into the market with my team. I joined InMobi when we were working in a completely remote environment and really missed having that face-to-face connection with the team. Now that we have come back to the office, I get to go out for client events with each seller and see how phenomenal they are with all their client interactions and in building relationships. North America is a large region, and it is so impressive to see my team excel on the field. It is something that is very motivating and makes me proud of where I am.

A leadership principle that resonates with you

I think the most important attribute of good leadership is listening, especially when you are joining a new organization. You should be open to listening to understand the business, the pain points, what works and what doesn’t, and then figure out how you can put your skills to best use.

It’s one of the biggest things I have learned about leadership – to not come in with a rigid frame of mind about how you have succeeded in the past. Also, people respect you a lot more when you take the time to invest in being receptive and understanding the various nuances of a new business.

A bit about yourself and your life outside of work

I am a Canadian, now settled in the States. As I mentioned earlier, I came to New York just for a year or two, not knowing I would get married to a New Yorker and call this city home someday. However, even after having spent so many years here, there barely goes a day without me bringing up a Canadian reference or a famous personality. I am a big fan of all things Canadian, and it remains a big part of who I am.

To work with inspiring leaders like Cynthia and build a career with InMobi, explore opportunities on our careers page.

Tell us about your role at InMobi

As Director for Performance Sales and Strategy, my role is focused on building and managing the performance sales teams and customer success management teams for the growth and expansion of our business in North America.

Walk us through your journey at InMobi

I joined the team in San Francisco back in 2017 as a Senior Account Strategist under the performance delivery team. Back then, the organization was at a nascent stage in the region and my role came with a lot more than what can be picked by the job title. I was playing the role of an account manager and a trader along with campaign management and business intelligence.

From that, we soon decoupled the role to break it down and I continued my journey on the account management front. I also grew from being an individual contributor to managing a small team and then eventually managing the entire West Coast account management team in North America. While building the team and focusing on the revenue from there, I parallelly started getting involved with the customers and working with sales more actively.

In 2021, I decided to make a complete shift from account management to sales and started that journey again as an Individual contributor before I started building my team in that role. As recently as last month is when I started leading both sales and customer services network, which has been a homecoming of sorts into the account management domain, but after a complete circle of growth to now being a leader.

It has been incredible putting my expertise in the domain of performance marketing while being able to explore different roles and responsibilities, being able to zoom in and zoom out, and progressing vertically as well as horizontally.

What do you enjoy and find motivating about being at InMobi?

It’s been close to 6 years for me at InMobi now and I cannot bring that down to any one particular reason. It is a combination of a lot of things that makes InMobi an enjoyable place for me to be at. First and foremost is the challenging and innovative environment. InMobi in North America is a challenger, which involves the need to hustle and constantly do the best in terms of performance and growth. And where there are challenges, there are opportunities too. Overcoming these challenges results not just in the growth of the company but also in the growth of the individuals.

Another factor is InMobi’s innovation history and the fact that it continues to go forward with that same mindset. We have seen InMobi being the first to market with a lot of our products and offerings across regions and that’s something which makes me feel pretty great to be a part of the company. Not to mention the pride that comes with being with an Indian unicorn that has made it big in so many different markets and made a name for itself globally.

Lastly, it is the vision of the leadership that transcends effortlessly. I see my personal values aligned with the company’s visions and that really adds value and merit to whatever I do here.

Which InMobi value resonates the most with you?

I believe that InMobi values are such that we get to embody and live by them all at different times, situations, and phases. I might not be experiencing them all at once but I definitely live by each of them at different times. They are also intertwined in such a way that they form one cohesive way of being.

I may not necessarily be thinking big when I am solving a very operational problem at hand, but at the same time, the larger goal is to always think big. Being passionate is absolutely necessary if you want to excel at anything, be it professionally or even in your personal life. Being fanatically driven, but in the right direction with a clear vision is also equally important, all this while enjoying freedom with responsibility is very important. That’s how all our four values co-exist for me.

Tips for aspiring InMobians

Be ambitious about your work and be willing to work hard and go the extra mile. You will experience immense freedom and autonomy at InMobi, so I would recommend staying prepared for taking ownership and use this as an opportunity to take initiative. Don’t look for solutions only but also for sources of problems and areas for improvement. Most importantly, see the process through.

What do you enjoy in life outside of work?

I often come across as a very intense and serious person when it comes to work, which might also be true, but it’s the complete opposite when it comes to my personal life. I like to keep myself engaged in physical activities and live an active life. Trekking is one activity that I thoroughly enjoy and have also covered multiple base camps in the Himalayan region in India over the years. On a more regular basis, boxing is an activity that helps me destress or just relax. It’s something that I picked up a couple of years ago and now I club it with my regular workout. Traveling is also something that I enjoy during my time off. Having traveled significantly over the years, I have come to enjoy traveling not just as a holiday, but as an appreciation for different cultures and gathering perspectives.

Watch the video to find out all that Dharak has to say about his growth journey at InMobi. 

Explore opportunities on our careers page and accelerate your journey of growth with InMobi.

Tell us about your role at InMobi

In my current role at InMobi, I work with the demand partnerships team. My team is responsible for working with a lot of InMobi’s demand-side platform (DSP) partners and handling their demand for buying inventory from InMobi.

What made you join InMobi?

As a professional in the ad tech space, I was already familiar with InMobi before becoming a part of the team. What ultimately swayed my decision to join was the extensive global presence of InMobi and its prominent reputation in the mobile advertising industry. After a few rounds of interviews, I was able to acquaint myself with my future colleagues.

One memorable conversation was with my current manager, who shares a similar career path before joining InMobi. This interaction allowed me to gain honest insights into the company's culture, a sentiment that was echoed in my other discussions with the team. These conversations quickly showed me how I could fit into the team and assured me of the growth of opportunities that lay forward. In essence, the candid conversations and the transparency of InMobi's culture influenced my decision to join.

What is it like working with the InMobi Exchange team?

So far, it's been quite the ride! Everyone is super collaborative and a lot of fun too. Coming from a supply-side role, I have found working with demand partnerships to be incredibly engaging and a real team effort. Moreover, getting to work on the gaming side of things has been a new experience for me, especially since I was looking to expand my career horizons.

Due to the global nature of the team means we need to juggle our schedules a bit and coordinating across different time zones can be a little tricky. But the kind of global exposure we get in return is simply amazing. It's eye-opening to get to hear all these different perspectives and insights that you just wouldn't get from a domestic market. And that's one of the great perks of being part of a team like ours!

What does a typical workday look like for you?

Being in San Francisco while most of my team is on the East Coast of North America, which means my workday kicks off bright and early. I usually start by going through my emails and chats, making sure I have got everything covered before their day wraps up. Then, I dive into client emails and check how we are performing.

The latter part of my day is all about those bigger, strategic projects and objectives that our team needs to zero in on. The nice part about having my team on the other coast is that it gives me this chunk of time in the afternoon to really get into those projects and strike a nice balance in my day. It's a different kind of rhythm, but it works for me.

What makes working at InMobi different from other organizations?

InMobi's culture is truly one-of-a-kind. It's an upbeat, go-getter kind of place where everyone is all in, always ready to step up and lend a hand. I have enjoyed getting to work with colleagues from all corners of the globe, learning about different markets, and teaming up with folks across different functions.

In a lot of places, each department is kind of in its own bubble, often based in one specific location. But that’s not how things work at InMobi. What's really interesting is how we are all collaborating across the globe, and also feeling like we are truly getting to know one another.

Tell us a bit about yourself outside of work

Outside of work, you will usually find me out and about, soaking up the great outdoors. I am a big fan of gardens and hiking trails – there's just something about being out in nature that's very refreshing. I also have an adorable Basenji who's always up for a trip to the dog park. Apart from that, I am pretty into art and visiting museums. There's something about the art world that just draws me in.

To build your career with InMobi and work with professionals like Francisca, explore opportunities on our careers page.

As privacy regulations like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) evolve, CMPs have become critical for publishers to ensure compliance and maintain ad revenue. The lack of a proven CMP often results in lost opportunities for publishers, as many of the leading demand partners require the use of a CMP that supports the latest privacy standards maintained by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). 

CMPs: What You Need to Know 

If you’re still unsure of what a CMP is or how to incorporate one into your strategies, we have your back. Here are a few quick things you should know about CMPs to help get you started.  

What is a CMP? 

A CMP allows app and website publishers to manage user consent for data processing and advertising activities in accordance with data privacy regulations. It provides a user-friendly interface for obtaining and managing user consent preferences, thereby ensuring compliance and enhancing user trust. For publishers with users in Europe and the US, a CMP is an essential tool to have in their arsenal. 

Why is it important to have a Google and IAB compliant CMP? 

Our CMP is fully compliant with Google and the IAB. Why is this important? Having a Google and IAB compliant CMP is crucial for the following reasons: 

1. It adheres to industry standards and policies. 
2. It allows publishers to build user trust through transparent data practices. 
3. It mitigates risks of non-compliance, avoiding potential penalties. 
4. It enables a seamless adaptation to evolving data privacy regulations. 

It is important to note that CMPs are required to implement IAB’s new policies and specifications (TCF v2.2) by November 20, 2023. Additionally, if a partner does not adopt a Google-certified CMP by January 16, 2024, no ads from Google AdSense, Ad Manager, or AdMob will be eligible to serve on EEA and UK traffic. 

Getting to Know Our CMP 

Visit here to learn more about the Quantcast acquisition. 

Learn More

In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of the offering:  

1. Our CMP is compatible with iOS and Android: InMobi’s CMP is designed to be applicable to all platforms including Android and iOS, in-app and web. It offers seamless integration and consent management capabilities for both mobile operating systems, ensuring comprehensive coverage across different devices and providing a consistent user experience for all your app users. 
2. Key Features include the following: 
   • Consent gathering, including purpose notifications for processing personal data and user privacy preferences 
   • Consent sharing, including signal storing, sharing consent with vendors and audit logs access 
   • Cross-device and cross-environment support, seamlessly integrating with your apps & web pages on mobile devices, tablets and desktop 
   • Centralized management portal, a one-stop-shop for all customization options and features 
   • Real-time insights into the demographic and psychographic makeup of your audience At InMobi, we aim to holistically address publishers’ needs in the growing privacy-first world amidst ever-evolving regulations. Let us help you. For more information and to speak with an expert, contact us at cmp@inmobi.com.   

You can read the full press release with details on the acquisition here. 

Read the Press Release

Tell us about the engineering team at InMobi Commerce

We at InMobi Commerce are on the journey of building the number-one retail media platform from scratch to planet scale. We strive to work towards excellence with our consistency, pace, and disciplined execution. True to InMobi values, the team is ridiculously customer-centric and customer-first. Being in an early stage, we conduct weekly demo days to hear from the customers and the markets. Driven by speed and inspired by smart minds, we love working hard. 

What is InMobi Commerce working towards and solving?

Some of the hard problems that we are working towards and are presently tackling are around delivering the most relevant commerce ads at scale, designing the systems to deliver thousand to millions of queries per second, at sub-100 milli-second latency, with the availability of five 9s.  

Tell us a bit about the tech stack at InMobi Commerce

We are cloud-native, on Microsoft Azure, our system is based on micro-services architecture using SpringBoot and Java, and our data engineering pipelines are on Databricks, hence you will see a lot of Spark, Scala, and Python. Our user interfaces are built on React and our SDK is built using vanilla Javascript. We strive for engineering excellence through rigorous automation. 

Any tips for new joiners looking to succeed in the team?

As we grow our team, there are a few tips that I would want to share. Be curious and passionate about what you are working towards. Build a co-founder mindset, that encourages you to become independent and take ownership of your work. 

What keeps you excited about working at InMobi?

Some things that keep me excited about working at InMobi are the space to grow, the freedom to operate, and the autonomy to make decisions. The support from the leadership enables us to dream big in making ICC the number one retail media platform out there.  

Watch the video to find out more about what Sriram has to share about InMobi Commerce.

To work with tech professionals like Sriram and join the InMobi Commerce team, explore opportunities on our careers page.

How has your journey at InMobi evolved in the last five years?

I joined InMobi soon after I finished my master’s degree and it’s been five years for me here now, so most of my professional experience has been with InMobi and I’d say that’s primarily because of the fulfilling nature of the work that I do here and the constant learning experiences that help me in becoming better at what I do. I first joined the team in San Francisco as Product Specialist and was in that role for a year and a half before transitioning to the role of a Senior Solutions Engineer in London for about two years, before moving back to the US in 2022. And now I work as a Lead Solutions Engineer, based out of InMobi’s New York office.

In the last five years, I’ve been able to transition from my initial role where I handled a select set of clients to now leading solutions engineering for the entire North America and Europe region. I also got the opportunity to work with and learn from some amazing people, from different backgrounds, countries, and time zones and get an idea of how truly diverse InMobi is as an organization.

Tell us more about your current role

My role is a blend of business and technology which is what I always wanted. I did my Master's in Information Systems, where I learned technical concepts of Python, Data Analytics, and Visualizations as well as business concepts such as Product Management and Process Innovation. Now, I am responsible for the technical success of the customers which are top demand-side platforms (Tradedesk, Liftoff, Amazon, Yahoo), viewability partners (DoubleVerify, MOAT, IAS), and several key agencies. I work with them from the pre-integration stage to integrating them as well as troubleshoot issues if they may arise post-go-live by utilizing a deep understanding of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) specifications, ad serving, and programmatic buying. One of my focus areas in the team is to enable automation wherever and whenever possible to reduce manual effort, and human errors and be able to process large datasets for our external and internal stakeholders.

What keeps you excited and motivated about your work?

Being in the tech industry, it is the constant need to learn and upskill myself that keeps me going. We are in a very dynamic and fast-paced industry with new advancements coming up every other week. I try to keep myself on top of them by constantly using the resources we have here like taking up new LinkedIn learning courses and developing new skills, picking up automation, analyzing the abundant complex data points, and always looking for avenues where I can volunteer, take a step forward and initiative in terms of whatever is happening. This attitude is always appreciated at InMobi, we want people to take ownership and be self-drivers. InMobi also gives me the freedom to experiment and think differently and go beyond my remit to try new things.

What enables you to have a growth mindset as you move forward?

It is the scale of opportunities that I have at InMobi that has attributed to my growth here and I am confident that it will continue to do so. So, suppose I want to move to a different role, I know that I can do it and have a team that will enable me to take up the challenge and encourage me to pursue it. If I decide I would want to venture into a product management role, I know I can work towards it and make it happen at InMobi by start building relationships with people and taking up additional projects. Having such talented folks across the board and a non-hierarchical culture that helps in building relationships and networking is something that I really appreciate about being here.

A bit about your life outside work

I am a big Formula 1 freak. The time zone is not a factor for me when it comes to this. At times I have been up very early in the morning or been up all night just to watch the F1 events in real time. I will also take the liberty of calling myself an amiable host. I enjoy cooking and often making lip-smacking food and getting creative with some innovative cocktails.

To work with professionals like Raveesh and accelerate your journey of learning and growth with InMobi, visit our careers page.

If you’re an app marketer left wondering what to do about your SKAN strategy and conversion value schemas given this new wrinkle, you’re not alone.  Here’s what you need to know and recommendations for how you can continue to future-proof app performance in 2023 and beyond.   

Stay the course with SKAN 

Maintain positive momentum with your SKAN adoption plans, which remains the way forward and Apple’s only sanctioned way to deterministically attribute iOS campaign performance while respecting user privacy. With changes coming in iOS 17 later this year aimed at combatting fingerprinting and holding app advertisers accountable for how their third-party partners leverage user data, which we covered in more detail in another post, it’s a critical time to be accelerating SKAN adoption journeys, not postponing them.  Here’s a few tips for how to stay on track towards building the most resilient growth strategy for your app –  

1. Continue to focus on deploying SKAN 4 conversion models, which are backwards compatible – Whether new to SKAN, or a veteran, developing a sound approach for leveraging SKAN 4’s hierarchical conversion values and multiple postback windows that aligns with the customer journeys of your highest value users is the optimal way to future-proof your growth strategies.  Adapting to SKAN 4 conversion schemas takes time for even the most sophisticated advertisers, requiring a thoughtful approach and close collaboration with your MMP and media partners.  But, aligning with SKAN 4’s core mechanics now ensures you’ll receive the maximum amount of performance insights available regardless of which SKAN version ad supply is compatible with, and puts you in the best position to rapidly take advantage of new features coming in SKAN 5 later this year.  
2. Ensure media partners take steps to mitigate SKAN 4 bug impact – Rely on your media partners to account for the impact of the recently discovered bug and sign each SKAN ad impression with the most appropriate version that ensures you get the best campaign performance insights available while maintaining data integrity.   Some media partners such as Meta have reverted to signing all ad impressions with SKAN 3, while InMobi plans to closely monitor user penetration rates by iOS version and leverage SKAN 4 ad signatures on any compatible bug-free inventory in order to continue gaining SKAN 4 performance insights whenever they’re reliably available.   

3. Consult with your MMP on their approach to SKAN 4 and addressing this bug – Each MMP supports a different mix of SKAN features and may also have variable levels of impact from the reset bug.  Singular, Kochava and Appsflyer have published customer guidance on the reset bug, and we’ll update these links when new information from our MMP partners becomes available.   

4. Understand the new Privacy Manifest requirements coming in iOS 17 – One of the more notable developments during Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) earlier this summer was the announcement of Privacy Manifests, which will debut with the imminent rollout of iOS 17. This new feature strongly indicates that Apple intends to more proactively monitor and enforce their long-held policy that prohibits fingerprinting by holding app developers accountable for ensuring iOS users are not tracked across apps and sites with different owners unless permission is granted, regardless of whether tracking is done by the app owners themselves or by their third-party partners.   

   This fall, Apple will begin alerting developers when their app or one of its third-party partners accesses APIs Apple has flagged as high-risk for abuse in fingerprinting without declaring a valid reason for this access in a Privacy Manifest. This grace period is intended to give app owners time to better understand how each partner is accessing user data and remediate any trouble spots, but starting in spring ’24, Privacy Manifests will become part of the formal App Store Review process and can result in rejection when Apple’s new requirements are unmet. We recommend engaging with your SDK partners and product teams to understand and prepare for any potential impacts to your measurement strategy and user experience.   

Check out our Ultimate Guide to SKAN which is full of tips on how to adapt your iOS app performance strategies for the privacy-first era and reach out to performance@inmobi.com to see if our team can help you throughout your journey.     

So, why is AI such a big deal for InMobi Commerce? Well, in the recent times, it has become clear that AI is the key to enhancing Retail Media programs, enabling brands and advertisers to run efficient campaigns with minimal human effort while achieving their campaign objectives such as ROI, reach, and revenue. Let's take a closer look at two powerful AI-based features we offer. 

First up, we have our "Autonomous Campaigns" feature, which includes "Auto-targeting," “Auto-bidding,” and objective-based campaign optimization. Thanks to AI, this feature intelligently selects the right targeting parameters, ad creatives, and bidding strategies at scale based on historical data and industry best practices. The AI system continuously monitors and optimizes the campaign to ensure it stays on track to reach its objectives. This means campaign managers can run highly effective campaigns with very little manual intervention.  

It's especially beneficial for novice campaign managers, simplifying the process and enabling them to launch successful campaigns without needing extensive expertise. It's also perfect for advertisers with limited resources, as it requires minimal human involvement throughout the campaign lifecycle. All the advertiser needs to decide is the product to promote, the objective, and the budget. 

InMobi Commerce supports different objectives for these auto-campaigns, including ROAS, reach, quantity sold, revenue, and new user acquisition. The flexibility offered by AI allows businesses to tailor campaigns precisely to their needs. 

For those who prefer more control over campaign settings, InMobi Commerce's "AI-Assisted Campaigns" feature comes to the rescue. This feature is designed for expert users who want a high level of customization and fine-tuning while still leveraging the power of AI. During campaign creation, the AI system assists users through pre-campaign suggestions, recommending relevant targets and optimal bid values. Throughout the campaign, the AI continuously monitors performance, evaluates metrics, and provides intelligent suggestions, empowering users to make timely adjustments and optimize their campaigns for better results in the ever-changing advertising landscape. 

In summary, InMobi Commerce recognizes the game-changing potential of AI in Retail Media. Our AI-powered solutions offer effortless campaign management for both novice and expert users. With "Autonomous campaigns" streamlining the process for advertisers with minimal human intervention, and "AI-Assisted Campaigns" giving expert users the freedom to fine-tune their campaigns while still harnessing the power of AI, the future of Retail Media looks brighter than ever.  

So, if you're in the Retail Media space, it's time to embrace the AI revolution with InMobi Commerce and unlock the limitless possibilities it offers.  

Tell us about your role and the team

I joined InMobi in August 2022, as Vice President, Partner Management for InMobi Exchange, making me and the team responsible for all the revenue across the Exchange business. InMobi Exchange is the largest independent in-app exchange in the world. It is a big team with a lot of different segments. We have all the demand side platform (DSP) relationships, which are demand relationships as they come in with some of the biggest and most exciting companies on the demand side in the world and we work with all the in-app publisher relationships as well. This includes some of the biggest gaming and non-gaming names, all the way down to some small publishers from regional markets. We have about 40,00 publishers across the globe, which is a very large global footprint.

The global nature of InMobi Exchange, requires us to have regional management teams, that look after individual countries and market plans, including not just North America but also Western Europe, India, Japan, Korea, and others, where we really try and look at exchange from a lot of different lenses. We also work very closely with the product teams, to stay on the pulse of what is most innovative and exciting and is going to move the needle for our publishers and demand partners.

What is the biggest impact that your team has on InMobi?

I would say that InMobi Exchange is vital to InMobi’s global business. We know that advertising keeps the internet free, it keeps the publishers living and breathing. Advertising at InMobi is the same as it is across the internet and is extremely crucial from the ecosystem perspective. The InMobi Exchange business, powers some really cool innovations, new ways of thinking, and content creation. And everything that is happening, happens because of the work of the genius people that we have in the team.

What is working with InMobi Exchange like for you?

I have always liked working in advertising. It comes with a very straightforward mission, which is easy to align with, we work towards increasing revenue while making it work for the publishers and advertisers. But what is different about doing this at InMobi is that we truly are customer-oriented, and it is a place that is deeply committed to entrepreneurism. Everyone is fueled with great ideas, and they just run with them without any barriers. We are a team of self-starters, passionate individuals – who give it their all and don’t know for an answer. This ends up creating a very exciting, dynamic, and energizing environment for everyone.

How is InMobi different from other organizations?

There are a couple of things that I can think of. First would be the great technology that we’ve built and has been a constant from the initial years. But what’s interesting is that we don’t fit the same mold as most of our competitors, because we don’t have a game studio, we’re not just working in a gaming Ad network. We have built the exchange to be a healthy and unique mix of brand creatives and performance creatives.

The other aspect is the culture. As I mentioned earlier as well, the energy and enthusiasm at InMobi is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. It would also be the cultural diversity of the organization, an Indian company making its mark in the West, and internally that opens a lot of different perspectives, ideas, and thought processes for us. And I think that’s a real place of power for InMobi.

What according to you makes people successful at InMobi?

It’s essential for the personal values of the individual to align with InMobi’s values because we take our values very seriously and they are ingrained in the organization’s DNA. That would mean, being bold, creative, and entrepreneurial. People who don’t necessarily take no for an answer, who like to figure out and experiment on their own along the way and not being told exactly what is expected of them. I think those are the people who truly succeed and thrive because they will always get a lot of runways above for them to keep striving.

To work with leaders like Pamela and join the InMobi Exchange team, explore opportunities on our careers page.

What would you say is InMobi Commerce's long-term vision?

Our vision at InMobi Commerce is to transform the digital discovery and shopping journey into experiences that are as delightful, efficient, and informed for buyers as physical shopping. We are also committed to empowering retailers and enabling them to leverage their resources in the most optimum manner.

What is the number mission for the InMobi Commerce team?

The mission that we are working towards is to help retailers generate three times more from marketing spends of their brands. We aim to do that by the use of AI-backed, full-funnel discovery, and shopping experiences powered by InMobi Commerce, to engage with the end customers.

What according to you makes the InMobi Commerce team different?

Customer centricity is something that we live by at InMobi and InMobi Commerce team is no different when it comes to that. Our focus is to solve the retailer media challenges for customers and consumers. We are also the only player in the market with a comprehensive AI-powered solution to address the entire advertising media funnel in retail media. Our priority is solving through technology instead of services, enabling us to be the best partner for a retailer's media needs. InMobi’s longevity, perseverance, and tenacity are something that keeps us going as we set audacious goals at InMobi Commerce.

Where do you see InMobi Commerce headed?

The world of commerce and media is merging very rapidly. Every media company is now a commerce company and every commerce company is stepping into media. In the US alone, there are over 200 retailers aside from Amazon and Walmart, that are brimming with media opportunities. Many of those are already testing the waters and trying to supercharge their growth on the back of media revenue.

That being said, InMobi has been a technology champion in the open internet space and perhaps the most technically advanced player in the retail media space. Our technology innovation, customer centricity, and business acumen make me believe that we are at the right place at the right time to drive this industry to its true north and help it cross the 100 billion dollar mark in media in no time.

Watch the video to find out more about what Jimit has to share about InMobi Commerce.

To work with industry leaders like Jimit and join the commerce team at InMobi, explore opportunities on our careers website.

App owners are clearly feeling the pinch with App Store discovery, particularly through featured and organic listings. The App Store is an increasingly saturated channel for apps with nearly 1.8m apps and many changes to the user experience in recent times.

At the same time, as an iPhone user, your apps are simply ported from device to device, giving little reason to visit the App Store unless there’s a specific app you want to download. When you do visit, you see a lot of the same apps pedaled over and over across search, charts, and the Today tab. 

In fact, Apple’s own App Store Transparency report revealed that the “average weekly number of apps appearing in the top 10 results of at least 1,000 searches” was 197,430. That equates to just 11% of apps in the App Store getting significant search visibility, and you could hazard a guess that a similar 11% of apps are getting significant visibility across the charts and Today tab.

As an app developer, breaking through in the App Store seems to require world class virality or deep, deep pockets. So, let's look into the data to uncover more in answer to Deconstructor of Fun’s question.

What does the data say?

Apple’s own data sources reveal to us some ideas on App Store user flows. Their marketing pages for ads tells us that 70% of App Store visitors use search and 65% of app installs happen after a search. So nearly two thirds of App Store visitors are downloading using the search functionality. 

We’ll come back to look at how they’re using search in a minute, but let’s explore what is happening with the other third of users and installs.

If we take a look at the last “App Downloads Source Report” from Sensor Tower in 2021, we see that the ratio of non-search App Store installs is a 70:30 split between referrers (web and app – primarily made up of ads on other channels directing straight to an App Store product page) and browsing (charts and Today tab). If we take this ratio, we end up with an install source split that looks like this on the App Store today:

You can easily understand the Deconstructor of Fun’s survey results when you realize that only 10% of App Store installs are a result of being featured on App Store charts and the Today tab. App installs from browsing are now an inconsequential slice on the App Store, accessible by only a handful of apps. 

But what about search? Does the search behavior suggest that these are app discovery searches? The answer is that just 50% of searches on the App Store are generic or app discovery searches, according to AppTweak.

Fifty percent of searches, however, are brand searches, which are essentially users using the App Store search in a transactional way to find an app they want to download. Generic searches are also majority long-tail, with head (high volume) terms being almost entirely branded as you can see below.

This means that the volume of generic terms that are relevant or high intent to convert for a given app are likely to be low.

As you would guess, the intent behind a brand search is also much higher, leading to more installs coming from branded search terms. In one study by Kochava with anecdotal data from a single advertiser: “A streaming entertainment brand we’ve all heard of … that is likely front of mind for most users in the U.S. when they think of ‘Entertainment Media’” Kochava reports that this app saw 95% of Apple Search Ads (ASA) attributions from their own brand term.

So, for big brands, a large majority of installs from App Store search are coming from their own brand terms. While for smaller brands this percentage is likely to be lower, the higher conversion rate does lead you to the assumption that the majority of App Store search installs are coming from brand terms. This means that there isn’t a huge amount of app discovery happening via search either. The App Store is fast becoming a mobile vending machine where users largely go to download apps they already know that they want.

What does this mean for advertisers?

Since the rollout of SKAdNetwork (SKAN) in Spring 2021, Apple’s own Search Ads business has undergone a meteoric rise.

Appsumer, InMobi’s cross-channel optimization platform, found that Apple Search Ads share of app install advertising spend on iOS had increased 16 percentage points since the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) rollout to 45%.

Similarly, Kochava found that Apple Search Ads had benefited from how media attribution has been redistributed over the past two years in the iOS advertising ecosystem.

Only SKAN attribution is operating at a similar scale to Apple Search Ads, while probabilistic attribution (fingerprinting) is close behind in terms of scale. However, probabilistic attribution / fingerprinting will be disappearing off the iOS map by early next year.

So why is Apple Search Ads so popular?

If we break down the main reasons, they are:

• Attribution advantage: Any channel that could continue business as usual post-ATT was going to be a popular choice for advertisers. That’s why many advertisers shifted budget to the unaffected Android OS and on iOS towards Apple Search Ads. As a first-party platform on iOS, Apple Search Ads did not have to succumb to the complex and, at the time, incomplete SKAN attribution framework. They could continue business as usual using their AdServices attribution. In addition to this advantage, Apple Search Ads also applies a somewhat overzealous 30-day click attribution window for them to take credit for a conversion versus a more standard 7-day click attribution lookback window applied by MMPs to other channels on iOS.
• Last-click advantage: With a majority of search installs coming from brand terms, Apple Search Ads is much more of a demand capture than a demand creation channel, much like Google search on the web. It’s the natural user experience on the App Store. A friend has recommended it, you’ve seen ads in another app, you’ve seen a TV ad, you’ve seen a video, and it’s the app you need to control a piece of hardware you bought, etc. Whatever the demand creation source for an app, you go to the App Store to download it, which means that as an advertiser, you have to defend your brand term with Apple Search Ads to stop competitors from stealing the click so that’s what gets conversion credit.

This is all to say that when you, as a performance advertiser, need to fire up a channel on iOS where the numbers are going to stack up, Apple Search Ads is a safe bet. A bit like IT Directors who never got fired for choosing IBM. You won’t get fired for the CPA numbers coming back from Apple Search Ads. However, what impact is it actually having in terms of increasing demand for your app?

How should you look at investments in Apple Search Ads?

With all this in mind, there are some important considerations for iOS user acquisition strategies to consider:

Make sure you cover the basics

Given that a huge amount of potential App Store installs will come from your brand term, you will likely want to cover off your brand term. This will particularly be the case if you’re in a highly competitive segment where competitors are likely on the attack. However, it’s important to do a lift test to understand what percentage of paid installs are cannibalizing organic installs on your brand term. A few years ago when Gabe Kwakyi was at Incipia, he said this of brand cannibalization on ASA:

“The incrementality/cannibalization percentage is impossible to calculate with 100% certainty, but our research estimates that Apple Search Ads brand ad incrementality is ~40% (i.e. 60% cannibalistic).”

Once you have established this, it’s important to recalculate your real CPI by deducting cannibalized installs and dividing your brand keyword spend by the recalculated install numbers.

Brand Keyword Spend

(Total installs - cannibalized installs)

This makes it easy to understand when brand bidding becomes unsustainable. Another useful metric for understanding the cannibalization of your own brand bidding is to follow the calculation that Simon Thilley from AppTweak highlights in this article for Cost Per Protected Install (CPPI). 

In some categories, particularly multi-install markets like dating, you may also want to consider bidding on competitor brand terms to squeeze some discovery out of the App Store where bigger competitors exist. Equally doing exact match on tightly curated generic keywords and a small exploration campaign on broad match should cover off on the remaining generic terms you might have missed that are high intent.

Once you have covered these basics, there’s really not much more to do in terms of campaign and budget expansion on Apple Search Ads.

Compare apples-to-apples attribution on iOS channels

Three things are happening that are painting an unrealistic picture of attribution on iOS and performance advertisers need to adjust for:

1. Ad Services: The Ad Services attribution framework that is attributing Apple Search Ads installs has a 30-day click-through attribution window versus the 7-day window that your MMP is likely setting for other iOS channels. Work on correcting this when you’re analyzing iOS performance to ensure that you’re not over attributing to Apple Search Ads and under-attributing to other channels.
2. SKAN privacy thresholds: Privacy Thresholds on SKAN are a volume of installs per campaign per day that need to be met in order for parts of a SKAN postback to be sent. For many advertisers, particularly on the smaller end of the scale, a lot of postbacks are lost to this on some channels. This leads to a significant undercounting of installs and a higher CPA, which again paints Apple Search Ads in a better light. It’s important to model null postbacks to ensure that all channels are getting the due credit they deserve.
3. ASA last-click advantage: Much like search on the web, Apple Search Ads holds a significant last-click advantage given the mobile vending machine nature of the App Store. With this in mind, it’s increasingly important to use econometric models such as incrementality and Media Mix Modelling (MMM) to ensure credit is being given across the funnel and Apple Search Ads spend increases are providing incremental value, not just cannibalizing other channels.

Apple Search Ads can’t be your entire iOS strategy

A popular iOS user acquisition strategy post ATT has been to simply plunge the entire iOS budget into Apple Search Ads. The reality is you can’t build an entire app user acquisition strategy by investing your whole budget into demand capture channels..It will rapidly result in diminishing returns for an app advertiser as the demand to capture dries up. 

Performance advertising needs to cover both demand capture and demand creation channels. This is why InMobi has invested so heavily in building the industry's first and only bidder for SKAN on iOS. With 64% of user time spent outside apps owned by major Self-Attributing Networks (SANs) and the high-value iOS user-base, we have built performant targeting to build demand for your app on iOS in the open app ecosystem. Advertisers have seen 16x more installs coming via InMobi’s SKAN bidder versus other iOS channels at a CPI 94% lower. 

With lower competition and highly affluent users available across SKAN inventory, it’s an important time to develop your SKAN targeting strategy. To discuss your iOS strategy outside of ASA, get in touch with us at performance@inmobi.com. 

How your journey at InMobi has been so far?

I started at InMobi as a Senior Customer Success Manager in 2021, where I got to understand our product suite and all our offerings in great depth while working with the clients directly by being the face of our campaigns and trading team. As a new joiner at the time, the role really helped me understand the company and our various product lines.

From there, I was quickly promoted to becoming a pod lead for a team of quick-serve restaurants (QSR) and retail customer success managers. While I was thoroughly enjoying this new role with added responsibilities and a broader spectrum with more strategic thinking and goals, I soon made a complete shift and took up a sales role.

Around October 2022, I switched to the position of Senior Sales Manager, which is my current role as well. I now work with the East Coast sales team in North America, where we are actively doing business with agencies in the region, helping them realize the power and benefits of in-app advertising.

How has your team encouraged or enabled your growth?

It’s been only two and a half years for me at InMobi, and I have experienced rapid growth in these last few years. In less than a year, I was promoted and I believe that was because my potential and aspirations have been truly recognized and appreciated. While I always discussed these things in my one-on-ones, my manager has always come to me with my growth path and encouraged me to pursue that path confidently.

Even when I was making the shift to sales, it was my team that first recognized the passion that stirred all my social interactions with the clients and how my technical knowledge of the product suite would fit perfectly in a more client-facing role.

What has made you stay with the organization?

The work-life balance that I have been able to maintain while working at InMobi has definitely been the number one reason for me being with the company. Being a mother of a toddler, my family is a big priority for me and I have been able to be all in on the personal front while making no sacrifices in my professional growth. There are times when a “muffins with mom” day at school clashes with critical business hours, and I have always had my team supporting me in times like that. This is something that I have been very appreciative of and it makes me want to give my best and always return the favor.

Another really important factor has been InMobi’s dedication and emphasis on the learning and development of employees. The iLead-Milestone training that I went through when I got promoted to manager was an experience that reinstated my belief in how committed the organization is to growth and development, irrespective of geographical barriers.

What makes you excel at work and keeps you motivated?

The non-traditional path that led me to where I am today has always been a factor that has pushed me to put in that extra effort to excel and is a constant motivation for me to keep giving my best.

Before I was introduced to the ad tech world, I was actually in a completely different industry and had pursued a career as a fashion model for over ten years, straight out of high school. After ten years in the fashion industry, I wanted to transition into a more traditional career path. This wasn’t an easy transition, given I had taken a non-conventional path of not going to college after high school. It was then that I started working with a friend’s demand-side platform agnostic trading desk business. That opened the world of ad tech for me, and I worked with three start-ups after that, all in account management roles, before I finally joined InMobi. It’s safe to say the unique journey that I have had so far is what keeps me going and encourages me to work hard.

What advice would you give to someone looking to join InMobi?

The most simple and direct answer is to put your best foot forward and know that your talent will be recognized. It’s a two-way street here, you put in the effort and dedication towards your work while exhibiting your passion for the industry, and the company will invest in your growth and reciprocate.

A bit about your life outside work

My family is the most important aspect of my life outside work now, which is comprised of my husband and our four-year-old son. I have grown up living in Southern California, and we spend a lot of time outdoors, hiking to hot springs in the mountains, or spending time at the beach.

Before I started my career in the fashion industry, I was a competitive synchronized swimmer. I was on the junior national synchronized swimming team and was completely committed to that between the ages of six to 15. I am very used to pouring everything into one thing that I put my focus on and perfecting it.

Now, as I am working towards building a more conventional and stable life with more growth opportunities, I have also started pursuing my college degree. I am studying digital audiences and have three semesters left before I graduate. Coming in with a lot of on-ground prior experience has allowed me to be more involved and absorb everything that I am studying with a much deeper understanding, which has been super fun and meaningful. I am excited to pursue MBA or master’s next. InMobi’s support in this unconventional journey makes it even more worthwhile and fruitful and makes me feel valued.

To work with inspiring professionals like Amy and accelerate your career journey with InMobi, visit our careers page.

Publishers must also pass the age restriction information to InMobi to determine if we must show targeted or non-targeted ads. Previously, publishers could only declare if their app was directed at children. Apps directed at adults and children had to be designated as "child-directed" to safeguard users. 

With the updated setting, publishers can now declare the following: 

1. App is not child directed: Applicable for apps used only by adults. 
2. Mixed Audiences: Applicable for apps used by both children and adults. We will rely on age restriction data sent by the publisher in the ad request to further treat the app as child-directed or not. 
3. App is Child Directed: Applicable if the app is only used by children.   

Benefits of Mixed Audiences 

This setting is beneficial for publishers in the following ways: 

• Allows accurate declaration of an app’s audience. 
• Further enhances current checks and balances in place to safeguard child-directed inventory. 
• Unlocks revenue potential via targeted advertising for users above the age of 16 (if user consent is available and as applicable by regional laws).

Setup for Mixed Audience 

If you are already integrated with InMobi via an SDK or API integration, you can easily enable support for mixed audiences. Follow these two simple steps to get started:  

1. Define the App Audience on the InMobi Publisher Dashboard. 
2. Pass the Age Restriction signals to InMobi based on the user's geographic location.  

Publishers must complete both steps above to support a mixed audience monetization setup and have an age-gating mechanism within the app to pass appropriate age restriction signals. Please refer to our support portal page on Children's Privacy to understand how to complete the setup. 

The declaration on the dashboard and the age restriction information passed to InMobi combined help us determine if we show targeted or not targeted ads. If consent is applicable by law, targeted ads are shown only when consent is present. If consent is absent or if the user is identified as a child or age-restricted, identifiable information is anonymized, and non-targeted ads are shown.    

If you have any questions, reach out to your Customer Success Manager, or write to support@inmobi.com.  

Why does InMobi Commerce place so much value on the power of AI? Over the past few months, it has become apparent that AI will play an increasingly significant role in enhancing Retail Media programs. AI can enable brands and advertisers to efficiently run their campaigns with minimal human effort, achieving the same campaign objectives such as ROI, reach, or revenue. It does so through enhanced targeting and bidding strategies, real-time campaign optimization, forecasting, intelligent insights, and smart suggestions. AI also improves Retail Media programs by automating creative generation, providing smart audiences, preventing audience conquesting, and optimizing yield. 

AI empowers retailers to solve for scale and efficiency, catering to a wide range of advertisers. Autonomous campaigns powered by AI offer automatic targeting, bidding, and real-time optimization, making it easier for long-tail advertisers with limited resources and expertise to run successful campaigns. Additionally, high-touch advertising agencies and experts can leverage AI-assisted campaigns to make informed decisions through forecasting, intelligent insights, and smart suggestions. This reduces the operational costs associated with running a successful Retail Media program for retailers. 

Furthermore, AI can assist retailers in optimizing their overall revenue by personalizing ads and ensuring they are relevant to shoppers. By considering factors such as personalization and relevance, AI helps retailers choose ads that will have higher engagement with shoppers, thus ensuring a positive shopping experience. 

In summary, AI-powered solutions from InMobi Commerce will play a crucial role in enhancing these programs by enabling efficient campaign management, providing intelligent insights, and optimizing revenue. By leveraging AI, retailers can transform their platforms and data into valuable advertising opportunities while improving the overall customer shopping experience.  

Stay tuned for the next blog in our series that will cover some of these solutions as they specifically pertain to our campaign processes. 

Sustainability in AdTech: Did you Know? 

323 tons of CO2 eq 

The total emissions for a mock digital advertising campaign equals 323 tons of CO2 eq, or the equivalent 16 American citizens' carbon footprint.

1% of global energy 

The Internet produces around 4% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. In its own right, advertising consumes more than 1% of global energy, the majority of this is from online advertising. 

What InMobi is Doing

Science Based Targets (SBTi)

We joined forces with SBTi to set near-term and long-term measurable emission reduction goals for our global offices in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint as per the 1.5 degree trajectory for a net-zero future.   

Carbon Neutral

InMobi Exchange’s tech infrastructure is powered by Microsoft Azure which is 100% carbon neutral. We are in final discussions with the Ad Net Zero Initiative and Scope 3 to help us measure our carbon footprint. We are currently working with each office location to collect energy and electricity consumption emissions (Scope 2), then set actionable reduction targets. 

Verification Partners

We are working with 3P partners to help measure our indirect emissions across our supply chain, identify opportunities to focus on low carbon paths, and offer green media products for our buyers 

Traffic shaping & SPO  

InMobi’s lightweight SDK enables a greener supply chain with nearly 95% of our inventory sourced directly. Our proprietary machine learning algorithm for traffic shaping helps us prioritize the right inventory for demand partners.

Coming Soon 

Be on the lookout for an all new InMobi University course on How Ad Tech is Approaching Sustainability.  

Let’s go green in Ad Tech. We need your help!  Please reach out to genevieve.pritchard@inmobi.com if you’re interested in participating in the global InMobi task force for sustainability.  

Keep the momentum going.

Adapting to Changing Consumer Behavior:  
The pandemic accelerated digital transformation and consumers now seek fast and value-added experiences. Businesses must focus on understanding the evolving needs of their target audience and deliver solutions that solve real problems effectively. 

Scaling and Finding New Customers:  
To succeed in a competitive app market, it's crucial to identify new customer segments and scale your user base. However, achieving this requires a careful balance between performance marketing and building a strong brand identity. Brands that effectively bring their identity into performance marketing can create a lasting impression on users. 

The Power of Brand Storytelling:  
Brand storytelling plays a vital role in attracting and engaging users. Brands must develop a narrative that resonates with their target audience and infuse it into their marketing campaigns. By leveraging storytelling, businesses can impact user acquisition positively. 

A/B Testing Advantages and Best Practices:  
A/B testing allows app marketers to experiment with various creatives, ad formats, and strategies. It helps optimize user engagement and conversion rates. By designing, executing, and analyzing solid experiments, app developers can refine their marketing approach and improve overall performance. 

Integrating Use Cases in Campaigns: 
Understand audience mindset and how users are more likely to trust recommendations from others rather than directly from the brand. App developers should leverage user reviews, testimonials, and influencer partnerships to establish credibility and drive user acquisition.  

Overcoming User Hesitancy through Value-Add:  
To overcome user hesitancy in downloading yet another app, it’s crucial to offer value-add and solve a specific problem for users. By clearly communicating the app's purpose and demonstrating its utility, marketers can build trust and drive downloads. 

Embracing Long-Term Thinking and Innovation:  
App marketers must adopt a long-term perspective when developing strategies. Experimentation, boldness, and thinking beyond short-term gains are essential for staying ahead in the game. 

The App Promotion Summit highlighted the importance of continuous experimentation in marketing strategies. By challenging old practices, using creative resources wisely, and thinking long-term, businesses can stay ahead in the ever-evolving app landscape. Furthermore, considering traditional marketing avenues can still hold value in driving app awareness. It’s essential to remember that while technology evolves, the core principles of effective marketing remain constant. 

If you want to listen to the full session, click here:

Tell us about the journey that led you to InMobi

After finishing my master’s degree in marketing management from Grenoble Ecole De Management, France, I went on to start my corporate journey in the Filipino manufacturing industry before eventually moving back to South Korea. There I gained invaluable experience in the IT industry as a Customer Success Manager at Zendesk, a SaaS company. I loved the moments when upselling met customers' needs. It was during this time that I chanced upon InMobi's search for a Customer Success Manager in South Korea. Given the gigantic market size of ad tech and the potential growth of InMobi, I was drawn to the opportunity to contribute to InMobi’s success and take on new challenges.

What are the roles and responsibilities that come with your current role?

InMobi being in its growing phase in South Korea, we have a small team here. This gives me the opportunity to take on responsibilities that go beyond my job title and contribute towards the organization’s growth in the region in a broader capacity. As a customer success manager, my primary responsibility is to ensure that our existing publishers, specifically in South Korea, optimize their monetization. I also actively seek out new publishers as part of my business development duties.

What got you excited about the prospect of joining InMobi?

In my initial conversations, two things stood out to me and ultimately became the reason that I wanted to be a part of InMobi – the people and the level of responsibilities InMobi offered. During the interview process, I was impressed by the friendliness of the InMobians who I was supposed to work with. The emphasis on personality and cultural fit as key factors in the hiring process caught my attention. Additionally, the high level of responsibilities that InMobi was ready to entrust me with was appealing and I consider it to be one of the most important aspects of my decision to join the company.

Tell us about your recruitment journey and experience

My recruitment experience with the company was truly exceptional and one of the best I have had so far. Throughout the journey, the interviewers went to great lengths to ensure that I felt comfortable and that the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. I was struck by how the interview felt more like a conversation with friends than a formal process.
I was also impressed by InMobi's commitment to conducting a fair and transparent recruitment process. At no point did I feel that I was being offered anything less than what I deserved. Moreover, the recruiter offered me the opportunity to have additional meetings with any of the interviewers, which demonstrated their willingness to provide a comprehensive evaluation of my candidacy. This extra effort on their part made me feel valued as a potential employee and further cemented my positive impression of the company.

Overall, my recruitment journey with InMobi was a very positive experience that left a lasting impression on me.

What do you enjoy most about working at InMobi?

One of the things I enjoy most about working at InMobi is the company culture of encouraging experimentation and embracing new ideas. My manager has always been supportive and has never placed any limitations on my capabilities. This has allowed me to try out new strategies and ideas while working with a great degree of freedom and autonomy.

Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring InMobians?

I would say, embrace change and approach it as an opportunity for growth and development. Working with a global team that is spread across regions and is in its nascent stage in South Korea will come with certain challenges. Still, with the right mindset, any challenge can become an opportunity to excel and achieve success.

What are some things you enjoy in your life outside of work?

Outside of work, I lead a dynamic and active lifestyle. I have a deep passion for sports and that has been an integral part of my life since my teenage years. Archery, rugby, and ice hockey are my particular favorites.

To work with professionals like Lee Minseong and join our team in Asia Pacific, explore opportunities on our careers page.

During Cannes Lions, Adweek sat down with Sari Feinberg, Senior Vice President of Creative Partnerships at NBCUniversal Media and Abhay Singhal, Co-Founder at InMobi Group and CEO of InMobi Advertising Platform to explore how networks and marketing executives are leveraging technology and social platforms to elevate their business verticals in the evolving entertainment media industry.

Watch now: 

Among many topics, panelists discussed the shifting paradigms of mobile app performance, Apple Search Ads (ASA) campaign strategies, and the need for a more granular approach. In addition to:

Embracing and Exploring New Channels:

• Privacy concerns have prompted users to explore alternative channels such as on-device media, CTV, and in-game ads, providing an opportunity for marketers to shift their focus from traditional advertising platforms.
• Being creative on various channels and leveraging keyword tools can help advertisers stand out in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
• Custom product pages and navigating through user personas are effective strategies for reaching target audiences and improving engagement.

Addressing Challenges and Adapting to Privacy Changes:

• Collaborative efforts between cross-functional teams are vital to navigating the challenges presented by privacy changes like Apple's AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) and the SKAdNetwork (SKAN).
• Advertisers need to adopt a more granular and testing-oriented approach, frequently exploring and adapting new strategies to align with evolving privacy guidelines.
• Advertisers need more education on how leveraging SKAN and preparing for Privacy Sandbox can help them embrace privacy changes head-on and identify innovative solutions.

Harnessing the Power of AI and Generative Technology:

• Marketers need to leverage Generative AI in innovative ways, such as using AI-generated audio in banner ads or incorporating AI for video and image generation in gaming.
• AI can assist in finding relevant data and uncovering insights that may have been overlooked, enabling marketers to innovate and deliver more impactful campaigns than ever before.
• Exploring innovative formats and leveraging generative AI can lead to fresh and engaging advertising experiences that capture the attention of users.

In conclusion, the panel discussion highlighted the need for marketers to transform challenges into opportunities by embracing creativity, adapting to privacy changes, and harnessing the power of AI. By exploring new channels, collaborating across teams, and leveraging emerging technologies, advertisers can gain a competitive edge in today's evolving digital landscape. The key takeaway is to remain adaptable and forward-thinking, seizing the possibilities presented by changing consumer behavior and industry trends.

If you want to listen to the full session: 

Click Here

Our industry’s ability to connect brands with consumers has never been more challenged as we face the positive and negative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) combined with the ongoing deprecation of mobile Ad IDs (MAIDs) and the imminent demise of cookies.  

The rapid rise and increasing adoption of AI brings an entirely new level of uncertainty by offering efficiencies that insert yet another artificial wedge between how brands and app developers alike connect and engage with their target consumers. 

Through it all, can people-first approaches to addressability and attention metrics serve as antidotes to our looming industry conundrum? And how will AI complicate this delicate balance of people and machines?  

In this Cannes Lions panel, thought leaders from leading agencies, data, and technology partners came together to share the latest developments that are changing the way we plan, buy, and measure media: 

• Artificial Intelligence: How can advertisers effectively marry predictive analytics and generative AI to optimize programmatic and creative? How is AI going to impact addressability and brand safety concerns? 
• Attention Metrics: What do advertisers and app developers need to know as we migrate to this new system of measurement to align with real people and real results? 
• Addressability: What role can addressability play not just in an identifier-free future but one in which AI will enable widespread automation? 

This panel explored the shared mission to create the most addressable, people-first media marketplace possible. 

Watch now: 

Another Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is in the books, and this year’s global event brought several key indicators that the privacy-first era of app performance marketing is fully upon us. In its “Platform State of the Union” address on Monday, June 5, Apple previewed two key upcoming changes that app growth marketers and their partners need to prepare for in the coming months:

The End of Fingerprinting is no Longer a Probability, it’s a Certainty

Ever since AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) was revealed back in 2020, all corners of the app performance ecosystem have wondered how long fingerprinting would last in this new privacy-first world. Now the wondering is over with the announcement of Privacy Manifests and Required Reason APIs set to go into effect in spring ’24, effectively ending the reign of fingerprinting as a viable workaround to leveraging Apple’s privacy-preserving attribution framework, SKAdNetwork (SKAN). 

Privacy Manifests

As a companion designed to aid app developers when populating the Privacy Nutrition Labels required on their App Store product pages, each third-party SDK soon must submit their own Privacy Manifest that declares:

1. Any user data accessed
2. The specific purpose for which this data is used

Each Privacy Manifest must include the unique digital signature of the third-party SDK developer to ensure supply chain integrity. The driving rationale behind this new feature is that Apple has found that while some user data made available through API connections serves valuable purposes from a user experience aspect, there is also inherent potential for this data access to be misused for the purposes of fingerprinting. 

Required Reason APIs & Points of Interest Instrument

Going forward, APIs with high potential for fingerprinting misuse will be categorized as “Required Reason APIs,” which can only be accessed if an allowable use case is declared within a SDK’s Privacy Manifest. To further assist app developers in identifying potential violations of ATT and fingerprinting policies across their partner ecosystem, XCode 15’s Points of Interest Instrument will surface instances when a third-party domain is suspected of tracking users across apps or sites without their permission. 

Later this summer, Apple will clarify the allowable use cases for each type of user data accessible via its Required Reason APIs, and it will also publish a list of privacy-impacting third-party SDKs that present an elevated risk of violating user privacy preferences. As an additional step, Privacy-Impacting SDKs will be required to include a full copy of their code alongside each Privacy Manifest submission. In the fall, Apple will begin alerting app developers if a third-party SDK does not submit a properly documented Privacy Manifest with allowable use cases for accessing Required Reason APIs, which will become a requirement of the formal app review process starting in spring ’24. 

SKAN Continues its Steady Cadence of Improvements with Support for Re-engagement

Apple continued its investment in making SKAN a workable solution for performance marketers by revealing that SKAN 5 is coming later this year, which will notably include support for measuring conversion events driven by re-engaging existing users. Re-engagement events will be captured when a user who has already installed an advertiser’s app clicks on an ad to open it. Additional details on SKAN 5 will come later this year, and while it’s anticipated that most other SKAN features will stay relatively constant, the encouraging news of support for re-engagement begins to address one of the biggest remaining gaps in SKAN. 

The Full Force of ATT is About to Make Impact

While ATT has felt like an earthquake with cascading aftershocks from the start, it’s about to trigger a tsunami. Probabilistic attribution has been able to flourish as a workaround up until this point, but with Privacy Manifests set to bring this option to an end in early 2024, not to mention the steady progress of Android Privacy Sandbox, the entire app performance advertising landscape is set to be irrevocably reshaped next year with user-level identifiers being wiped from the map. 

Apple’s enforcement of its developer policies prohibiting fingerprinting, which includes probabilistic attribution, is no longer an expectation but a reality. With Privacy Manifests and the XCode 15 Points of Interest Instrument, Apple is equipping app developers with tools that give visibility into how their third-party partners are leveraging user data as well as potentially tracking them across other apps or sites without their consent. Armed with this knowledge, app developers will be held accountable by Apple for ensuring that any third-party SDKs they work with must comply with ATT and developer policies prohibiting fingerprinting as part of the formal app review process starting in Spring ’24. 

What These Changes Mean for Advertisers

Advertisers who have been leveraging probabilistic attribution need to set plans in motion to adopt SKAN, Apple’s only sanctioned method for attributing campaign performance in a privacy-first world, as soon as possible. They should also start collaborating with all the third-party SDKs their apps leverage to validate that user data is only accessed for allowable reasons and ensure compliance with ATT throughout their full supply chain.

There’s Never Been a More Critical Time to Make SKAN a Priority

The introduction of SKAN 4 in 2022 came with a host of notable improvements we covered in an earlier post, and though still early, adoption has been rapidly accelerating as 2023 progresses.  App performance marketers who have already been adapting their strategies by embracing SKAN are in a great position to thrive amidst the latest changes on the horizon. For app marketers who haven’t been as aggressive with their transition plans, there’s a wealth of learnings and resources available from partners like InMobi to help make their journey as frictionless as possible. Our SKAN resource library is a great place to start. Here are a few highlights:

• Essential SKAN 4.0 Playbook: A starting point for advertisers who are just beginning to plan SKAN 4.0 adoption
• SKAN 4.0 Checklist: A quick checklist to make sure you have a complete SKAN 4.0 setup ready to go
• Ultimate Guide to SKAN: A comprehensive deeper-dive guide on all the critical SKAN features and concepts

We’ll be keeping a close eye out for more news later this year on the additional improvements SKAN 5 brings to the table. The announced support for capturing re-engagement conversion events with existing users in SKAN 5 addresses one of the most pervasive pain points of the framework by delineating conversion events driven by existing users from those of new installs, making it a more viable solution than ever for understanding campaign performance and driving app growth across the full customer journey while respecting user privacy. 

Whether just starting your SKAN journey, or looking to build on successes you’ve already realized, the team at InMobi is here to help. You can reach our SKAN experts at performance[at]inmobi.com.

Walk us through your journey at InMobi

I started my journey with InMobi over six years ago, when an ex-colleague from my previous company introduced me to the organization and the role. I joined the team as the Head of Business Development – Gaming for regions covering the Americas and Europe. Having been on the supply side of the ad tech ecosystem since 2011, I had some great partnerships in North America and Europe which came in handy for my new role here. But after spending a considerable time at InMobi, the world started opening up and I discovered that there were untapped publisher partners scattered across the globe and we at InMobi had resources and solutions to cater to them in all those markets as well.

That is when I realized there was much more out there for me to pursue and decided to work on this with the leadership team. Had the appropriate discussions and created a truly global role for myself. In 2020, I stepped up as the Global Head of Business Development for Gaming. This was a very special movement for me since it was a role that was created out of my initiative to take the gaming business to more international markets.

What do you enjoy the most about working at InMobi?

I truly enjoy working with the bright minds we have on the team and the diversity they bring to the culture. InMobi has allowed me to build and grow my team autonomously, and now have a wide range of colleagues and partners I interact with daily. Also, the trust that the leadership has put in me and my knowledge of the mobile gaming industry and trends, makes work super smooth and a delightful experience.

Your proudest accomplishment at InMobi so far?

I am very proud of how I have been able to build my international team. Spread across seven different countries, we all work together as one. Building meaningful relationships and seeing them grow progressively in their professional as well as personal space feels great. At the same time, I am also extremely proud of the contribution we make towards InMobi’s growing revenues. There have been times when over 60% of the daily revenue burn has come from the app developers and publishers that have been brought on by my team.

Which InMobi value do you resonate the most with?

“Thinking big and being entrepreneurial” has been a fundamental InMobi value throughout my journey.  Whether it is expanding from just several territories that I started with to now having expanded it on a global level, to identifying new key markets and developing plans on how to approach them – all of these have stemmed from that very value.

What is it like heading a global team?

Working across time zones is always a challenge, but it is a challenge that I enjoy. It is fun to experience different cultures, especially when traveling – something I truly enjoy. The rewarding aspect is getting to meet the team and our partners face to face, and building a relationship and network which is not constrained in any manner.

A piece of advice for anyone looking to join your team

Firstly, you have got to be willing to make new, meaningful relationships that will last a long time. Secondly, since it is the gaming team we are talking about, it is always an added advantage if you are passionate about mobile games and play them yourself.

Watch the video to find out all that Jobie has to say about his growth journey at InMobi.

To work with leaders like Jobie and join the global gaming team at InMobi, explore opportunities on our careers page.

What are the key responsibilities that come with your current role?

As the lead sales manager, my primary responsibility is enhancing sales within our client base by creating and selling efficient mobile advertising and platform solutions to crucial agencies and advertisers. My current focus is developing new relationships and sales pipelines with major Japanese agencies and advertisers. Additionally, I am actively involved in regional service development initiatives, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless execution.

The path that led you to InMobi

I have over 15 years of experience in Japan's digital marketing and advertising industry, having worked extensively in various domains such as advertising agencies, mobile service development, and SSP/Exchange businesses. My diverse experience ranges from sales to business development and management, giving me both a deep and broad understanding of the industry. I believe my expertise and knowledge will be a valuable asset to the company, and I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to its success.

What made you want to join InMobi?

Japan’s ad tech industry is highly competitive and aggressive. This is the reason why several foreign companies that tapped into the market were quick to exit and the leading players are engaged in fierce competition.

However, despite this challenging environment, InMobi has decided to increase its investment in the Japanese market. As a result, the company was ready to enter the start-up phase again with an aim to rapidly grow after almost ten years. Despite being a world-renowned platform, InMobi lacks the relative name recognition advantage in Japan, making it an exciting challenge to be at the forefront of market development as a challenger.

The opportunity to join an established company during its nascent stage in the Japanese market got me particularly excited. This has also led me to test the value of my abilities and mobilize all of my experience and the value that I bring to the table.

Tell us about your hiring journey and experience

Before my interview with InMobi Japan, I had the good fortune of establishing professional relationships with the company's Japanese team members and some of its Asia Pacific-based executives. As a result, the interview process was mainly focused on discussing the Japanese market, where all my inquiries were responded to with kindness and respect.

I was also granted the privilege of meeting some of my prospective colleagues, which was a delightful experience. Before joining the team, this opportunity enabled me to understand the company, its business objectives, and its culture.  Overall, it was a valuable experience that allowed me to confidently and wholeheartedly commit to InMobi as a part of its Japan team.

What do you enjoy most about working at InMobi?

It has been pleasant to see everything unfolding exactly as I had hoped. In addition, being at the forefront of our company's rapid growth is an exhilarating experience. Working with a global team and leaders that understand and acknowledge the challenges in the Japanese market and their commitment to developing services that address them as a top priority is highly encouraging and enjoyable. This kind of dedication and organization gives me great faith in our ability to meet the evolving needs of our clients and drive even greater success for the company. I am simply thrilled to have joined the InMobi team in Japan and to be able to contribute to its growth and success.

Tips or advice for aspiring InMobians

InMobi in Japan is currently experiencing dynamic growth, making it an exciting opportunity for individuals seeking to challenge themselves and contribute towards an ambitious vision.  Furthermore, working at InMobi will allow you to collaborate with skilled professionals worldwide, gaining access to leading-edge knowledge and expertise in mobile advertising. One remarkable aspect is the ease with which cross-regional and cross-departmental collaboration occurs, despite the company's global scale. 

Lastly, tell us a bit about your life outside of work

While working out at the gym and reading books are regular hobbies of mine. My biggest source of joy is spending time with my daughter and wife every weekend and exploring new places together. Lately, my daughter has developed a keen interest in hot springs, prompting us to visit various ones throughout Japan.

To work with professionals like Yusuke and join our team in Japan, explore opportunities on our careers website.

How is CPA different than the recent U.S Privacy Law?  

The Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) is very similar to the VCDPA and CPRA. However, there are some differences that you need to be aware of if you have users located in these three states. The key distinction is around the fact that CPA requires a “user-selected universal opt-out mechanism” for the purposes of targeted advertising or the sale of personal data. 

Here’s a high-level summary for you: 

What do app developers need to do to become compliant with CPA? 

By July 1, 2023, app developers and publishers will need to:    

• Implement adequate data security safeguards
• Inform their consumers located in Colorado of their rights through a reasonably accessible and clear privacy policy which explains collection and use of data
• Update their contracts with third parties to ensure that they comply with the laws
• Acquire consent to process sensitive personal data, and acquire consent from parent or lawful guardian before obtaining children's personal data  
• Only share valid consented data with ad partners
• Provide a clear link to users to opt-out of processing of personal data for the purposes of targeted advertising, sale, or profiling
• Given the above, rely on a mechanism to honour consumer requests
• Establish a user-selected universal opt-out mechanism by July 1, 2024

How is InMobi preparing? 

We have made server-side changes to the do_not_sell flags from our publisher customers so they can inform us when a user opts out of targeted advertising, sale, or profiling. The same is applicable to our mediation partners and supported header bidding solutions. This means that publishers will be able to send us an opt-out flag at the request level.  

Publishers will be provided with all applicable DSRs (Data Subject Rights) i.e., Right to Delete, etc., through our updated DSR Management process. All publishers will soon be notified of this updated DSR Management process. 

For more information or support, please contact your Customer Success Manager or pmm-ssp@inmobi.com. 

MENA Smarties honors the most effective modern marketing across MENA as part of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) Smarties, an esteemed innovation award recognizing leaders, brands, agencies, and tech providers that use technology to pioneer new approaches in modern marketing to drive strong business impacts. 

stc pay and Unilever were among the winning campaigns, in collaboration with InMobi’s platform. InMobi won awards and made the shortlist in the following campaign categories:

Wins

Experimental/Innovation Technology: Put your money where your mouth is: Closeup with innovative voice recognition ad unit to promote new toothpaste range – GOLD   

Lead Generation: stc pay user acquisition campaign yields staggering app usage, retention and transaction rates - GOLD  

Instant Impact: InMobi Helps McDonald’s Achieve Over 12x Engagement Rate Above Benchmark – SILVER  

Partnerships Marketing: stc pay user acquisition campaign yields staggering app usage, retention and transaction rates – SILVER  

Customer Life-Cycle Marketing: stc pay user acquisition campaign yields staggering app usage, retention and transaction rates – SILVER  

Geo Targeting: Marriott leverages programmatic and location technology to find affluent and expat MasterCard customers in competitive market – BRONZE 

Shortlists

Instant Impact: Awareness to conversion: du connects roaming business travelers with sophisticated summer campaign 

Partnerships Marketing: Marriott leverages programmatic and location technology to find affluent and expat MasterCard customers in competitive market 

Cross Platform – Digital Only: InMobi Helps McDonald’s Achieve Over 12x Engagement Rate Above Benchmark 

Gaming, Gamification & E-Sports: “Yalla Shoot!” - Asiacell scores a golden goal for brand awareness and app engagement with World Cup gaming app 

Programmatic: Marriott leverages programmatic and location technology to find affluent and expat MasterCard customers in competitive market 

XR Technology – (AR/VR/MR): Salam dials in extraordinary 23x global engagement benchmark through Rich Media innovation 

Customer Experience: InMobi Helps McDonald’s Achieve Over 12x Engagement Rate Above Benchmark 

Learn More

To learn more about these case studies and understand how InMobi can help drive diverse business goals, from branding to performance growth, visit our Case Studies page today. 

Visit Now

Tell us about your role and team at InMobi

I lead product marketing for the brand proposition globally. My role is to connect all the products under the InMobi Exchange suite into a single, unified proposition and go-to-market plan. One of the biggest challenges that advertisers face is managing so many ad tech partners/vendors and extracting meaningful insights to influence campaigns. Advertisers can harness our sophisticated solutions for all their mobile needs. It’s exciting to see the power of products coming together to advise an advertiser on their strategy and creative execution. The primary responsibility of the role entails bringing together our brand narrative into a cohesive voice and bold direction across all our products and it’s been a rewarding challenge to take on.

What made you want to join InMobi?

Ad tech is undergoing a profound shift with the loss of mobile identifiers and cookies. It’s an opportunity for the industry to reinvent itself and create better models for advertising, audiences, and ultimately better experiences for consumers. And mobile is at the heart of that. Using your phone is the most intimate and emotional experience compared to any other media channel. It’s the first thing we check when we wake up, carry everywhere with us, use for shopping, and where we spend most of our time. The unique position that InMobi holds with all things mobile in the ad tech industry, drew me to the company.

During the interview process, everyone I spoke to at InMobi seemed very positive, genuine, and excited about their work. InMobi is a creative environment where there’s plenty of opportunity to lean into new projects, which ultimately leads to better inclusivity and career growth. That sealed the deal for me.

What do you enjoy most about your current role?

At InMobi, I love the fast-paced, entrepreneurial spirit. It’s exhilarating to know you are making an impact – whether it’s influencing our product roadmap or taking on new product initiatives, InMobi has a culture of constant innovation.

I believe 2023 will be a breakthrough year for ad tech. Mobile continues to see strong momentum, and InMobi is one of the pioneers in the mobile space. I am excited to work on InMobi’s brand evolution and new releases.  I have always enjoyed working closely with the product to see exciting new releases come alive, from the initial idea, roadmap milestones, proof-of-concept, and finally to product conception and launch. I look forward to partnering with our sales teams to win big logos.

How would you describe working with the InMobi Exchange team?

I am impressed with the smart and talented coworkers on the InMobi Exchange team. We are a global team and I am enjoying working with people from different backgrounds and diverse industry perspectives. The team has a collaborative dynamic and I am looking forward to seeing it evolve and accomplish all the great things we can do together. I appreciate the relationship-oriented culture; it really does feel like an extended family. InMobi has strong team dynamics and interpersonal relationships, more so than any other place I have worked at. People get to know each other beyond a professional level, and on a personal basis. They truly care about each other’s well-being and success. Everyone is so welcoming and inclusive at InMobi and we truly care about each other’s well-being and success. 

A bit about your life outside work

Originally from Seattle, US, I have lived in New York City for nearly nine years now. I often think how lucky I am to be in such an incredible place with so many amazing cultural opportunities, diversity, and beauty – right within the city. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, trying local cuisines, visiting art museums, and practicing yoga and Pilates on the weekends. Some of my favorite recent travels include Iceland for its natural beauty, as well as Malta for its unique history and architecture.

A piece of leadership advice that has stuck with you

Over the years I have received a lot of good advice. But perhaps the single most important piece of advice I have ever received would be – Continue to challenge yourself and surround yourself with the type of leaders you would like to become. Remember to pay it forward, encourage younger employees, and recognize others for their accomplishments.

To work with leaders like Genevieve and join the InMobi Exchange team, explore opportunities on our careers website.

Retention rates refer to the percentage of users who continue to use an app or game over a specified period of time. It’s a key metric that indicates the ability of the app to retain and engage users, and it’s a highly effective way to track user engagement and estimate revenue potential and cost-effectiveness. 

Higher retention rates indicate that users find value and satisfaction in the app or game, leading to longer-term usage and a stronger user base. By focusing on retaining users, developers can build lasting products and establish a stronger position in the competitive app market. 

Why are retention rates so important 

Retaining users is key to understanding how engaged and satisfied they are with your app or game and the likelihood that they will continue to engage with it over time. This engagement can lead to word-of-mouth referrals and positive reviews, which can contribute to an app's success. 

The many other ways that retention rates help app developers include: 

• Monetization: Retention directly impacts the revenue potential of an app or game. Longer retention rates mean users are more likely to make in-app purchases, upgrade to premium versions, or engage with advertising. By retaining users, app and game developers have a better chance of generating sustainable revenue streams. 
• User Acquisition Cost: Acquiring new users can be expensive, especially in a competitive market. Higher retention rates reduce the need for constant user acquisition efforts. Instead of focusing solely on acquiring new users, developers can prioritize retaining existing users, which can be more cost-effective in the long run. 
• Iterative Improvements: Retention rates provide valuable feedback for developers to improve their products. By analyzing user behavior and identifying points of drop-off or dissatisfaction, developers can make informed decisions about updates, feature enhancements, bug fixes, and overall user experience improvements. This iterative process helps in creating a more compelling and engaging app or game that aligns with user preferences and needs. 

How do you calculate retention rates? 

To calculate retention rates for app and game developers, you need to follow these five steps: 

1. Decide on the time interval for which you want to calculate the retention rate, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or any other specific duration. 
2. Select the cohort of users you want to analyze. This could be the users who installed the app or game within a specific time frame, for example, or all users who installed in a particular month. 
3. Define the duration for which you want to measure retention within the selected cohort. For example, if you choose to measure monthly retention, you could track how many users from the initial cohort continue to use the app or game in the following months. 
4. To calculate the retention rate, you need the number of users who remain active within the specified retention period and the total number of users in the initial cohort.  
5. If you want to track retention rates over multiple periods, repeat the calculation for each subsequent period within the desired timeframe. 

How do you measure retention rates? 

Retention rates are typically measured over specific time intervals and determine the percentage of users who continue to use the app or game within a month of their initial installation. Retention rate can be calculated using the following formula: 

• Retention Rate = (Number of retained users / Number of total users) * 100 
• For instance, if an app has 1,000 users at the beginning of the month and 700 of them continue to use the app by the end of the month, the retention rate would be 70% for that month. 

What are basic retention rate benchmarks? 
Retention rate benchmarks can vary depending on factors such as the industry, app category, target audience, and geographical region. However, here are some general benchmarks that can serve as a reference: 

• Day 1 Retention: This measures the percentage of users who return to the app or game on the day after they first install it. A strong benchmark for day 1 retention is typically around 40% to 60%. 
• Day 7 Retention: This measures the percentage of users who continue to use the app or game seven days after installation. A benchmark for day 7 retention can range from 20% to 40%. 
• Month 1 Retention: This measures the percentage of users who remain active in the app or game for the first month after installation. A benchmark for month 1 retention can vary between 10% and 30%. 
• Year 1 Retention: This measures the percentage of users who continue using the app or game one year after installation. A benchmark for year 1 retention can range from 5% to 15%. 

To assess the performance of an app or game, compare retention rates against these benchmarks, analyze trends over time, and also consider industry-specific or competitive benchmarks. This allows developers to understand their users' engagement levels, identify areas for improvement, and set realistic goals for retention optimization. 

Retaining users is the name of the game 

Building a loyal and dedicated user base is essential for the long-term success of an app or game. High retention rates contribute to user loyalty and satisfaction, resulting in longer user lifecycles and increased user lifetime value. This can lead to sustained revenue, brand recognition, and even potential opportunities for sequels, expansions, or future projects.  

Different industries or app categories may have different retention expectations. Additionally, factors such as app quality, user engagement, marketing efforts, and monetization strategies can all influence retention rates. 

This blog post was written in partnership with ChatGPT. To learn more about how InMobi can help elevate your mobile marketing approach, please contact us at Hello@InMobi.com. 

Tell us about your role

I have joined InMobi as a Senior HR Business Partner, and my role involves supporting various divisions of our business in North America, including Sales, Commerce, and Marketing.

Can you tell us about your professional journey before joining InMobi?

It has been a long and fantastic journey of over 17 years now. I started my professional journey in New York City as an HR coordinator and then went on to become a recruiter. I also worked in the rewards and benefits space for some time before eventually moving on to an HR Business Partner role. I have worked in various industries during that time, including finance, defense, publishing, and now the ad tech industry as I joined InMobi.

What made you want to join the organization? 

When I was first reached out to by one of the recruiters at InMobi, I wasn’t really in the market looking for any opportunities. In fact, I had taken up a personal project in Michigan and was completely focused on that. When I learned more about InMobi during the initial conversations I had, the one thing that stood out to me the most was the sense of belonging. It was a common thread and reflected in all the interactions I had. Everyone radiated a very warm and welcoming vibe, which was very different from any other organization I had worked with, and that is what I would say made me want to join InMobi.

How would you describe the people philosophy at InMobi?

Adding on to what I said earlier about the sense of belonging and warmth I felt during my interview process, and having now experienced that being a part of InMobi, I can confidently say that it is an extension of our people philosophy. I have been a part of many companies – big and small. The way InMobi treats its people is truly unique to the organization. Identifying and acknowledging the different circumstances and needs of each individual, even during extremely critical times, is what makes a difference. We are trusted to be human and compassionate because each situation is different and that is just an incredible thing to be a part of.

What do you find the most rewarding part about your work?

Being able to share the different experiences that I come with while adding value and contributing toward growing InMobi’s footprint and navigating our way around the North American market. Contributing to the different processes, which could include mitigating our legal risks or simply engaging in conversations with the leaders and sharing employment best practices. Driving business initiatives that are necessary for becoming an effective and efficient organization with engaged employees. These are the things that make me feel I am adding value and make my work at InMobi rewarding.

Also, being a part of an organization like InMobi itself is rewarding. As someone who joined recently, I get to learn something new, exciting, and inspiring about InMobi with each passing day – whether it’s something that we did in the past, are currently doing, or something that we are innovating for the future. Learning and understanding the impact that our products have in the global markets is rewarding to be associated with.

Tell us about your life outside of work

I am currently in the process of renovating a property which is also the personal project I mentioned I was working on before joining InMobi. I love building things and I always wanted to build a house from scratch. While this one is not from scratch, it is equally exciting. I left my previous role and started traveling for a while. I had this property that I wanted to start working on and decided now was the time. It is so gratifying and rewarding to see all my crazy ideas come to life and see the transformation from what it was to what it is now. I have spent so much time and effort on the project that I can probably do it as a professional now, outside of HR.

To join InMobi's North America team, explore opportunities at our careers website.

In other words, this is the projected value an app developer can anticipate from their users so they can optimize strategies to maximize revenue and profitability.  

Mobile app developers are always looking for ways to maximize the value of their users, and LTV is a critical metric for app developers to monitor so they can make informed decisions about marketing, advertising, and product development. 

By measuring the LTV of different user segments, developers can identify their most valuable users and optimize user acquisition, retention, and monetization strategies around those projections to extend that value even further. 

Why is LTV so important for game developers? 

LTV is a crucial metric for game developers because it provides insights into the value of a user over their lifetime engagement with a game. Unlike one-time purchase apps or non-gaming apps, gaming apps rely heavily on user engagement and retention. Users who engage with a game regularly over an extended period of time are more valuable than those who play the game once and never return. 

Game developers use LTV to calculate the revenue that a user generates over their lifetime engagement with the game. By measuring the LTV of different user segments, game developers can identify their most valuable users and adjust their strategies accordingly to maximize revenue. 

For example, by analyzing user behavior data, a game developer may identify a user segment that generates high LTV through in-app purchases. They can then optimize their user acquisition strategy by specifically targeting users who are more likely to make in-app purchases. 

LTV is also important for retention strategies. If a game developer understands which users are generating the highest LTV, they can focus on retaining those users by providing targeted incentives and rewards. This helps to keep high-value users engaged with the game for longer, leading to higher LTV and revenue for the developer. 

Moreover, LTV helps game developers to optimize advertising campaigns. If a game developer knows which channels are generating high LTV users, they can allocate more resources to those channels to attract similar high-value users. By targeting users who have the potential to generate high LTV, game developers can increase their return on investment (ROI) and profitability. 

In summary, LTV is crucial for game developers because it helps them to identify their most valuable users, optimize user acquisition and retention strategies, and maximize revenue and profitability. Game developers who understand the importance of LTV and use it to inform their decisions are more likely to succeed in the highly competitive mobile gaming market. 

Why is LTV so important for non-game developers? 

LTV is important for non-game app developers because it helps them understand the value that users bring to their app over time. Non-game apps, like gaming apps, rely on user engagement and retention to generate revenue. By measuring the LTV of different user segments, non-game app developers can identify their most valuable users and adjust their strategies to increase revenue and profitability. 

LTV is particularly important for subscription-based apps, where users pay a recurring fee to access premium content or services. In this case, the LTV is the total revenue that a user generates through their subscription. Non-game app developers can use LTV to optimize their subscription models and pricing strategies. For example, if a developer knows that users who subscribe for a longer period of time generate higher LTV, they may offer incentives to encourage users to commit to longer subscriptions. 

Non-game app developers can also use LTV to optimize their user acquisition and retention strategies. By understanding which user segments generate the highest LTV, developers can focus their resources on acquiring and retaining these high-value users. For example, a non-game app developer may find that users who complete a tutorial or onboarding process have a higher LTV. In this case, the developer may optimize their onboarding process to encourage more users to complete it. 

LTV also helps non-game app developers to optimize their advertising campaigns. By understanding which channels are generating high LTV users, developers can allocate more resources to those channels to attract similar high-value users. This helps to increase the ROI of advertising campaigns and generate more revenue from the app. 

In conclusion, LTV is crucial for non-game app developers because it helps them understand the value that users bring to their app over time. By measuring the LTV of different user segments, developers can identify their most valuable users, optimize their subscription models and pricing strategies, and focus their resources on acquiring and retaining high-value users. This helps to increase revenue and profitability for the app. 

A Few LTV Pointers 

LTV can be leveraged to drive growth and profitability for both game and non-game app developers: 

• LTV Marketing: This calculation is crucial in determining the success of a marketing campaign. If the cost of acquiring a user is higher than their LTV, then the campaign is not profitable. On the other hand, if the cost of acquisition is lower than the LTV, then the campaign is profitable. By measuring the LTV of different user segments, marketers can optimize their campaigns to focus on the segments that generate the highest LTV. 
• LTV Advertising: LTV is also important for advertising because it helps advertisers determine the best channels to reach their target audience. By calculating the LTV of different user segments, advertisers can identify the channels that generate the highest LTV users. This information can be used to optimize advertising campaigns and allocate resources to the channels that generate the highest ROI. For example, if a particular channel is generating users with a high LTV, then an advertiser may choose to invest more in that channel to acquire more high-value users. 
• LTV Predictions: LTV predictions can be a valuable tool for app developers. By analyzing user behavior data, developers can predict the LTV of new users before they even download the app. This information can be used to optimize user acquisition and retention strategies. For example, if a developer predicts that a particular user segment has a high LTV, they may choose to invest more in acquiring users from that segment. 

Driving Growth and Profitability 

LTV is an essential metric for mobile app developers, both game and non-game. By measuring the LTV of different user segments, developers can optimize their user acquisition and retention strategies, marketing campaigns, advertising efforts, and product development decisions. LTV predictions can also be a valuable tool for predicting user behavior and optimizing user acquisition and retention strategies. By understanding the concept of LTV and its importance in the mobile app industry, developers can drive growth and profitability for their apps. 

This blog post was written in partnership with ChatGPT. 

Tell us about your role at InMobi

My role at InMobi as a Staff Engineer II is two dimensional where I primarily work with the supply side platform (SSP) team along with the Centre of Excellence team in some capacity. The role mostly comprises business-as-usual tasks and taking care of projects with a short-term lens in line with what we have coming up in the next 6 to 12 months.

Can you tell us a bit about your professional journey?

It has been a long journey of 17 years of me being in the industry, having worked with multiple organizations under multiple domains. Before joining InMobi, I worked in industries such as enterprise software, B2C e-commerce, payment security, and identity management among others. I started my professional career with Infosys and moved to work with organizations like SAP, Oracle, Walmart, and most recently VMware.

What led you to InMobi?

I would say my quest for something different is what led me here. Before InMobi, I was working with an enterprise software organization. After having spent two years in the company, there came a point where I started being inclined towards high-scale systems which have a lot of flux as well as challenges. Challenges that keep you up all night to get things up and running. While the chase for adrenaline was one factor, the other factor was the opportunity to step into the ad tech domain which was completely new for me.

I stepped in, looking forward to the opportunity to learn something new from an industry and business perspective. Additionally, the scale at which InMobi had been growing tech was an enticing prospect for me! It’s been close to 1.5 years for me at InMobi and it is still equally exciting and thrilling to be here with a lot to learn along the way.

What makes InMobi different from your previous organizations?

Undoubtedly, it is the culture and the kind of people that you get to work with here at InMobi. It was something I had heard about the company before joining and got a good sense of it throughout my interview process. It all got reinforced when I joined. Back then we were all working remotely and the seamless onboarding made the transition process so smooth and wonderful. I experienced the trust that is shown towards new joiners, and the culture of embracing them and keeping them involved from the get-go. That was the kind of inclusivity that I hadn’t experienced before and I believe, it is very unique to InMobi.

What is it like being a part of the tech team here?

It is like a roller coaster journey comprising an à la carte set of responsibilities. I have been able to contribute to a lot of different projects and get involved in everything new that’s happening. At InMobi, you are trusted to do your best. InMobians get a free hand and execute things with a great degree of freedom, which is what any techie wants.

InMobi is, for the most part, a full stack. You are never really doing just one thing here. Everybody owns a piece of something, whether big or small, with complete freedom, autonomy, and ownership. You are much more than your title here. If you have the zeal to learn and you are open to taking up challenges, you are bound to have the best time at InMobi.

A bit about your life outside of work

I have been settled in Bangalore for many years now, living here with my wife and daughter. I enjoy going for drives, sometimes solo and sometimes with family. That’s something I do to unwind from the fast-paced city life. Other than that, I like to go for runs to keep myself physically active and play some sports like cricket and table tennis whenever I can.

To join InMobi and work with tech leaders like Sudheer, visit our careers website.

In their 2022 annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple announced a new version of SKAdNetwork (4.0), which aims to introduce significant changes for app marketers and ad networks to measure more data on app installs while maintaining user privacy.  After much industry speculation, SKAN 4.0 was released on October 24, 2022 along with iOS 16.1.

What’s new with SKAdNetwork (SKAN) 4.0? 

Designed to answer some of the gaps observed in the previous versions and provide more insights to app advertisers, SKAN 4.0 will introduce 4 key new features. Here’s a summary of what we know: 

Hierarchical source identifiers

The campaign identifier field has been renamed as source identifier and will now include up to four digits in the postback vs two previously to allow advertisers to assign the meaning of the digits in a more flexible way. The number of digits being passed in the postback (2, 3 or 4) will depend on the crowd anonymity, which is a privacy threshold determined through the count of installs in a campaign and is define as low, medium, or high. The higher the count, the higher is the anonymity, and the more data can be sent back.  

Hierarchical conversion values

The conversion value field will now introduce 2 conversion values which will be passed depending on the crowd anonymity:  

• Fine-grained value, the same 6-bit value that is used for conversion values today and will be returned in the postback in case of high privacy threshold level.   
• Coarse-grained, that can be only assume one of three values – low, medium, high and will be returned in the postback in case of medium privacy threshold level. 

Multiple conversion windows 

A much-awaited feature, SKAN 4.0 will now enable app marketers to measure re-engagement through three postbacks, as opposed to only one previously. The postbacks are tied to 3 specific time windows:  

1. 0 – 2 days 
2. 3 – 7 days 
3. 8 – 35 days 

Only the first postback will receive fine-grained conversion values, postbacks 2 and 3 will receive coarse-grained values.  

Web to app attribution

For publishers who have hybrid inventory across app and web environments, the previous SKAN versions were limited to app and were not supporting cross-channel attribution. The new version will now support click attributions for ads shown in Safari that direct the user to an app’s App Store product page. This improvement will be greatly valued on specific app categories, and in some heavy web markets like Australia and Japan where mobile web publishers will now have a chance to participate in the SKAN ecosystem and increase their revenue. 

What are the benefits for publishers? 

Every app developer is also an app marketer. Ultimately SKAdNetwork allows them to measure their return on ad spend and marketing strategies. 

Whilst it can be difficult to measure direct revenue increase linked to SKAN adoption, here’s why app developers should care about adopting SKAN and its latest 4.0 version when it comes to monetizing: 

• Capturing advertising budgets – Some advertisers and demand platforms are only buying on SKAN-enabled inventory, so app developers not supporting SKAN may lose out on the revenue opportunity.  
• Maintaining attribution in a post-ATT world – We observed that opt-in rates have remained stable at 31% in the last few months. This means that 69% of users don’t have an IDFA and it is not possible to enable deterministic attribution on these users. Therefore, it is imperative for app developers to support SKAdNetwork to keep providing value to advertisers through a privacy-safe probabilistic attribution model in a world where mobile identifiers are fading away. 
• Benefit from iOS consumers spend – Whilst the worldwide iOS mobile operating system market share doesn’t dominate, it varies by region and market (57% in the US), but more importantly iOS represents the majority of consumer spend worldwide - $84B vs $48B on Android in 2021. In other terms, iOS users spend more, and advertisers will want to acquire these users. 
• Diversify the ecosystem – In their latest Mobile App Advertising Benchmark Report, Appsumer shared that Apple Search Ads (aka ASA), a user acquisition channel that runs campaigns directly within the App Store, has gained strong momentum on advertiser adoption (YoY 94%) and share of wallet (15%). This further builds on ad spend heading into walled gardens and the high reliance on them - and which specifically impacts the ad revenue growth of small and medium app developers.  

At InMobi, 95% of our app developers' customers had adopted SKAdNetwork 2.2 in Q4 2022. We’re now excited to announce that the InMobi Exchange supports SKAN 4.0 on the latest InMobi iOS SDK - Swift (version 10.5.5) and Objective-C (version SDK 10.1.3).   

To adopt or upgrade to SKAN 4.0, download our latest iOS SDK or adapter and be sure to add all the SKAN IDs to your app’s info.plist.  

2 Fast 2 Soon? 

As of yesterday, April 26, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal, citing concerns that the takeover would prevent necessary and healthy competition in the cloud gaming world.  

With a hefty $69 billion price tag (based on the publisher’s net cash value), the acquisition would have been the largest in history. And while Activision Blizzard is most notably known for big-shot video game franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft in addition to housing all that falls under Xbox, it is more than worth mentioning that this seismic deal also would have given Microsoft clear stakes in the mobile hyper casual gaming space because of Activision Blizzard’s 2016 acquisition of King Games.  

Since the news hit stateside yesterday morning, Activision Blizzard shares have taken a nosedive though we're still waiting to see if this decision will similarly impact Microsoft after a successful earnings call just a day before being dealt this massive blow. 

What We Know Now 

The regulatory ruling came from the U.K.’s CMA. However, according to The New York Times, additional antitrust regulators in the European Union are still reviewing the acquisition and are expected to rule by May 22. Meanwhile, Microsoft has already announced plans to appeal the decision.  

The setback handed to the tech giant from the CMA focused primarily on how the acquisition would undermine competition in the fairly new cloud gaming space. The CMA shared further insight into their ruling in a public Twitter thread, stating, “Cloud gaming needs a free, competitive market to drive innovation and choice. That is best achieved by allowing the current competitive dynamics in cloud gaming to continue to do their job.” In this same thread, the CMA goes on to explain that Microsoft already accounts for an estimated 60-70% of global cloud gaming services.         

This ruling shouldn’t necessarily come as a shock to the tech giant. Just five months ago, the FTC issued a complaint against the to-be merger. And here’s a fun fact: Take-Two Interactive (which succeeded in its own major acquisition deal with Zynga in 2022) is also participating in FTC’s Microsoft-Activision Blizzard case as a non-party. In other words, the publisher has been brought on to provide market insights during proceedings.  

So What Exactly is Cloud Gaming and What Does it Mean for Mobile?

Forecasters estimate that cloud gaming services will reach $13 billion in revenue by 2026. So, let’s break down exactly what cloud gaming is and how it impacts the larger gaming ecosystem and gaming communities for better or for worse, depending on whom you ask.  

Stream to play:

With cloud gaming, users don’t need to purchase a console or install a game on a PC in order to play. All they need is a reliable internet connection. Using remote servers in data centers, cloud gaming allows users to circumnavigate the sometimes hassle of figuring out specs, software updates, or even which consoles to buy to play their favorite games.  

What this means for mobile:

Cloud gaming also means that users don’t need to head to the App and Google Play stores if they’re looking to game via their mobile devices. So, it’s safe to say, that mobile marketers and publishers dependent on app downloads to see revenue will need to pay close attention to what the U.K.’s CMA and other regulatory authorities have to say about the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal’s potential impact on the fast-growing, highly lucrative cloud gaming market in the days, weeks, and months ahead. 

Looking Ahead 

There are two ways to look at yesterday’s news. One can say that this regulatory block on the acquisition deal is a sign that the momentum and fast-paced growth we saw in the gaming industry last year might be slowing down. Then there’s the more optimistic approach: with the Metaverse, Web3, Netflix games, and cloud gaming, the gaming industry is not short on innovation. But these innovations in addition to Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency and SKAdNetwork 4.0, and Google’s upcoming Privacy Sandbox mean that publishers, developers, and advertisers alike are being called on to take a beat and reassess and optimize growth strategies as they find solid ground in the privacy-first world.  

Tell us about your role and responsibilities at InMobi

I am the Country Manager for InMobi in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). My role is primarily strategy and revenue driven and encompasses everything that is drilled drown from a global strategy lens to focus on the Asia Pacific region and all the way down to the ANZ market.

The growth of programmatic across the ad tech ecosystem is a fundamental component of InMobi’s offering. Understanding how to drive incremental revenue from the open exchange and provide solutions for agency trading desks is a key area of focus for myself and my team. While overarching the sales division in ANZ, I also lead the strategy with a yearly and quarterly outlook in terms of driving that revenue. The role also entails lending a hand to the supply team in India, with me providing them with tools and insights of on-the-ground information that helps in better catering to the landscape, and what InMobi as a business needs to grow in the ANZ market.

What led you to a career in ad tech?

Ad tech was a space that I had been curious about while I worked in the media sales industry with some large media companies across Australia. In 2018, I shifted from the media and publishing space and pivoted towards a more futuristic and progressive opportunity for my career. That led me to steer toward digital-first solutions via the ad tech stream and took my first steps in the industry by joining a company called Taboola. That is where I first got an understanding of performance-driven solutions, algorithm models, AI capabilities, real-time biddings, and an overall understanding of the industry. After my stint at Taboola, I joined InMobi.

What made you want to join InMobi?

I had known a couple of people from my career who had joined InMobi. Sometime after the pandemic, I was drawn toward the opportunities in the gaming space and the area of growth it had in the ANZ market. Knowing the InMobi offerings, I was most interested in the future of the organization that has a global presence and is renowned in various markets. I was particularly interested and excited about the kind of growth and evolution the company has had over the last few years.

InMobi having a localized team in ANZ is where I found the opportunity for myself. The organization has a lot to offer and at the same time understands the specific needs of the ANZ market and how it’s different from other global regions is what attracted me the most.

What is the most important leadership quality according to you and how do you try to embody it?

Being in a competitive and dynamic industry like ours, especially in the Australian market, there is always a need to be adaptable and embrace change. Therefore, a leadership quality that I admire and hold on to is embodying transformational leadership that promotes transformational change. Especially in an organization like InMobi, which is consistently evolving in terms of product and structure, it is important to have a mindset of adaptability.

As a leader, I am all about the individuals in my team and enabling them to get the best out of themselves. I am always trying to understand what my teammates are good at, recognizing their opportunity areas, putting faith in them, and creating an environment where it is okay to fail and learn.

What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?

Never give up! That's what I live by in terms of my personal and my professional life. When I say never give up, it is about understanding and knowing that if you see a barrier, there is always a way out. It is about trying to find a new approach or a different outlook to get the results you need where time is just a part of the journey.

It is also about understanding that barriers can appear for anyone, at any role, at any level. Having the mindset of being able to persevere and see the light at the end, no matter how hard or challenging a situation is. Not giving up is definitely a value that I hold deep within me.

A bit about yourself outside of work

I would say that I am a very family-first person. I am a mother of two boys, who keep me busy and on my toes. Both my husband and I are extremely career driven, but we make it a point to strike the right work-life balance. I love all sorts of physical activities and being active. Dancing is a passion that I have been following ever since I was a kid and that is something I think I will always remain passionate about.

To work with leaders like Jaclyn and join our team in ANZ, explore opportunities on our careers website.

Let's look at the advantages of Kotlin and Swift:  

Advantages of Kotlin  

1. Improves productivity for developers by reducing the amount of boilerplate code needed in the app so they can do more with less code.  
2. Improves run-time performance on the app due to less memory inflation and better thread footprints.  
3. Provides better safety for Android apps as the code is 20% less likely to crash, providing a better user experience.  
4. Kotlin Coroutines (a key programming component) dramatically simplifies background task management while the app is running.  

Advantages of Swift 

1. Swift uses Automatic Reference Counting (ARC), a memory management tool, to track the app’s memory, reducing the likelihood of memory leaks and crashes.  
2. Swift is faster than Objective C because of its modern and optimized compiler.  
3. Apple has been investing more in Swift than Objective-C. As a result, new frameworks and APIs are being developed in Swift first.  

Shift to Kotlin and Swift 

We recommend working with your developer teams to migrate your apps to the latest Kotlin and Swift SDKs. We will release our newest monetization and addressability features only on Kotlin and Swift from September 2023 onward. Here’s what you need to do depending on how you are integrated with InMobi:  

• AdMob: Use the latest adapter version 10.5.8.0 for iOS and Android compatible with minimum supported Google Mobile Ads SDK version 10.12.0 on iOS and version 22.4.0 on Android.  

• AppLovin MAX: Use the latest adapter version 10.5.8.1 for iOS and 10.5.9.0 Android compatible with AppLovin SDK version 11.11.3 for iOS and Android.  

• DT Fairbid: Use the latest adapters that support InMobi Swift SDK version 10.5.5 and InMobi Kotlin SDK version 10.5.8. 

• Unity LevelPlay: Use the latest adpaters for UnityLevelPlay iOS SDK Version 7.4.0 that supports InMobi Swift SDK version 10.5.6 and UnityLevelPlay Android SDK version 7.5.1 that supports InMobi Kotlin SDK version 10.5.7. 

• Direct Integration: Download the InMobi SDK 10.5.8+ from the support portal here and follow the migration guides for more details iOS | Android.  

We want to ensure a smooth transition and we’re here to guide you. Please contact your Customer Success Manager or write to support@inmobi.com if you have any questions.  

A Personal Commitment 

Born and raised in Seattle, Wash., sustainability and conservation are in my DNA. The Pacific Northwest (PNW) has always taken the lead in efforts involving sustainability, conservation, and corporate social responsibility (CSR), and many Seattle-based companies still lead the way in CSR, including Microsoft, REI, Starbucks, and so many more.  

My family has a deep history in championing conservation and the environment. My grandfather (Frank Pritchard Jr.) was one of the co-founders of Forterra (formerly the Cascade Land Conservancy), a non-profit that scales land-based solutions to address the climate crisis. Since 1989, Forterra has secured 275k acres in the PNW. My great-uncle (Joel Pritchard), a congressman, spearheaded the Klondike Gold Rush National Park, and he was instrumental in creating the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Back in high school, I even served as president of our Earth Service Corps club, where we led and advised the school on recycling, composting, and local tree plantings. 

Attending yesterday’s Green Media Summit really brought these efforts full circle. I’m happy to see ad tech is moving toward a greener future — and I love combining my personal passion for advertising and sustainability.  

The opening remarks of the Green Media Summit were perhaps the most energizing —calling on the advertising industry to work together toward a common goal of being the first industry to reach net-zero emissions. Sustainability continues to pick up traction very quickly with clients, and the overwhelming mindset is to move with haste. 

Here are some key takeaways from the event: 

Advertising’s Impact

1 million impressions = 1 metric ton of CO2e  

• Also equals the emissions from 1 roundtrip flight from Boston to London per passenger.  
• Also equals fully charging 121,643 smartphones.  
• Also equals the carbon in 2.4 million plastic straws.  

Standardization of Measurement

In early pilots, reducing emissions from campaigns via Supply Path Optimization (SPO) did not impact campaign performance. The more sustainable campaigns with fewer programmatic partners yielded increased ROI. So, it’s good for business, good for employees, and good for the environment.  

There is an urgent need for the industry to align on one way to measure efforts in sustainability, with the same taxonomy and vernacular. This is the time to come together pre-competitively to create a standard for measurement and transparency in the methodology. The U.S. is lagging compared to EMEA in terms of regulations. It’s not about taking shortcuts or implementing quick fixes, this will be a long journey, and it cannot be achieved in siloed efforts.  

Supply Path Optimization (SPO)

There’s still a lot of duplication in the bid stream, which is extremely inefficient and leads to a lot of waste.  

InMobi is integrated directly with publishers via our lightweight SDK, with nearly 95% of our inventory sourced directly to eliminate additional hops in the supply chain and reduce waste. It’s critical for ad tech to reduce duplicative ad requests and make ad requests smaller. If we can all be more transparent, we can begin to operationalize SPO data more collectively and ultimately overcome channel fragmentation.  

For anyone starting to test out a greener ad tech future, I suggest testing and learning. Figure out which partners are adding value and eliminate the partners that are not.  

Greener Buying Mechanics

Brands and agencies want to buy with intention. There’s a need for DSPs to add green filters, including a check box that reads “low carbon.” Some have already implemented this with the option for brands to purchase green or offer renewable energy credits to clients to offset their carbon emissions. Brands want to activate green inventory and green bid segments.  

Thoughtful Product Design 

Sustainability starts at the time of product design. Another critical unlock is designing tech products and solutions in the most sustainable, energy-efficient way. Identify the problem statement, product goals, what needs to change, and where the opportunity is for improvement. 

Internal Promotion 

Departments or regional offices can lead by example. Build momentum internally with a dedicated sustainability team, spotlight during town halls, keep consumers aware of the latest offerings, and communicate sustainable initiatives. It’s important to build a strong community to drive awareness and results.  

Thinking Big  

There’s lots of work ahead, but this is a giant step in the right direction. Let’s think big and make positive strides against climate change. Every action or activity helps. It’s exciting to see sustainability gain so much traction, and it’s time to move aggressively to the next stage. 

InMobi is committed to maintaining as small a carbon footprint as possible and will be sharing the steps we are taking to achieve this in the near future. 

Tell us about your role at InMobi

I head the Centre of Excellence team at InMobi. We are a group of senior architects with a lot of experience in working on diverse technologies and problems. From our charter... “The CoE (Center of Excellence) is a self-directing centralized unit equipped with an arsenal of best practices and tools on a mission to streamline access to high-demand capabilities and ensure rapid execution across business units and platforms, to attain and sustain world-class performance and enterprise value”. The initiatives of our team are spread horizontally and not isolated to any one part of the company. We are working on solutions that can be applied across the various divisions to encourage cross-organization collaborations.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I have worked with computers from a young age and I always had an inclination toward engineering and problem-solving. But something that a lot of people don’t know about me is that I was a private investigator for six years. While that work was not directly related to technology, the philosophy of uncovering hidden networks and tackling complex challenges remained the same. I focused on cases involving trademark infringement; tracking down the complex networks of those responsible for manufacturing and distributing counterfeit retail products. My shift back to technology happened in the early years of the Internet when I jumped into the start-up ecosystem.

Tell us about your professional journey and what led you to join InMobi

As a technology entrepreneur for over 25 years, I have co-founded six different companies – always as the tech leader. Whether I was spearheading products born out of my own ideas, collaborating on new concepts, or joining a team in its early days – I have always been passionate about the fast-paced world of startups. After years in that realm, I was ready for a new challenge: the opportunity to work with a larger, more diverse team in a more mature and established organization. While I was initially unsure how the transition would go, I was drawn to InMobi with the prospect of tackling a broad range of complex problems at scale. Also, I had previous experience working with InMobi and had always admired the company’s work. So when the chance to join the team presented itself, I knew it was the perfect next step for me.

How would you describe the engineering team at InMobi?

As I joined the engineering team at InMobi, my initial time at InMobi was spent doing a lot of self-guided discovery. There is a lot to absorb! I read a lot, attended every meeting to which I could invite myself (never declined an invitation), and asked a lot of questions. This allowed me to experience the culture within the teams and organization from day one. It is a very collaborative environment with everyone being extremely warm, welcoming, and helpful.

What keeps you inspired and motivated as a tech leader?

The opportunity to work on new challenges is what keeps me going each day. I enjoy solving problems and being disruptive, in a positive way.

What is a tip or advice that you would give to aspiring InMobians?

Talk to people and get to know the community. You will learn something from everybody so make time to meet people and build connections.

To join InMobi and work with tech leaders like Justin, visit our careers website.

iLead is the leadership learning and development curriculum at the InMobi Group. It is a journey comprising of three pitstops: Milestone – A first-time people leaders training program, Capstone – A training program for seasoned people leaders, and Keystone – A program curated for high-potential future leaders.

The Keystone program at InMobi goes beyond traditional learning methods, focusing on fostering the personal and professional growth of high-potential talent. This proactive approach falls under the Odyssey initiative, which is a long-term curriculum that identifies, nurtures, and accelerates the growth of these individuals. The Odyssey journey combines education, exposure, and experience as the three key pillars that unlock an individual’s potential. The Keystone program is integral to this initiative, representing the education pillar. It aligns with our philosophy of developing leaders within the organization, who possess the ability, ambition, and dedication to take on new and unconventional roles. The Keystone program is the first step toward an ongoing journey of learning and building and shaping the organization’s future leaders.

Here’s a sneak peek of how our learning and development team has crafted the Keystone program.

Keystone Program Structure

The Keystone program is designed for a group of mid-level high-potential individuals from across the organization surpassing roles, functions, and geographies. The selection process involved a series of complex discussions and considerations among leaders, psychometric assessments to ensure rationality and eliminate bias, and an understanding of the selected individuals' intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. These assessments are compared to industry benchmarks for leaders and success profiles that define an InMobi Leader in line with our leadership attributes and are used to bridge any gaps as the future leaders embark on their learning journey through the program.

When asked about what sets Keystone apart from other leadership development programs, here is what Ruchi Singh, Manager of Learning & Organizational Development, said,  "Keystone is a holistic growth platform for future leaders. Based on the four leadership attributes at InMobi, we have incorporated learning elements for leaders to strengthen their leadership styles by integrating Head (How we think), Heart (How we relate), and Hand (How we get things done). Idea is to open a safe space for participants to help reflect on their limiting/ empowering beliefs & gain exposure to new perspectives and development,"

For the 2023 batch of the Keystone Program, this learning journey began with a 5-day foundational learning workshop, called the Keystone Lab. The approach of the program was to build a core understanding of leading oneself, teams, stakeholders, and the business. The curriculum was set outside the boundaries of the office and pausing the regular course of business during the days of the workshop to encourage an aspirational attitude where they think about not where they are but where they can possibly be and tap into introspective thinking of who they truly are. The days were divided into morning and evening sessions, where each day was dedicated to a specific theme. The morning sessions explored the cognitive aspect of knowledge building, with different frameworks like discussions and simulation role plays, with internal as well as external leaders coming in for the sessions. The evening sessions were dedicated to reflecting upon the morning sessions while being mindful of the five human senses and organizing stimulation workshops such as pottery (evoking the sense of touch), creating musical symphonies (sense of sound), painting (sense of sight), and so forth. This was a way of encouraging a balance between the various aspects of life, mindful thinking, understanding what it means to lead with a balance of the head and the heart, and knowing when to take a pause and reflect.

Speaking about our leadership philosophy, Sahil Mathur, Chief Human Resources Office, InMobi Group, described the program to be designed as a “Truly transformative and shedding experience.” Elaborating on the same, he further added, “Holding onto the word SHED, "S" stands for having a Strong Work Ethic, "H" for Holding oneself and the people around accountable for this journey, "E" stands for being Empathetic and humble, and "D" for demystifying and unlayering situations in an empowering manner.”

Hear from the participants of the 2023 batch:

“The program was a good balance of strategic topics and topics on self-development. I especially enjoyed the application-led approach, games, simulation, role-play, and case studies more than a mere theory-led approach. Getting to hear from and interact with the leaders of the organization was an incredible experience.”

“For me, the best part about the program was how we were made comfortable enough to share our vulnerabilities. The entire program made us accept and work on our limiting beliefs.”

“The program was a journey of self-contemplation for me, it helped me get to know myself better. The training and the lab setups were designed to prepare the participants for the worst-case situations, and the evening sessions were quite relaxing and refreshing which maintained a nice balance overall.”

“During the course of the program, I got deeper insights into my beliefs and how they limit me, which helped me become more self-aware. A sense of natural acceptance has come in after COC and COI. The sessions were well-designed, and the life positions and drama triangles were especially eye-opening. The interactions with the senior leadership were highly motivating and uplifting.”

“It was the first training program I attended in person post the pandemic and it was an eye-opener in many different ways and aspects. With the morning and evening workshops striking the perfect balance, it was a beautifully structured program. I am walking with so much gratitude and have since then been talking about the program and revisiting the concepts along the way.”

To learn more about the culture at InMobi, visit https://www.inmobi.com/company/careers.

In this panel discussion at APS London 2023, titled Rebuilding User Acquisition, experts shared their insights on how to rebuild user acquisition strategies in the current app market. 

Panelists included Michael Balogun from InMobi, Samuli Saares from Replay Gaming, Jessica Gotti from Paired, and Catherine Poole from UNiDAYS, engaging in a high-level discussion on several key points that app developers and marketers need to keep in mind while rebuilding their user acquisition strategies.  

Here are a few top-line takeaways: 

1. Reassess the metrics that matter: User acquisition metrics have changed in recent years, and app developers need to reassess the metrics they use to measure success. In addition to traditional metrics such as cost-per-install (CPI) and return-on-ad-spend (ROAS), developers need to focus on metrics that reflect user engagement such as retention rate, time spent in-app, and user lifetime value (LTV). 
2. Diversify user acquisition channels: Relying on a single user acquisition channel can be risky, as changes in algorithms or policies can affect the effectiveness of that channel. The panelists emphasized the importance of diversifying user acquisition channels, including both paid and organic channels. Developers should also explore new channels such as influencer marketing, content marketing, and app store optimization. 
3. Experiment with new ad formats and targeting options: The panelists encouraged developers to experiment with new ad formats such as video ads and playable ads, as well as new targeting options such as lookalike audiences and interest-based targeting. By testing different ad formats and targeting options, developers can optimize their user acquisition campaigns and improve their ROI. 
4. Leverage data and automation: Data is a critical tool for optimizing user acquisition campaigns. Developers should leverage data to understand user behavior, identify trends, and optimize their campaigns accordingly. Automation can also help streamline the user acquisition process, allowing developers to focus on creative and strategic aspects of their campaigns. 
5. Prioritize user experience: Finally, the panelists emphasized the importance of prioritizing user experience in user acquisition campaigns. Developers should ensure that their ads and landing pages are relevant, engaging, and easy to use. By providing a positive user experience, developers can increase user engagement and retention, ultimately leading to higher ROI. 

Listen to the full interview to hear more from our panelists on how they’re building user acquisition strategies, and to learn more about InMobi sign up for our newsletter here.

In conclusion, rebuilding user acquisition strategies requires a holistic approach that involves reassessing metrics, diversifying channels, experimenting with new formats and targeting options, leveraging data and automation, and prioritizing user experience. By following these principles, app developers and marketers can stay ahead of the competition and achieve long-term success in the app market. 

ChatGPT was used to create this blog post. 

From discussions on the latest trends in consumer behaviors to the newest technologies in the retail space, Shoptalk 2023 covered a wide range of topics that are crucial to understanding the evolving retail landscape.  

For the InMobi Team, it was truly an opportunity to learn from industry leaders and experts and to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. 

As we know from recent growth projections, social commerce is reaching heights, and multiple case studies at the event indicated that businesses are recognizing the importance of social commerce and are actively seeking ways to incorporate it into their strategies.  

A clear takeaway from the event was that as more and more consumers turn to social media for shopping, businesses will need to prioritize social commerce to stay competitive and meet consumer expectations. 

Another big takeaway from this year’s event was Artificial Intelligence and the rapid way in which AI is changing how retail and e-commerce businesses operate. The overall sentiment from thought leaders was that AI is a big positive for the industry, but it's also important to be prepared for the challenges that come with it. 

Retail Media discussions mostly focused on economic uncertainty, data and privacy technology, in-store efficiencies using technology, and AI updates to company tech in the wake of ChatGPT. Other topics included the importance of data and getting your data in working order, while also communicating data privacy practices to customers and vendors that utilize your data. Transparency and consistency in reporting and attribution were also important topics, as was the appreciation of partners who are upfront about how hard the process can be. 

Here are a few key Shoptalk takeaways from InMobi’s Head of Marketing and GTM- Retail Media, Drew Lindgren: 

• There was significant discussion around the importance of omnichannel technology and structure within retail organizations. Focusing on the tech to build simple, frictionless experiences, which is ultimately what (virtually) all customers want. One quote from the Lowes Chief Digital and Innovation Officer was “The thing that great retailers have in common is strong technology.”  
• It is crucial to attract traffic to your online properties, but it is equally important to prioritize the guest experience in Retail Media. To achieve this, you need to determine the appropriate level of personalization and effort for your guests or customers, not your vendors. The key is to work closely with tech vendors that prioritize the guest experience, aligning their incentives with yours.  
• Given the personal and local nature of grocery shopping, it requires greater implicit personalization compared to other types of retail. Grocery stores often serve as a hub of the community, where people tend to make frequent purchases. Therefore, AI needs to be approached with a more human touch and applied differently than in other retail sectors. The focus should not only be on delivery or click-and-collect services, but also on driving in-store convenience. Regardless of whether AI is used, all grocery technology should prioritize customer values of ease, value, and convenience. 
• In this fast-paced technological landscape, being data-centric comes with its own set of challenges, as opposed to the earlier subjective approach taken by merchants. However, the trend is shifting toward greater reliance on data, analytics, and measuring KPIs. AI has provided smaller and less mature businesses with the ability to compete with larger players in the market. In the future, AI may even be able to engage in discussions about the day-to-day business operations. Overall, the impact of AI on businesses is expected to be positive. 

In conclusion, attending Shoptalk 2023 provided valuable information and cutting-edge insights into the retail industry, showcasing some of the most innovative and exciting technologies and strategies that are shaping the future of commerce. 

To learn more about InMobi Commerce, reach out to our Head of Marketing and GTM- Retail Media, Drew Lindgren at andrew.lindgren@inmobi.com. 

Ramadan is a time of great excitement among the Southeast Asian Muslim population, and engaging this spirited crowd this season requires a tactful, insight-based approach. In this conversation with Tiffany Ang and Stanley Leong from CNA938, Rishi Bedi, Managing Director, APAC, InMobi, discuss how people think, shop, and travel during this season and how brands can engage them effectively, with insights from our report, Ramadan 2023 at a Glance. While the actual interview took place live on CNA938's Money Mind radio show, let’s have a look at a summary of the insights Rishi shared:

Rishi’s top three insights from InMobi’s Ramadan study:

1. “Almost 70% of Indonesians plan to spend a lot more than the last year. So, they have increased their budgets significantly for Ramadan.”

2. “Women are emerging as the big spenders during Ramadan: Almost one out of three women are now looking to spend five million Indonesian rupiahs this year during Ramadan. That's a significant jump – almost $500!”

3. “Mobile is emerging as the most important channel for buying or making purchases during the Ramadan season: 98% of Indonesians said that they will use mobile to explore new products or look for new deals.”

On the top categories of items that Indonesians are shopping for on mobile:

“Gadgets, gift bags, and clothing and accessories. Home appliances are also a big-ticket item in the spender’s shopping list this year.”

On hybrid shopping and preferences for shopping on mobile and at stores:

“People want to buy online but also go to the store and check out some products. For example, if you talk about clothes, you want to browse online, then go to the store and experience it. This is also true for jewelry, for example. But there are a lot of gadgets or electronic items that people can make their purchase decision for while they are on mobile.”

On the most popular mobile activities during Ramadan:

1. “The biggest one, during this holy month of Ramadan, is religious content on mobile. Almost 75% of consumers spend their time engaging with religious content or some prayer-related content.”

2. “The second one is live streams – a fast-growing trend we are experiencing: live streaming by key opinion leaders (KOLs), social influencers, or even gamers.”

3. “And that brings me to the third category, which is mobile gaming. Mobile gaming has been growing not just in Southeast Asia, but also across Asia and the world. Almost 40% of the consumers responded that they would be engaging in mobile gaming, which could be casual games or puzzle games. And there's a fair amount of gender diversity in gaming – almost 50% are females and 50% are males.”

On the notion that gaming is more popular with younger people than older people:

“Even I used to think so! But now, the age range is anywhere from 24 years to 55-60 years, and we have seen that! We’ve got our platform, Glance, where we closely see all these trends. We also observed that morning and evening times are when engagement suddenly grows. Just before the sunrise meal, that is Suhoor; and after Iftar, that is the evening meal: These are the two times when we see content engagement going up significantly.”

On how these insights help businesses plan their advertising strategy:

“There are very interesting trends that businesses need to understand from these insights.

Firstly, there are different types of buying behavior.

There are people who have already decided what they want to buy. It's just that they're waiting for the right deal and offer to come out, and we call them bargain hunters.

There are others who know that they need a product, but they're not sure which brand to go after. We call them category explorers.

And the last buying behavior is people who are sure which brand they need, and they are just looking for the right time to buy. Those are brand lovers.

Now, marketers should pay attention to which consumers they're after. That means, if they're looking for female audiences in a particular age group, they must identify and connect with them with the right messaging. And since it's the month of Ramadan, the messaging could carry some bit of tone and appreciation of this auspicious month.

So, understanding the right audiences and knowing what time of the day and how to engage with them are some things marketers and brands should focus on this year.”

On hybrid shopping and whether it will remain a mainstay for Indonesians:

“Hybrid shopping, especially this year when we've just come out of a pandemic kind of period in the last two years, is seeing a significant jump. Mobile has played a very important role in that experience through the entire journey of exploring products and browsing for and shortlisting which product to buy.

We found out that one out of three apps downloaded in the region is a shopping app. This peaks just two weeks before the Ramadan period! Some of the categories that come out as a preference in the physical buying journey are jewelry, groceries, and home decoration. When you talk about mobile, gadgets come at the top. Other categories are gift packs and accessories.”

On unusual findings from the Ramadan survey:

“This year, we are seeing travel-related expenses go up significantly. Borders are open; people are able to travel very comfortably and conveniently now, so they are making Mudik plans! People are making a lot of plans to travel around Ramadan or closer to Hari Raya. We're seeing that people want to reunite with their families: 68% of Indonesians said they already had made some sort of travel plan. This is a huge window of opportunity for brands connected with the buying behaviors I mentioned: category explorers, brand lovers, and bargain hunters. These trends are very unusual this year, and many brands should benefit from that.”

On whether the results would mirror in case of Muslim shoppers in Singapore and Malaysia markets:

“There is general excitement in all markets in Southeast Asia. Our study shows that the Suhoor time in Singapore and Malaysia is 6:00 AM, and in Indonesia, it is 4:45 AM. So, the Suhoor or daybreak – the starting of the day – is very different. Because of this, we also see that online shopping behavior or exploring starts in Indonesia as early as 8:00 AM. But in Singapore and Malaysia, it starts later. While 98% of Indonesians are looking to do shopping online, in Malaysia and Singapore, it is about 70%. The product categories are also very different in each of the markets. In Indonesia, the biggest categories are apparel, gift items, and food items. In Malaysia, these are skincare items. And in Singapore, these are food items, cookware, and perfumes. These are some differences that we observed among the three countries.”

On whether consumer trends during Ramadan are similar to festivals such as the Chinese New Year and Christmas:

“The general excitement around the festival is very high, similar to the Chinese New Year, but there are some differences, and the differences are because Ramadan is a month-long observance of this festival. You have a long period, that's a 30-day period, as opposed to, let's say, a three- or four-day period. So, that's a major difference.”

On the Ramadan trends to expect beyond 2023:

“Mobile has risen as a very important channel. Consumers are spending so much more time on mobile, and that behavior is because of COVID and

the pandemic when people were locked down. It's continuing and that's why mobile spending, mobile experiences, and time spent on consuming content on mobile is a lot higher. This what marketers, brands, and anyone looking to engage with consumers should pay attention to.”

That was just a glance at Ramadan 2023! For more strategies to engage your audience during Ramadan, read our ultimate Ramadan marketing guide.

Ramadan is undoubtedly one of the most significant opportunities for brands to connect with their audiences. It is when shopping, traveling, and other activities are at their peak. Let’s have a look at highlights from 2023 Ramadan shopper behavior report.

For a deeper analysis of 2023’s Ramadan shopping trends and what marketers can learn from them, get our report, Ramadan 2023 at a Glance.

The Ramadan Rush is a great time for brands to accelerate their marketing efforts and connect with people in meaningful and memorable ways. With this piece, we explore seven things you should know and keep in mind when you craft your advertising campaigns during Ramadan.

#1- Knowing the What and When: Getting the Timing Right

We know the Ramadan Rush is unmissable. But how do we know when the shopping frenzy begins and ends each year, so we don’t miss it?

While this period changes each year, a pattern that is usually seen is people beginning to plan their Ramadan and Eid shopping around two weeks before the holy month begins, and this continues until the days ahead of Eid.

Each year, we uncover the behavioral trends that reveal the Ramadan Rush in our Ramadan reports, which help brands understand the time to push their marketing communication and tips to make them memorable. Afterall, getting the timing right is key.

#2 – Keeping an Eye on the Mood: Understanding Shopper Behavior

No two Ramadan seasons are the same. It is critical to identify key shopping trends and understand how people are behaving each year. This is because the unique situation of the country in that particular year affects how they celebrate that season.

A variety of factors such as economic situations, political conditions, cultural and social occurrences, and so on impact how people observe and conduct the festivities. For instance, in 2021 in Indonesia, we saw people continuing to increase the use of mobile to search, shop, and continue with loved ones. This was a habit that begun to form in 2020 since the pandemic changed lives forever, inviting people to stay home more and keep their connections and celebrations virtual.

This demanded that brands begin to look at mobile not as an afterthought but rather as a fundamental necessity. With this knowledge, brands could create Ramadan advertising campaigns that touched hearts through mobile.

#3 – Reaching Right: Speaking to High-intent Audiences

The need to understand and adapt to the changes in privacy regulations is firmly established today. Therefore, the challenge is reaching the right audience in a respectful yet highly effective way.

Through in-app advertising, marketers can reach an extremely engaged audience through their always-on companion: their mobile phone. We live in times where we see people’s behavior evolving continuously, and such times call for programmatic advertising that lets marketers optimize their message efficiently in real time.

Moreover, leveraging deterministic audiences let you reach high-intent audiences without going to the individual identity. At InMobi, we took steps to empower marketers with that capability. Through our recent partnerships with Gojek and Telkomsel, we have formed a vast audience pool of possibilities for brands to target niche cohorts, such as college students interested in perfumes, mothers who buy chocolate, first-jobbers who love gadgets, and many more. Using this power during Ramadan can make for truly memorable and heart-warming communication and a solid connection between brands and people.

The South Africa Smarties honors the most effective modern marketing in South Africa, as part of the MMA Smarties organization’s greater mission to recognize brands, agencies, and tech providers that use technology to pioneer new approaches in modern marketing. 

To learn more about our Coke Africa campaign, read the entire case study here, and read here to learn more about the MMAs and the other winners in this category. 

To understand more about how InMobi can help drive diverse business goals, from branding to performance growth, visit our Case Studies page.

Let’s take a look at what a postback is and how these nuggets of campaign performance data change in SKAN 4.0.  

What Exactly is a Postback?

A postback is a standard set of fields and associated values that gives insight into the conditions surrounding an app install and other key milestones in the customer journey that were influenced by paid performance media. 

At the most basic level, when a SKAN-compliant ad impacts an iOS user’s decision to install an app, postbacks are notifications sent to media partners like InMobi (as well as to advertisers directly in some cases) once SKAN finishes monitoring for additional post-install activities and a randomized delay expires.  

Each postback includes anonymized insights about which campaign inspired a user to convert and what actions they took, with the level of detail varying based on how well a user’s privacy is protected, how influential an ad is determined to be by Apple, and which version of SKAN applies.   

What Fields Are in a Postback?

Here is the laundry list of all fields that can be included in a postback: 

• Ad Network ID 
• Transaction ID 
• Source (Campaign) ID 
• Target App ID 
• Conversion Value 
• SKAdNetwork Version 
• Redownload 
• Source App ID 
• Attribution Signature 
• Fidelity Type 
• Did Win 
• Source Domain 
• Coarse Conversion Value 
• Postback Sequence Index 

What Do These Postback Parameters Mean?

The fields I just listed fall into one of four categories:  

Record Parameters

These are identifiers that de-duplicate records, enable integrations, and validate the authenticity of a postback:  

• Transaction ID 
• Attribution Signature

Campaign Parameters 

Parameters specify the app being advertised and the specific campaign  
associated with the conversion event:  

• Target App ID 
• Source ID (v4.0+) // Campaign ID  
• (v1.0 – 3.0) 

Media Parameters 

These are specifics about the media partner, ad inventory, and circumstances that  
triggered the conversion event: 

• Ad Network ID 
• Source App ID or Domain 
• SKAdNetwork Version 
• Did Win 

User Journey Parameters 

These include privacy-safe details on how and when a user interacted with an ad and their conversion behavior: 

• Conversion Value (*aka: Fine-Grained Conversion Value in SKAN 4.0) 
• Coarse Conversion Value  
• Redownload 
• Fidelity Type 
• Postback Sequence Index 

Who Can Receive a Postback? 

Each new version of SKAN has come packaged with new or modified fields that can be received. Before SKAN 3.0, only the winning ad could receive a postback from Apple. But now an advertiser can get their own copy of winning postbacks directly and up to five additional ads can be rewarded for assisting with a conversion by receiving their own less detailed postback. Here’s who is eligible to receive a postback: 

• Winning Ad Network 
  • Highest Fidelity ad seen most recently 
• Advertiser 
  • Can opt-in to receive winning postbacks 
• Non-winning Ad Networks (Assists) 
  • Up to five additional ads can get assist credit 

What’s New with Postbacks in SKAN 4.0? 

In SKAN 4, there are a few key changes with postbacks to be aware of:  

The winning ad network is now eligible to receive up to three postbacks instead of one, and these postbacks are associated with fixed conversion windows. The sequence that a particular postback applies to will be indicated by a value of one, two, or three in the new “Postback Sequence Index” parameter. 

Campaign ID is now renamed Source ID, which can be up to four digits instead of two. The additional two digits can only be received with the first postback and only when certain privacy conditions are met 

The first postback can now include a less granular conversion value with less strict privacy requirements called the Coarse Conversion Value. This new value is also what’s included anytime a conversion qualifies to receive the new second or third postback.   

Since SKAN 4.0 now supports Safari mobile web-to-app conversions, a new parameter called Source Domain is now available in instances where a web ad click leads to a conversion, as long as certain privacy conditions are met.

 
Before you go! 

We have a lot more information that can help you navigate your way around new updates to SKAN 4.0. For starters, check out our complete SKAN Resource Center and our SKAN 4.0 Readiness Checklist.  

If you need a more intro-level on SKAN 4.0, please download The Essential SKAN 4.0 Playbook.  

And please reach out to our team of SKAN experts at performance@inmobi.com. We’d love to hear from you – and remember, no question is too basic when it comes to learning how to adopt Apple’s SKAN 4.0!

Key Trends 

The Study showed that the primary focus for publishers is on identity resolution and contextual targeting, with more than 65% of respondents rating identity and targeting as their top focus areas for 2023.  

With Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) policy and Google's plan to deprecate third-party cookies in the near future, the need for a “single view” of the customer is paramount for publishers and advertisers alike. Identity resolution functionalities merge and standardize customer data across various sources to create targetable profiles that publishers can monetize. The shift from behavioral to contextual targeting is also prompted by the publisher’s need to offer advertisers relevant audiences without relying on an identifier.  

The Study also showed that audience insights and data enrichment were key focus areas for publishers, with more than 75% of the respondents rating it as their highest priority. Publishers now have greater control over first-party data, and there is a need to analyze this data and derive valuable insights from it that they can leverage to monetize their audiences. Enriching their first-party data with the scale of third-party data to create a larger audience pool will allow publishers to unlock new audience segments.  

Publishers also plan to prioritize initiatives for user acquisition, cross-app promotions, and new and unique formats in 2023, with more than 50% of respondents rating it as their top focus area. Unique ad formats include native ads and app-open ads (launched by Google).  

_{^ Research methodology: We asked the respondents to rate each of the initiatives on a scale of 1-5 based on their priorities and expectations from InMobi for the coming year, with 5 being the highest.}  

_{^^% of respondents that ranked the initiatives >=4 (on a scale of 1-5)} 

Adam Sadur, Head of Programmatic at SmartNews, told InMobi that contextual targeting is a strategy they are currently leaning into because it is endemic to SmartNews and news consumption. Their app already tailors specific content categories in the form of channels to their users, so providing the ability to target specific content verticals within an article met a clear need from the demand side.  

“Today SmartNews can target our highly engaged users based on contextual relevance within a mobile app environment, which really represents a unique form of targeting when compared to other app specific solutions,” Sadur said. “We've also found that given all the privacy-related changes occurring in the app space that the previous norms around targeting and measurement have shifted, and to evolve, SmartNews sought to provide targeting options that aren't reliant on an identifier to help marketers meet their goals.”  

“Publishers are facing new challenges and are looking to supply-side platforms to help them navigate the changing ad-tech environment beyond ad monetization,” said Todd Rose, Senior Vice President of Business Development at InMobi. “This Publisher Insights Study highlights that publishers are looking for features that help them understand and unlock the potential of their user data in a privacy-first universe.”  

Conclusion  

In an ever-evolving landscape, publishers are focusing on not just keeping up with the changes in privacy regulations but also identifying new opportunities to use their first-party data and to create targetable customer profiles they can monetize.

Tell us about your role at InMobi

I joined InMobi as a Principal Engineer in the Centre of Excellence team, which is a group of senior architects looking after the common engineering problems across the various engineering verticals here. We also work towards defining the organization's technology strategy, solving any standards we need to define, working on shared problems, and improving collaborations across units. It is for the most part a breadth-focused role with ample opportunities.

What led you to join InMobi?

I graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 2006 and since then I’ve been working in the software development space, starting with development and then moving on to design and architecture. I have worked with both start-ups and larger organizations. Even though InMobi is rapidly growing, I find the culture here a perfect blend of the two. What excited me about joining InMobi was the opportunity to contribute to its growth and it has been a great journey so far.  

What does a day at work usually look like for you?

There is no particular structure to my workday and no two days are the same. I can say that my work is broadly classified into three areas. One would be to understand the current state of our processes and solve problems from a higher lens that is not just focused on a particular team. The second would be working on engineering designs and solutions to strategize and focus on the way forward. The last would be the execution, which involves going deeper into a technical problem while collaborating with the various teams and helping them out.

Any exciting projects that you have worked on at InMobi?

One would definitely be the Centre of Excellence itself, building it from day one and setting the foundation of the team, with nothing but a one-page charter on how we envision it to be. Starting from there and reaching a more mature stage now has been a long and fulfilling journey.   

Another would be the first project that I picked up at InMobi – "always be deploying” – which is also one of the operating principles for the InMobi Technology team. From when InMobi was founded to the size that we have reached now, our engineering team has accumulated enough critical mass. The time spent on maintaining and deploying has become significantly higher. “Always be deploying” is supposed to solve for removing all the repetitive work that goes on in terms of building and deploying software. While we have made significant progress on building the platform and driving its adoption, there is a lot more yet to be done and an interesting journey lies ahead.

What is the most rewarding part about your work?

It’s definitely the people and the work! As an engineer, you always want interesting problems to work on and there is no dearth of them at InMobi. I am surrounded by immensely capable individuals, who are great at what they do and at the same time are open-minded and progressive. When I joined InMobi, everyone I reached out to, went above and beyond to help me navigate my way in the organization. When you join most organizations, you have to first work towards building trust whereas at InMobi you are trusted from day one.

Any advice or tips for aspiring tech professionals

One thing that all budding professionals should look out for is the opportunity to learn and contribute. There is always something new to learn and grow your skillset, so keep an open mind that is fuelled by curiosity.

Tell us a bit about your life outside of work

Most of my time outside work I spend with family. I am happily married with a five-year-old daughter, who keeps us occupied. I was never much into fitness but since the pandemic, I have been trying to focus on that aspect of life and being more physically active. I train as a member of a nationwide community called Runner's High which is one of the largest running communities in the country. I now enjoy going for runs and regularly cover 10 km and I am targeting to complete a half marathon by the end of the year.

To work with tech professionals like Gaurav, explore opportunities on our careers website.

So how is adoption looking as we approach the second anniversary of ATT and SKAN? What is impacting adoption? What are the future milestones that might drive adoption further? These are all questions we’ll look at in this post.

The state of SKAN adoption

Let’s start by looking at some indicators of how advertiser adoption of SKAN has been going. If we look at SKAN-enabled spend on InMobi’s DSP globally, we see it becoming a steadily increasing percentage of iOS spend.

After SKAN 4.0 – a far more complete attribution solution – was released in October, advertisers clearly saw a need to start using SKAN more widely. SKAN's share then broke through 75% for the first time in February of this year.

What SKAN hesitancy existed previously?

While SKAN advertiser adoption is now on a charge, the data does show some initial hesitancy from advertisers. So what were the reasons behind this? In-market, we have seen three major themes in advertiser conversations:

Android spend increases: On Android, advertisers still have access to the GAID, unlike on iOS where Apple’s IDFA became opt-in with ATT. This meant that many advertisers shifted more of their attention and investment to Android after ATT was launched in Spring 2021, as they still had the user-level deterministic measurement and targeting they were used to. This aggregate data from InMobi’s cross-channel optimization platform Appsumer shows that initial decline in iOS budget share post-ATT to a low of 35% in July 2021.

What we see here is that the initial switch to Android has begun to reverse from a low of 35% back to, and above, a 50% share of wallet over the last four months since SKAN 4.0 was released.

Fingerprinting / probabilistic attribution: While Apple very clearly banned fingerprinting / probabilistic attribution in its developer terms of service, at a technological level, they have not clamped down heavily, yet. So some advertisers have taken the “make hay while the sun shines approach,” using fingerprinting as an alternative for user-level identity to the IDFA on iOS.

Early SKAN shortcomings: Early versions of SKAN undoubtedly left a lot to be desired for advertisers. To name a few:

1. The privacy threshold returned large volumes of null data to advertisers, leaving them blind to campaign performance.
2. For many apps 24 hours of post-install data is not enough to understand the value of an install driven by an ad. The 24-hour rolling timer meant that this was the best window many apps could get data on.
3. For apps that relied on web-to-app user journeys they were unattributable.

However, market changes mean advertisers can no longer hesitate in many of these areas. For many advertisers this is motivating them to invest resources into the increased adoption of the SKAN measurement methodology.

What drivers are now accelerating SKAN adoption?

If we look at each of these areas of hesitancy, there are key milestones incoming that create urgency for advertisers around SKAN:

1. Android Privacy Sandbox: Google’s move to launch the Android Privacy Sandbox will take away the option of the GAID on that OS. While Google’s approach will be a lot more advertiser friendly, mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs) are nearing the end of their lives. By adopting SKAN now, it will not only help advertisers make similar adjustments when Privacy Sandbox arrives, it will also prevent a situation where advertisers are simultaneously adapting to two different frameworks when Google rolls out Android Privacy Sandbox.
2. Apple enforcing fingerprinting policies: Rumors are swirling of Apple implementing some form of technology to close the fingerprinting loopholes, much like it did after the ITP rollout on its Safari browser. Eric Seufert speculated a year ago on some potential technological solutions, including a version of the SDK Runtime functionality that Google shared in its Android Privacy Sandbox. There’s also the risk that apps could be banned from the App Store if they are clearly violating Apple’s policy on fingerprinting. All of this is to say that the walls are closing in on fingerprinting and an over-reliance on it from advertisers is an untenable long-term position.
3. SKAN 4.0: How SKAN 4.0 eliminates many of the major flaws in earlier versions of SKAN for advertisers:
   • The privacy threshold is likely to be reduced with the introduction of coarse-grain as well as fine-grain conversion values. Meaning that the volume of null install data should be reduced.
   • Three fixed conversion windows now make it easy for advertisers to get an understanding of post-install behavior out to day 35 with the removal of the 24-hour rolling timer that many advertisers had previously been working with.
   • Web-to-app attribution is also now possible for advertisers who use this type of user journey.

How to get started with SKAN 4.0

What we really see is that advertisers are beginning to adopt SKAN in earnest, and there are drivers that are likely to push this trend even further in the coming year. So the time has really come for advertisers to come to grips with SKAN 4.0 and start implementing an effective targeting and measurement strategy for this new privacy-first world. 

That’s why our team has been compiling some of the most complete resources for advertisers who are looking to accelerate their SKAN 4.0 adoption, including:

• Essential SKAN 4.0 Playbook: A starting point for advertisers who are just beginning to plan SKAN 4.0 adoption.
• SKAN 4.0 Checklist: A quick checklist to make sure you have a complete SKAN 4.0 setup ready to go.
• SKAN 4 Conversion Value Guide: InMobi’s own cross-channel optimization platform, Appsumer, also shared tips for getting richer insights from SKAN 4 Conversion Values.
• InMobi DSP’s SKAN bidder: You can also read more about how InMobi’s DSP is pioneering privacy safe automated bidding.

For help with your SKAN adoption journey, reach out to our team of SKAN experts at performance@inmobi.com. We’d love to hear from you – and remember, no question is too basic when it comes to learning how to navigate Apple’s SKAN 4.0.

GET IN TOUCH

 Delve further into the blog to find the key insights from the Southeast Asia (SEA) report. 

As Indonesia begins to witness a spike in shopping, traveling, and festive activity; brands begin to flood all channels competitively in an attempt to reach the shopper, grab their attention, and leave an impact. Online or offline, the average Indonesian is exposed to thousands of hours of information, content, and experiences.

We know you want your brand to beat that rush to rise during the Ramadan Rush. That’s why we bring five great insight-based ideas for you to consider as you strategize your marketing campaigns this Ramadan.

(Psst… This is based on our extensive report, Ramadan 2023 at a Glance, and The Drum has covered this report too! Woohoo!)

Now, let’s get to the fantastic five for 2023:

#1 – Budgets have increased, and so should your presence

68% of Indonesians have increased their budget for Ramadan shopping and festivities this year, despite the global alarm around the economic downturn. A mere 8% reported that they planned on decreasing their budgets, which is a significant drop compared to previous years.

And let’s bust the gender myth while we’re at it - one out of three women are willing to spend more than Rp. 5 million this Ramadan, indicating their higher propensity to shop as compared to men.

That’s not all - 60% of Indonesians plan to spend over Rp. 3 million this year, a number which was only 28% in 2022. This clearly shows that the intent to spend is high, and the budgets are big.

What does this mean for your brand?

You’ve got to catch their eye. Consider increasing your brand’s presence on various channels, including mobile, which is their always-on device.

#2 – There are more explorers, and you’ve got to be discovered

72% of Indonesian shoppers this Ramadan are what we call “category explorers”, which means they know what kind of item or product they want to buy (such as apparel, chocolates, and so on) but they don’t have their heart set on any brand yet.

Plus, 16% of shoppers have not planned the brand or the category of product they are going to buy. This gives you a total of 88% of Indonesians who are yet to make their final shopping decisions.

What does this mean for your brand?

There is a huge window of opportunity wide open. Your brand can reach, engage, and convince the shopper to choose your products by connecting with them in a meaningful way. Cut through the clutter and make an impact on the smart lock screen, so that Indonesians can get what they want through your brand before they even unlock their phones.

#3 – Shopping is on mobile and in-store, so be in both places

Much like the hybrid working model, the hybrid shopping model has seen a rise among Indonesians after the previous pandemic-struck years. This means the habit of using mobile to shop, which was rapidly accelerated during the pandemic, continues even today, although they step outside to shop and celebrate.

For example, when we look at the top shopped category, apparel, we see that 56% of Indonesians will be using mobile in their shopping journey and 41% plan to shop in-store. Clearly, shopping has become a high-energy hybrid activity!

What does this mean for your brand?

As much as you focus on in-store and offline offers, activations, and placements, don’t forget the omnipresent mobile. A great way to stand out, as we mentioned in idea #2, is being on the smart lock screen. Brands have already begun to drive purchase consideration on the smart lock screen throughout the year. Check out how Pepsodent drove consideration among Indonesians for its toothpaste, Complete 8 on the smart lock screen with Glance. It is important to know that the preference for mobile and in-store shopping changes based on the category, so play smartly and shine bright.

#4 – Mudik is major, so travel can be a great way to get closer to your customers

The Mudik travel wave is going to be huge this year, with 65% of Indonesians planning to travel to their hometowns and spend time with their family and friends. While the wave will pick up starting with the first week of Ramadan, it will reach its peak during the last week of Ramadan with 39% planning to travel in that week. Some will also be on the move just before the big day – 24% said they would travel just before Eid.

Besides this, it is interesting to note the movement within cities and observe how the festivities will unfold offline. Mosques, malls, restaurants, and more will see footfall increasing rapidly this Ramadan.

What does this mean for your brand?

Don’t forget to consider this period of movement while you plan your marketing campaigns this Ramadan. Make travel lovers love you with interesting mobile and offline activations. Take a leaf from how Wall’s joined the sweet moments of travel and reunions in Ramadan 2022.

#5 – Mobile is mighty as ever, so make sure you don’t miss it

Mobile is an important part of Indonesians’ lives this season. They use it to stay entertained, connect with loved ones, and follow their spiritual practices, making it their always-on device. Whatever the phase of the Indonesian shopper (learning about products, exploring options, or making the final purchase), mobile is an important medium to aid their decisions.

· 90% of Indonesians said they used their smartphones to learn about sales and offers.

· 98% of Indonesians voted for mobile as their preferred channel to explore and understand brands and products.

· 1 out of 3 apps downloaded this season is a shopping app, which indicates buying is big on mobile.

Evidently, mobile is a constant companion throughout every Indonesian’s shopping journey! App-only discounts and ease in shipping are big reasons to shop on mobile, and the top categories being purchased via mobile this Ramadan are beauty products, gadgets, and clothing and accessories.

What does this mean for your brand?

Mobile is a must, not an afterthought. While you plan your Ramadan advertising campaigns, ensure a significant part of your efforts goes to being on mobile. Get expert insights on how mobile can help you in forming meaningful connections with your Indonesian audience. Drive one-click entertainment, exploration, and engagement by being on the smart lock screen and letting them discover your brand before they unlock their phones.

Now that we have understood how Indonesians plan to shop and celebrate during Ramadan 2023, we know how mobile must be an integral part of your brand’s efforts with the smart lock screen as contextual advertising becomes key.

We wish you luck as you create your advertising campaigns this Ramadan. Best wishes for the occasion too!

In this webinar, experts who have been aggressively investing in understanding and unlocking the value of SKAN since its earliest versions will share how you can develop a winning strategy for iOS app growth with SKAN, including:

✅ How app growth marketers can get a fast start with SKAN 4.0

✅ How to develop a refreshed approach to conversion value mapping

✅ How to cut through the noise and understand how these changes impact your app’s growth in a meaningful way

View the discussion here: 

From 2020 onward, we’ve been shepherding our partners and other stakeholders in the broader mobile advertising ecosystem into what we can now safely and confidently call the privacy-first world. Our team of privacy and identity experts stay rigorously up to date on all the new information coming from Apple, including valuable feedback from our partners about the challenges they’re facing with adoption. This gives us the opportunity to fine-tune our approach to providing best-in-class guidance on maintaining optimal performance in line with the major changes happening in our industry around privacy. 

While we continue working with our partners to increase their understanding of SKAN 4.0 and leverage it according to their growth needs, things are about to get a lot easier with the release of our industry-first, proprietary programmatic bidder to better drive iOS app performance for growth marketers without relying on user-level identifiers. 

Complementing InMobi’s traditional demand-side platform (DSP), the pioneering automated bidder is built from the ground up to rely solely on privacy-safe data signals when optimizing programmatic media buys while leveraging Apple’s SKAdNetwork (SKAN) attribution framework. 

To learn more about this new release, please read the full press release here: 

Read Now

If you’re looking to self-educate or get your teams up to speed on Apple’s SKAN 4.0, you can find many of our SKAN-related materials in our resource center. This hub has all the tools and insights you need to not only get started with SKAN 4.0 but also become a SKAN pro. 

Some notable enhancements to SKAN 4.0 include:  

• Multiple Postbacks: Simplified delivery and new insight into post-install events 
• Hierarchical Source IDs: One hundred times more opportunities to uncover learnings that improve optimization 
• Hierarchical Conversions: Performance insights come more rapidly, predictably, and frequently 
• Safari Mobile Web Support: Additional privacy-safe channel to reach users on their mobile devices 

So, let us carry some of the load for you. That way, you can keep your head in the proverbial books, continuing to read through whitepapers, reports, and one sheets, and focus on building up your personal toolkit and overall strategy. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and with our solution you’ll have even more time to get serious about SKAN 4.0.  

Tell us about your role at InMobi

I am currently a part of the Centre of Excellence team as a Senior Staff Engineer. It is a horizontally spread team that guides and acts as the backbone for all the engineering verticals that support our business objectives. The team works on the organization's technology strategy and figures out what needs to be done under the non-product and business development initiatives. We are a bunch of senior individual contributors, who figure out the problem areas across divisions and then create solutions, avenues, and initiatives to solve those problems.

How has been your journey with InMobi so far?

I joined InMobi in the Exchange team in 2012, soon after InMobi had earned the status of India’s first unicorn. Back then, we used to rewrite production codes multiple times simply because we wouldn’t feel satisfied. It isn’t something a new joiner can usually boast about, so that goes on to say a lot about the culture, freedom, and endless learning opportunities at InMobi.

During my journey, I have changed my team and molded my role multiple times. One of the most interesting projects that I had the opportunity to work on was building a mediation stack called Meson. It was an initiative that required building the product from scratch and was completely decoupled from InMobi. The experience was unique in going beyond the work of the organization and being involved in something from day zero –  that enhanced my technical learning immensely.

What has made you stay with InMobi?

I started my career with InMobi when I joined as a software engineer straight out of college. As a budding tech professional, I got the opportunity to work with some of the best minds in the industry, whom I could learn from and grow while doing meaningful work. Over the last 10 years, I have not only sharpened my technical skills intact but have also developed other critical people and leadership skills that an engineer might usually not have access to.

InMobi never gave me a reason to leave! There is always something new to work on and opportunities to explore. If you are passionate about your work, the culture at InMobi allows you to do whatever you want and nothing obstructs your growth and achievements.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced during your journey?

My current role in the Centre of Excellence team is completely different from anything that I have done previously, and that is what makes it challenging yet exciting for me. I have moved from building and developing products to working in a team that uses the technology we have developed in the last ten years to highlight and outline InMobi’s technology strategy. Our team does not solve any immediate problems but rather identifies areas or hidden inefficiencies that would have an impact in the longer run. The challenge of my current role is to convince stakeholders of the larger picture that lies at a distance, and this requires a lot more people skills and soft skills, which are equally, if not more, important to an engineer’s technical skills.

What is it like to be part of the InMobi Technology team?

With 15 years of history, InMobi has grown immensely in terms of scale and size, yet it has the “start-up spirit” intact. I believe any engineer in the early stages of their career wants to see results and the impact that they are creating and at InMobi, you get to see the results immediately. Here every engineer is essentially a full-stack engineer and with the freedom and autonomy received, you get to showcase your true potential without anything stopping you.

Tips for someone looking to join your team

My one piece of advice would be to keep an open mind. As long as you have the desire to learn, there is a place for everyone at InMobi.

To work with tech leaders like Devashish, explore opportunities on our careers website.

To know how top brands are leveraging these insights, check out our case studies.

Key levels of user consent 

When it comes to data privacy compliance and monetizing their ad inventory, app developers need to take into consideration several key levels of user consent:  

• the region/country’s privacy law  
• the audience, specifically children’s privacy 
• the mobile OS + marketplace privacy policy 
• the sector in which the publisher operates 
• the purposes for which they collect consent from the users to process their data

For app developers with global audiences, they must keep abreast of the different regulations and understand their requirements. Let’s look at it at a high level: 

How to pass user consent to your ad tech partners to comply with regional/country privacy laws 

Collecting user consent is one thing — and mandatory in certain geographies like Europe where GDPR applies — passing it downstream to ad partners is the second part of the publisher’s job. Whilst there isn’t a mandatory way to pass user consent per se, it is important for app developers to be aware of the various consent signals available to them: 

• Boolean - A data type that can only represent two values: true or false:  
  • True if the user has given consent 
  • False if they’ve not given consent or withdrawn it. 
• IAB Transparency Consent Framework v2.0 - The Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) is the GDPR consent solution developed by the IAB Europe and industry stakeholders to create an industry standard for collecting, managing, and sharing user consent.  
• U.S. Privacy String – Established by the IAB in response to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The U.S. privacy string is a cookie that stores information about disclosures made and choices selected by the user regarding their rights. It mostly contains details on whether the consumer has opted-out of the sale of their personal information. 

To use the IAB TCF v2.0 and the U.S. Privacy String, you would need to use a certified Consent Management Platform (CMP). By now, you may have also heard of the IAB Global Privacy Platform (GPP) a new protocol aimed to streamline and unify the existing IAB transmission consent signals. It includes the U.S. Privacy String, the IAB Europe TCF, and the IAB Canada TCF. In the future, the protocol will also support more US- specific privacy strings for California, Virginia, Utah, Colorado, and Connecticut as some these new regulations will come into effect throughout 2023. InMobi will look to support the IAB GPP in Q2 2023.  

At InMobi, we have observed that 51% of ad requests in the European countries where GDPR applies use the Boolean consent method. A vast majority of our top demand partners use the IAB TCF v2.0 thanks to the transparency it offers them and have excluded inventory that is not TCF-enabled from their buying strategy. This means that app developers who are not using the IAB TCF v2.0 are missing out on significant budgets from Brand advertisers and omnichannel demand partners — up to 4x as per our analysis. For app developers to move away from other app performance advertisers and maximize revenue for their audiences in Europe, they need to implement the industry standard. You can talk to your Customer Success Manager to start adopting the TCF v2.0 and increase your yield. 

Why you need a Consent Management Platform (CMP) 

With privacy scrutiny increasing over ad tech and mobile OS companies, it is becoming imperative for publishers to be compliant and adopt practices and strategies that are enabling them to manage consumer privacy choices easily. A CMP is the perfect solution for that.  

A CMP is a solution for websites and apps to request, receive, and store users’ consent. It will enable them to protect the privacy of their users and be compliant with the world’s most major data privacy laws like the EU’s GDPR, the UK’s GDPR, California’s CCPA/CPRA, Brazil’s LGPD, and more. Some CMPs in the ecosystem are specializing in mobile and can support app developers to make an easy transition in supporting key industry consent strings like the IAB TCF v2.0. You can find the list here: https://iabeurope.eu/cmp-list/.  

2023 will have its own lot of new privacy regulations, with a few incoming in the United States. Mobile publishers will need to have a robust consent strategy to keep up with them, ensure thorough compliance, and optimize their ad revenue at the same time. At the end of the day, it is about ensuring that consumers’ privacy is being respected, and consumers will be loyal to you for that. 

If you wish to learn more, please contact your Customer Success Manager or pmm-ssp@inmobi.com.  

Describe your role at InMobi

The simplest way to describe my role is that I am the client advocate, both for the client’s side of the business and our business internally. I work towards ensuring that our retailers are monetizing their websites correctly and to their full capacity while making sure that we are bringing them new monetization opportunities.

We also gather feedback on what our clients find valuable and then communicate that to the product teams to ensure that we build with a customer-centric approach. The Commerce team at InMobi is currently in its hyper-growth stage and we are building at scale. It is revolutionary what we are doing with retail media video advertising, which is what makes me very excited about my work here.  

Tell us about your professional journey

I have had a diverse professional journey so far, all in the digital marketing space. I started with search and then moved into product listing ads in the Google ecosystem, which was in some way the first iteration of what native retail media placements look like. I spent several years working in the retargeting business and then before the pandemic, I made the switch to a shopping rewards company and began working with large consumer packaged goods brands. Looking back at my professional journey, it is interesting how things that I have worked on have all led up to retail media. 

What made you join InMobi?

Multiple reasons made me want to join the team. Everyone I spoke with before joining was highly complementary; I could sense the employee culture and the belief in the company to be wonderful. That made me want to be a part of a team of people that valued and believed in what they were doing. I was also fortunate that some of my prior co-workers were working at InMobi. They pulled me in and I did not want to lose the opportunity of working with them again! In addition, I wanted to get into a hyper-growth vertical of digital marketing and this felt like the perfect next step.

What is something that has surprised you about InMobi?

Something that has really surprised me since joining InMobi is learning about the myriad businesses that InMobi has built and continues to build. It has been so cool to get to know the history of the company and the various projects that have grown into successful divisions of InMobi and some others that did not. The long history of the company testing, iterating, and building successful products makes me excited and happy about being a part of an organization that is exploratory, revolutionary, and growing in that process.

Tell us about yourself and your life outside work

I live in Southern California with my husband and our two dog and two cats – we are big animal lovers! We are also big-time travelers and love being outdoors and exploring different places and cultures, so we try to travel internationally as often as we can. Apart from that, I’m a very creative person with many different hobbies such as reading, writing, making jewelry, and candle making.

What tip or advice would you give to aspiring InMobians?

A personal tenet that I try and live by is to always be curious and to keep asking questions, which is something I have been doing every day as a newbie here at InMobi! I have found that everyone here is so kind and willing to help one another, so my piece of advice would be to take advantage of that. It’s really something to be valued and utilized to learn and grow.

To work with professionals like Brittany and join our North America team, explore opportunities on our careers website.

Tell us about your role at InMobi

I have been with InMobi for close to 13 years now and I have worked with multiple business units and taken up different roles during this course. In my current role at InMobi, I work as the Director of Engineering for the product engineering units, supply-side platform (SSP), and InMobi Exchange. In this role, I take care of the entire technology aspect that enables SSP and InMobi Exchange, which is one of the biggest revenue territories for InMobi. I am heading a team of close to 70 engineers, from multiple domains including machine learning, artificial intelligence, predictions, optimizations, back-end, and user interface.

What is it about InMobi that has made you stay with the organization?

I believe one of the biggest reasons behind people leaving a company and switching jobs is when they start having fatigue and monotony in their role in an organization, and that has never been the case with me at InMobi. Therefore, the number one reason I would say is the endless opportunities here. During my time at InMobi, I have had the opportunity to work in almost every business division and have worked with all the InMobi veterans and leaders at some point or the other. With every opportunity, there has been immense learning and as a techie, you constantly want to learn and broaden your horizon. InMobi is at the forefront of technology, with a plethora of technologies in use which make it an exciting place to be and learn at!

Another major factor would be the culture. It's a place where I feel comfortable, secure, happy, and supported. My colleagues at InMobi have helped me navigate both professional and personal challenges, and I've always felt valued and respected. To point out one such incident, during the peak of COVID-19, my oxygen levels had dropped to 55, and at that time it was a situation of life and death and InMobi organized my first oxygen kit. I was on medical leave for 3 months, and the warmth I received from everyone at InMobi during that period is something that I will be forever grateful for. InMobi values its people and that reflects at times like these.

What are some of your biggest accomplishments during your InMobi journey?

It has been 4 years since I joined the SSP and Exchange team, and the growth that the business unit has seen since then is what I consider to be one of my biggest achievements at InMobi. It was a team of 8, and now we are around a team of 70 people. The revenue has seen a multi-fold increase.

On a more personal level, I’ve grown to become a leader and that is an accomplishment. Taking a leadership role has evolved me as a person, and my thought process and way of working have evolved as well. Seeing how your work impacts the organization is rewarding.

Who are you outside of work?

I enjoy spending my leisure time in the comfort of my home with my family. I’m a fun-loving person and enjoy watching movies, singing, dancing, and spending time with my kids. Poetry is something that I pursue as a hobby, and often pen my thoughts in the form of poetry and some philosophical writing. I also have a spiritual inclination to some extent and like to meditate every now and then for my own peace and well-being. Something that I am extremely passionate about is food. I have been living in Bangalore for 15 years now and can confidently say I know the best vegetarian food places in the city.

What keeps you motivated to constantly have an innovative mindset toward your work?

It is the environment, mentorship, and leadership that is around at InMobi. By environment, I essentially mean the excellent people that I’m working with. These are people who love challenging work, they challenge the status quo, ask difficult questions, are not satisfied with their current state, and are constantly thriving to do something even better. The leadership at InMobi is highly driven and this is something that I find very positive, as they constantly push me to perform to the best of my abilities and achieve what seems impossible.

Any tips that you would want to share with budding engineers and aspiring InMobians

I urge all budding engineering professionals to not restrict themselves to any one domain/technology, but rather explore different aspects of technology and not be confined in any manner. InMobi is a place where you are given the freedom and opportunity where you get to constantly learn and better yourself. Another thing would be to not restrict yourself only to the execution and implementation of technology, but leverage technology to enable the business to thrive and excel.

To work with tech leaders like Anshul, explore opportunities on our careers website.

What is VCDPA and how is it different from CCPA or CPRA? 

The VCDPA (Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act) is a privacy law applicable only to residents of the state of Virginia. It came into effect on January 1, and it is enforceable from the same date. This means that businesses all around the world must comply with the VCDPA law if they wish to continue processing the personal data of Virginia residents.  

Although there are similarities between these two laws, especially around sensitive personal data, there are some notable differences too. Here’s a high-level deep dive: 

What does it mean for app developers?  

To become compliant with VDCPA, app developers and publishers will need to:    

• Inform their consumers located in Virginia of their VCDPA rights through a reasonably accessible and clear privacy policy   
• Acquire consent to process sensitive personal data, including precise geo-location and children's personal data  
• Only share valid consented data with ad partners  
• Provide a clear link to users to opt-out of processing of personal data for the purposes of targeted advertising, sale, or profiling  
• Given the above, rely on a mechanism to honor consumer requests  

How is InMobi preparing? 

We have made server-side changes to consume the do_not_sell flags from our publisher customers so they can inform us when a user opts out of targeted advertising, sale, or profiling. The same will be applicable for our mediation partners and supported header bidding solutions. This means that publishers will be able to send us an opt-out flag at request level.  

Publishers will be provided with all applicable DSRs i.e. Right to Delete, Right to Access/Portability, etc., through our updated DSR Management process. All publishers will soon be notified of this updated DSR Management process.  

The fact is that for years, we’ve been using machine learning in MarTech platforms to automate key marketing and sales processes. But we’ve also been keenly aware that AI has promised so much more. With the explosion of interest in OpenAI, we were reminded of our ultimate goals:  

• Deliver inspiring, personalized and highly intuitive prospect experiences that expand awareness, drive consideration, and foster conversion 
• Recommend the right solutions to the right prospect at the right time and in the right manner 
• Optimize our people, processes, and systems for maximum impact and efficacy

Leveraging this article from HBR, we created a Crawl, Walk, Run plan for now through the end of 2024 based on what we know today. Below, you can see a quick overview of our roadmap, which will evolve in real time as we explore and learn more.   

CRAWL: What we’ve been doing to date 

• AI in our B2B Programmatic Advertising solution 
• AI in our Website Chatbot 
• AI in our Marketing Automation and CRM stack 

WALK: What we are adding now 

• Task Force: Create an interdisciplinary AI Task Force with marketing, engineering, product, legal, etc., to ensure that we stay on the leading edge of AI innovation yet remain in compliance with consumer privacy protections globally 
• Creative: Leverage generative AI to innovate and speed execution across content and social media marketing, design, interactive, audio and video production; create an engaging lead intake game that makes it fun to tell us what you need and want from InMobi 
• MarTech: Ensure that we are using the very latest in AI-based capabilities across our website, demand generation, and account-based marketing tech stack to make discovery, consideration, and conversion more intuitive, enjoyable, and successful
  • Chatbot: Improve it to be more helpful for complex inquiries while facilitating streamlined real-time human-level support when needed; integrate into support center 
  • AdTech: Optimize our use of AI within B2B programmatic advertising 

RUN: What we will add in 2024  

• Task Force: Leverage this collaboration to support the launch and adoption of new products and services that will result from this intensive year of AI R&D  
• Creative: Refine and institutionalize our best experiments in AI-driven content, image, and video generation to speed the creation of all educational and training content across the company 
• MarTech: Migrate our website to more AI-friendly / dynamically adaptive CMS for greater responsiveness and personalization  

Let me know your thoughts and if you find this post and the HBR framework helpful by emailing Hello@InMobi.com. Many thanks to authors Thomas H. Davenport, Abhijit Guha, and Dhruv Grewal for the HBR article and approach.  

Tell us about your role at InMobi

I lead product engineering for InMobi advertising. My role here is multi-dimensional and has various aspects to it. The first dimension is working toward fulfilling the organization’s vision. The second dimension would be the strategy aspect which involves a lot of critical thinking to ensure the best strategic decisions for the team. The last dimension is engineering excellence which involves more day-to-day milestones and activities to get on top of our game.

The complexity of the scale of the systems that we operate is huge and unparalleled. Heading the team for the supply and demand sides of the InMobi Advertising Platform is all about talking big bets and constantly thriving for innovation.

The professional journey that led you to InMobi

I started my career as a software engineer at Nokia back in 2004. I went on to become an architect, working as a technical architect and then as a data architect at Oracle. 

A few years down the line I grew to become a team lead which is where I truly started enjoying tapping into the collective effort of working on products with much greater impact and outcome. It has now been close to a decade since I ventured into management and started leading teams and people toward fulfilling organizational and personal objectives and goals while also unleashing innovation and creativity.

What made you want to join InMobi?

My decision of joining InMobi was essentially based on two reasons. First is the team here – absolutely great talent to work with, who are all fanatically driven and passionate about work. Second is the purpose of the company itself.

The conversations I had with the team before joining are what made me feel confident about being a part of InMobi, the first Indian unicorn that has made a mark on the global map. The company is not a start-up anymore and has entered its teenage years, constantly evolving, disrupting, and creating an identity. In the last six months since I joined, I have got the chance to see and experience it myself. There is mind-blowing talent, great purpose, and an exceptional identity that the leadership puts forward.

How is InMobi different from the previous organizations you have worked at?

During my career, I have worked in many organizations and one thing that has stood out for me at InMobi is that the founders are always taking moonshots and they encourage everyone to think big and take big bets. The psychological safety that is given to the InMobians and a simple “Hey, it’s okay!”, is something not all organizations provide. Right from an InMobian’s first day or even before they join, they are asked to be courageous in making decisions and they are trusted from day one. When a new joiner comes in, there is no bias or judgment of letting them settle in before they get involved in discussions or asked for their point of view and opinions.

Who are you outside of work?

I come from the city of Mysore, which isn’t far from Bangalore, and now serves as my relaxing getaway from the city’s hustle. I have been happily married for over thirteen years and am a father of twins, a boy and a girl. Most of my time outside work is spent with my children, taking them on outdoor activities like cricket or badminton. It is these simple moments that I spend with them that bring joy to me. I am a people person and I enjoy meeting and conversing with people and building relationships.

Your advice to all the budding engineers and aspiring InMobians

A small piece of advice would be to be courageous and embrace every opportunity that comes your way. Be prepared to take risks and learn from your mistakes. Any company can teach you how to code and design, but here at InMobi you get to experience a culture that invests in people as much as it does in products, and you get rooted in having a growth mindset. Be curious and explore all the possibilities. At InMobi, the culture is such that you would be given problems instead of tasks and you will have the freedom to explore and get feedback along the way.

To work with tech leaders like Guru, explore opportunities on our careers website.

For example, ads that use interactive elements or visually appealing designs may be more likely to capture the user's attention and hold their interest, which can lead to higher levels of engagement and potentially better results for the advertiser.  

Additionally, using creative ad formats can help to differentiate an advertisement from other, more traditional ads, which can make it more memorable for users and potentially more effective at driving conversions. 

In today’s privacy-first world, getting creative right is more important than ever before. Here are eight creative ad formats for mobile advertisers to consider:

Display Banners 

Display isn’t just for desktop anymore. Mobile banner ads can appear at the top or bottom of a mobile screen. Either static or animated, mobile display can be a highly effective way of driving traffic to a landing page or app download. But they may not be as effective in driving conversions compared to other ad formats. 

Interstitial

These are full-screen ads that appear on a mobile website or app during natural breaks in an app's content, such as between screens or after a level is completed in a game. They can be effective in capturing users' attention, but if not done properly, they can also be intrusive and annoying. 

Rewarded Video

These are ads that offer users an in-app reward such as an extra life in a game, in-game currency, or access to premium content in exchange for watching an ad or engaging with it in some way. This can be an effective way to engage users and increase ad conversion rates. 

Playable Ads

Also known as interactive video ads, video ads are already a popular format, but adding an interactive element can make them even more engaging. For example, you could create a video ad that allows users to swipe to reveal more information or make a purchase directly from the ad. 

Native

Native ads are blended in with the content of a website or app, making them less intrusive and more likely to be noticed by users. They can take the form of sponsored content, product recommendations, or even in-feed ads that look like regular content. They can be effective in increasing ad engagement and reducing ad fatigue as they are designed to be “native” with surrounding content and appear as a natural part of the app or website. 

Augmented Reality (AR)  

AR technology allows advertisers to create immersive experiences that blend the virtual and physical worlds. For example, an AR ad could allow users to virtually try on a piece of clothing or see how a piece of furniture would look in their home. 

Gamified Ads

Gamified ads are ads that incorporate elements of gaming, such as challenges or competitions, to engage users. These types of ads can be particularly effective for products or services that appeal to a younger audience. 

Video Ads

These can be short or long and can appear in a variety of formats such as skippable or non-skippable. Video ads can be especially effective at capturing users' attention and driving engagement. 

To learn more about creative ad formats from InMobi, reach out to us at Hello@InMobi.com. And check out this video on how mobile gives you more.  

This post was made using four different ChatGPT responses to questions related to mobile creative ad formats.  

1. Wyeth Nutrition S-26 Procal Gold Creates an Engaging Gamified Experience

Award Category : 

A. Gaming, Gamification & E-Sports, Silver award

B. Instant impact, Bronze award

With its mission to #NurtureTheExceptional in Indonesian children, Wyeth Nutrition decided to adopt role-play based learning to feed the growing toddlers' imagination. The brand provided a free doctor kit on the purchase of Wyeth S-26 Procal Gold for parents to enable early learning. Delivering an interactive mobile gamification experience that allowed kids to download their doctor ID card, treat, and immunize the patient, Wyeth engaged both parents and children meaningfully. Measuring the campaign's success with a brand lift study, the brand recorded a 3x engagement rate and a 79% positive action from viewers who watched the ad. Delve into the interesting details of the campaign on our case study page.

2. Wall's Viennetta Brings Back Ramadan Celebrations with mobile 

Award Category: O2O / New Retail / Innovative Sales Channels, Bronze award 

After a prolonged stay at home during the pandemic, 2022 saw Mudik travelers setting out to enjoy Ramadan with their families. Wall's became a part of these reunions by creating moments of togetherness with the relaunch of their popular family-sharing ice cream tub, Viennetta. The brand targeted ice-cream lovers with two mobile video ads, one targeted to five cities that are major hubs during Mudik and another one at the train station and one at rest stops, with compelling messaging in local languages to celebrate with Viennetta and purchase it online or at the store. The location intelligence, hyperlocal approach and video personalization proved successful, as 51% of engaged users chose to get directions to the nearest store and 49% of engaged users chose to visit the online store. By thus becoming an integral part of Indonesia's biggest festival, Wall's created a campaign that was a treat for everyone.

To know more about how Wall's executed the campaign to perfection, read the complete success story on our case study page.  

3. Wall's Cornetto Mood Targeting Wins a Million Hearts

Category: Most effective use of creativity, Southeast Asia

We all know different moods call for different food and studies show that too! Based on this fact, Wall's leveraged InMobi-Gojek audiences and identified the top four moods of netizens – happy, sad, lazy, and tired. Attributing these moods to audiences in real-time, the mood targeting experiment with InMobi showcased personalized creatives tailored to what they were likely feeling at the time. The relatability was high, and viewers were then redirected to a complete catalog of Cornetto ice cream that they could order instantly, which got delivered to them in minutes. As a result, the campaign saw an 8x CTR compared to segment behavioral campaigns and a 43% uplift in ice cream orders.

Be it video, personalization or gaming, brands are engaging consumers in brand-new ways. Learn more about such leading brands from our InMobi’s Case Studies page. If you want to ramp up your brand's goals on mobile, reach us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com.

This month marks the end of the six-month internship for the 2022 intern batch. We talked to six interns about their internship experiences and #LifeAtInMobi through some interesting questions. Here is what they had to share.

Your internship experience

Jinay Vora: Given that this was my first dive into the corporate work environment, I was happy to have such a kind and helpful team to work with and a friendly work culture that made me feel welcomed and comfortable. The experience has been full of learning, not just in technical, but also in social and professional aspects.

Ayush Kumar Singh: The friendly and chill work environment made my experience wonderful. I had my hands full with work, which combined with the entrepreneurial and ownership-driven mindset, created an opportunity for exponential learning. With exciting challenges to work on and a supportive team, I got the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the ad tech industry.

Prince Panja: The experience has been amazing. Even before starting the internship, I was really excited to be a part of InMobi because of all the videos and articles I had gone through on social media that reflected the company culture. My expectations were high and I wasn’t one bit disappointed. Working here has been truly worth the hype.

Your biggest learning during the last six months

Akshat Patel: For me, the biggest learning has been to understand the importance of good communication and teamwork. Being a part of the European Performance Sales team, I had to communicate with various stakeholders across divisions and geographies. I believe that has helped me become a more confident and efficient communicator.

Shubhra Singhal: InMobi is my first corporate internship and it has undoubtedly taught me a lot. From quantifiable and fundamental skills like Microsoft Excel to important professional ethics and practical life lessons, it has been a holistic learning experience at InMobi. I have learned the importance of communication and time management which will help me at and outside of work.

The best piece of advice you received from your mentors at InMobi

Yash Gupta: Be completely transparent in the work that you do. Everyone makes mistakes, and so will you. You should be transparent about it and own your mistakes, they are all learning experiences at the end of the day.

Akshat Patel: "Always look out for creating new opportunities and experiences for yourself." It is something my team’s regional head had said to me during her visit to the Bangalore office from London. I found her advice to be very uplifting and motivating and it has stuck with me ever since.

Your favorite InMobi memory

Jinay Vora: One of my favorite memories would be the team dinner. It was very refreshing and fun to see my teammates in a non-work environment and make connections forming relations that aren’t limited to work-related interactions.

Akshat Patel: It’s hard to pick a favorite but I would say I enjoyed the day out with the team. With a flexible working model, I didn’t get to meet all my teammates often but at the outing, it was a great time with the entire team coming together for a whole day filled with fun activities, food and drinks. It was definitely one of the highlights of my internship.

One tip for all future interns at InMobi

Yash Gupta: The experience of working from the office itself is much more fun. You get to meet professionals and build personal connections while you learn at least twice as much as you would working from home.

Jinay Vora: I would advise all new interns to brush up on their table tennis and FIFA skills as it is a great bonding experience with other co-workers. On a serious note, I would encourage everyone to go and strike up a conversation with as many people as possible. Most of them would be more than happy to talk to a fresh face and you would learn a lot more from their perspectives and thoughts.

To join us as an intern, explore internship opportunities on our careers website.

1. No break on shopping: Singapore remains the least affected region in Southeast Asia by inflation, and Singaporeans would continue to shop despite the hike in prices. 

2. Planned purchases thrive: Consumers in Singapore want an upgrade in their shopping, and with inflation hitting in, they are saving up more to buy from their favorite brands. Therefore, shopping sees an upbeat trend of premium brand choices. 

3. Mobile dominates shopping: Mobile has reigned as the preferred device for shopping, providing strong alternatives for consumers and an equal window of opportunity for brands to be visible to them in their moments of discovery. 

While Singaporeans continued to shop through the holiday season in 2022, learn what promises a bright year for shopping from the key insights. 

Q. Stanley Leong: How do you see the spending habits of Singaporeans changing from pre-inflation to today? 

Rishi Bedi: Holiday spending morale in Singapore is quite upbeat. Our study reveals that only 25% have experienced a decline in household income over the last year. With people stepping out of their homes and markets opening after two years, Singaporeans are looking forward to celebrating with friends and family. Many Singaporeans plan to spend the same, if not more, this holiday season. 

Q. Susan Ng: Do you think big online events such as 10/10 and 11/11 influence shopping behavior during the holiday season? 

Rishi: I think these big online shopping events have changed the way consumers shop. Our study shows that consumers can be divided into two categories based on their shopping behavior – Bargain Hunters and Brand Lovers. Bargain Hunters rely on these big online shopping events for the best deals after planning their purchases. Brand Lovers are saving up to purchase products from their favorite brands. What’s interesting is that gadgets are the center of attention for both groups. There has also been a shift in the way these shoppers are picking categories. Bargain Hunters are focusing on apparel and accessories, followed by gadgets and groceries. On the other hand, Brand Lovers' top shopping categories are gadgets where they want to upgrade the gadget, they already own.  

Q. Stanley: What drives Singaporeans to shop during the holiday season despite inflation? Is soaring GST prices one of the reasons? 

Rishi: From our research across Southeast Asia, Singaporeans seem upbeat about shopping and ~9 in 10 plan to have either the same or increased level of spending this year. They are reporting soaring GST prices and inflation as one of the main reasons. But there are other factors also that are encouraging Singaporeans to shop more – an increase in family size and a desire to upgrade to premium products. Inflation is making them save more and plan their purchase well in advance, and when the moment comes, they are ready to shop for it. While the frequency of purchases might have gone down, Singaporeans are planning to spend more to upgrade their existing products. 

Q. Susan: How are “revenge spending” and “the great resignation” playing a role in the shopping behavior of Singaporeans? 

Rishi: Some level of increased spending can be attributed to these factors. As discussed earlier as well, of the countries we surveyed in Southeast Asia, household incomes in Singapore have been least impacted since the pandemic. Only 2.5 in 10 Singaporeans surveyed have experienced a decline in household income compared to almost twice - 4 in 10 across Southeast Asia. In fact, 35% of Singaporean households have seen an increase in their household income. So, there is a mix of reasons why Singaporeans are spending more but the fact that places and markets are opening up after two years seems to be the top reason. 

Q. Stanley: How is brand loyalty poised this year with consumers looking for product upgrades through shopping? 

Rishi: Brand loyalty among consumers will be in flux this holiday season and this has been influenced by multiple factors. It is interesting to note that 6 in 10 consumers surveyed have already tried a new brand this year. As some Singaporeans look towards saving more and spending on specific products, they look for product alternatives. The experimental nature is taking the front seat and consumers are looking to try new brands that will provide them with a better experience. Additionally, online shopping presents consumers with an array of brands providing a wider range of choices. The omnipresence of this e-commerce experience has catalyzed the creation of marketplaces that are full of alternate brand choices. Online sale events and deals are making it easier for consumers to try new products at the best prices. This is a great time for brands to engage with consumers differently and capture their attention. 

Q. Susan: Where is most of the shopping done and what are the demographics of these shoppers? 

Singaporeans are getting more involved in their online shopping journey, leveraging every channel more extensively to learn and explore new brands/products. However, within online channels, exploring on the desktop has gone down significantly. Mobile is emerging as the preferred channel for learning and exploration. Even for purchases in some cases. There has been a significant increase in purchases made on mobile apps. They are still visiting stores but only when they have made up their minds on the product they want to buy or in cases where they want a physical experience before making the purchase. 

Q. Will this spending behavior plateau next year, especially amid the recession on cards for 2023?  

The 2022 holiday season will see four trends: 1. Learning, exploring, and buying on the go 2. Following the same traditions through different means 3. The phenomenal surge in online shopping, and 4. Selective store footfalls. As the least affected region due to inflation, the spending trend will likely continue seeing an increase. The consumers might shop less frequently but they are expected to still eye deals and upgrade to premium products, overall showing a positive outlook towards shopping. 

Read our The 2022 Southeast Asia Holiday Shopping Guide to learn more insights about last year’s holiday shopping in Singapore. 

With that being said, we are pleased to announce that for a second year in a row Business Insider has named InMobi one of the 12 hottest ad tech companies. Our success can be attributed to a few factors: our ability to adapt, innovate, and stay ahead of the curve despite the current economic downturn. Business Insider also gives a well-deserved shoutout to our very own chief business officer Kunal Nagpal who oversees InMobi Exchange which has seen nearly 40 percent year-over-year revenue growth.  

With the creation and formal expansion of Glance in 2023, we’ve prevailed in predicting the rise of surfaces being the next stage of mobile innovation. In the two years we’ve pooled together our best minds to create a stack of resources to help marketers and brands prepare for and adapt to privacy restriction changes from Apple and eventually Google.  

With 2022 winding down, this recognition makes us even more excited for the New Year and what we have in store.  

You can learn more about the announcement and the other companies on the list here:  

Read More

Read on to know more about our key wins across India and SEA at some of the most prestigious industry awards.  

MMA Smarties India and Indonesia   

MMA Smarties is a well-reputed innovation award recognizing leaders, brands, agencies, and tech providers that use technology to pioneer new approaches in modern marketing to drive strong business impact. InMobi won two key awards at Smarties India 2022 Awards for activations done with Swiggy and GCPL. The Indonesia chapter of the MMA Smarties saw InMobi secure 4 wins, for stellar mobile-first campaigns done with Wyeth nutrition, Viennetta and Wall’s Cornetto.  

To know more about our India wins, read our blog on Smarties 2022 India. For more information on the awards won in Indonesia, click here. 

With its unprecedented contribution as a global technology platform, InMobi has been ranked #1 in India and APAC and #3 globally by MMA Smarties Business Impact Index (BII) 2021. InMobi is ranked #1 for its exemplary work in driving significant business impact and helping brands achieve their full-funnel marketing goals in 2021. 

Indian Digital Marketing Awards (IDMA) 

A prestigious, industry-first initiative focused on digital marketing, IDMA recognizes, celebrates and encourages the stellar work done by brands and agencies in the digital media space. This year, the 13th edition of IDMA, saw InMobi bagging 10 key awards, for innovative campaigns executed in partnership with Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), Domex, and SplashLearn. Jury and netizens alike recognized the innovation in GCPL’s messaging, leading to the campaign bringing in one Gold and one Bronze award. Domex’s initiative of raising awareness about sanitation with clever use of Mobile led to a whopping seven awards, including 3 Gold awards. SplashLearn brought in a Silver for effectively targeting the end audience through Search, driving brand awareness and customer acquisition alike. To know more, read our blog on IDMA 2022.  

Mob-Ex Awards 

Mob-Ex awards recognize the potential of marketers and agencies that have not only successfully driven business impact on mobile but also made a lasting mark in the minds of consumers with exceptional campaigns. With 'out-of-the-box' campaigns that impressed smartphone users and the esteemed jury, InMobi secured seven wins at the Mob-Ex Awards 2022, held in Singapore. Our partnerships with leading brands from SEA were celebrated, including activations done with Paddle Pop, Wyeth Nutrition, Castrol, Selecta, Viso Pises and Pepsodent. To know more, read our blog on Mob-Ex 2022.

Festival of Media Global Awards (FOMA) 

The Festival of Media Global Awards (FOMA) has been acknowledging exceptional work from agencies, media owners, brands, and ad tech players for the past two decades. Thanks to stellar media campaigns delivered across the APAC region – executed in partnership with Domex (HUL), Selecta (Unilever) and Lifebuoy – InMobi was accredited with 4 prestigious awards in 2022. With an experiential activation, Domex, Hindustan Unilever Limited's clinical disinfection brand, raised awareness about sanitation, in turn influencing product purchases. The data-driven, compelling campaign won one Silver and one Bronze at FOMA 2022. Lifebuoy partnered with InMobi to target the end audience with personalized video communication about the importance of hand hygiene, with the campaign being recognized with a Bronze at FOMA 2022. The Philippines’ most loved ice cream brand, Selecta launched an interactive experience for potential customers, which was celebrated with a Bronze at FOMA 2022. To know more, read our blog on FOMA 2022.

The Drum Digital Advertising Awards 

The Drum Digital Advertising Awards recognizes the best digital, tech-driven advertising efforts and have come to be coveted amongst marketers across the industry. The India chapter of this ceremony saw InMobi winning the top spot for the inspiring activation done in collaboration with Tata Tea. In SEA, InMobi was recognized by The Drum for its work with Bango and Royco and Pepsodent, both of which secured top spots in the final award ceremony. Know more here.  

India Digital Awards (IDA) 

The India Digital Awards (IDA) celebrates brands that have been able to create immense impact with innovative, digital-first campaigns. In 2022, InMobi brought home 3 prestigious awards for compelling activations done with Kia Sonet and Sprite. For Kia, a leader in the automobile space, InMobi crafted an immersive experience with interactive voice ads, fetching a Gold at IDA 2022. Our partnership with Sprite saw the leading soft drink brand connecting with young India through an unmissable lock screen experience delivered on Glance, strengthened with the use of gaming. This campaign raked in appreciation under two categories – Best Brand Awareness and Best Use of Mobile for Content Marketing – with a Silver and Bronze award respectively. To know more, read our blog on IDA 2022.

Indian Marketing Awards (IMA) 

Indian Marketing Awards recognizes the impact of effective marketing in creating, communicating, capturing, and sustaining value for any organization. The 8th edition of the IMA celebrated contributors who have achieved extraordinary success via unique, ROI-driven marketing practices. Godrej Consumer Products Limited's (GCPL) incredible mobile-first campaign, executed in partnership with InMobi, brought home 4 prestigious awards this year. The brand’s personalized, tailor-made communication to end consumers won the hearts of the jury, resulting in one Gold and three Silver wins. To know more, read our blog on IMA 2022.

DATAMATIXX Awards 

DATAMATIXX Awards, an initiative by AdGully, recognizes and celebrates outstanding innovation in advertising with the thoughtful use of data and technology. InMobi leveraged the above for delivering impactful campaigns on mobile, securing eight wins at DATAMATIXX Awards 2022 for campaigns done in partnership with Swiggy, OLX, Cuvora, Star Sport, Kia and GCPL. With seamless and engaging storytelling delivered through scroll-stopping campaigns, InMobi was able to bring in five Gold awards. To know more, read our blog on DATAMATIXX Awards 2022.

Maddies Awards  

The Maddies acknowledges and recognizes marketing stories that employ an effective and innovative mobile marketing strategy. Since mobile marketing has become an increasingly important part of the overall marketing mix and InMobi has proven itself to be a thought leader in the same, this year’s edition of the Maddies saw us securing 3 wins, including two Golds for campaigns executed with Tata tea, Sprite and Swiggy. The campaigns were able to impress the esteemed jury thanks to the mobile-first narrative driving brand objectives, backed by strong consumer insights. Know more here.  

DIGIXX Awards  

The DIGIXX Awards by AdGully are designed to recognize and celebrate excellence in Digital Marketing & Advertising in the Indian subcontinent. This year, InMobi bagged 6 prestigious DIGIXX awards with show-stopping campaigns done in partnership with SplashLearn, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) and PharmEasy. The innovative, creative, and effective digital initiatives saw SplashLearn, a leading EduTech player leverage the power of Seach through Microsoft Advertising, bringing in a Gold at DIGIXX 2022. The FMCG giant GCPL turned to programmatic advertising for driving full-funnel impact with InMobi, leading to one Gold and two Silver awards. Additionally, PharmEasy, one of the biggest online pharmacy aggregators in India, drove a month-on-month increase in in-app purchases with relevant, consumer-first messaging delivered on mobile. This was instrumental in garnering one Gold and one Bronze at DIGIXX 2022. Know more here. 

Real Time Programmatic Advertising Awards  

The exchange4media Real-Time Programmatic Advertising Awards honors top brands, agencies, and media groups that champion leverage programmatic strategies in reaching marketing goals. Raising the bar with an inspiring digital transformation story, InMobi bagged 3 prestigious awards for the campaign - 'Digital Transformation: The Godrej Way'. Partnering with InMobi, the iconic brand, Godrej was able to identify right audiences and communicate the core message with expert use of programmatic video. This partnership was recognized with one Gold and two Silver awards at the Real Time Programmatic Awards 2022. To know more, read our blog.

MOBEXX Awards India 

The MOBEXX Awards seek to set an industry-wide benchmark in mobile engagement, highlighting and celebrating excellence in mobile marketing & advertising. At this year’s edition, InMobi was recognized as the best platform for Ad-tech solutions and as the most outstanding Programmatic platform for mobile advertising. In addition, campaigns executed by InMobi and its partners – Star Sports, Tata Tea, Coinswitch Kuber and Swiggy – were felicitated, bringing in an award each. Know more here.   
 

For more information on the industry recognition that we’ve received, visit our awards blog page.

Tell us about your role at InMobi

In my current role, I head the Data and Central platforms teams. The Central Data platform team works with user-centric data. The scale at which we process data at InMobi is unparalleled. We use big data tools to process them in a privacy-compliant manner. The Central Platforms team, in collaboration with the Center of Excellence team, continuously works towards improving our platforms, thereby increasing developer productivity.

A bit about yourself and your life outside work

I am a techie at heart, an engineer by profession, curious by nature, a believer in “life is a journey”, a practitioner of continuous improvement, a learner by choice and a soul as old as a dinosaur. I have been in the tech industry for more than 20 years now.

My life outside work revolves around my family and friends. I have been happily married for fifteen years and blessed with two lovely kids. I spend most of my time around them. I am also an electronics enthusiast and love picking up home automation projects. I love listening to non-fiction books and I believe it is one of the good habits I have picked up in the past 10 years.

What does a day at work usually look like?

A typical day at work for me usually involves a lot of discussions and meetings. The day mostly starts with making sure the product we have in production is functioning as designed and solving problems that come along the way. I connect with various leaders within the organization to brainstorm and collaborate on ongoing programs and projects where there is a lot of strategic thinking about the people, product, process and technology. Sometimes we get into passionate discussions on how to enable sustainable innovation within our teams. There are times when I come to the office and don’t even get to open my laptop! It’s mostly back-to-back meetings with a bunch of like-minded people and having constructive conversations about the work we do.

The most exciting projects that you have led/worked on at InMobi

One would be building the graph database that we have just released in the US and are preparing to release in India and other regions. This will help the company to shine in the ID-less world and we are doing this in the most privacy-compliant way, keeping in mind the laws across the globe. Another project would be the AI/ML platform we are building which enables an engineer or a data scientist to build a model and take it to production in the shortest amount of time. The most exciting part about these projects for me is the wide variety of problem statements that come up in the process and solving them systematically.

What is the most rewarding part about the work you do?

I believe the most rewarding part of my work would be the opportunity to connect and collaborate with highly intelligent, smart and sharp people every single day, and to learn from them. It is also rewarding when I can help my team to think through some of the work problems or about their professional journey and growth. I find the SuperYou conversations with my team extremely rewarding because they help me understand their aspirations and become a part of their journey forward. Of course, none of these would be possible without the awesome culture at InMobi. There is a huge sense of pride in being a part of India’s first unicorn and witnessing the scale at which we operate.

Any advice or tips for aspiring tech professionals?

As tech professionals, we often do not realize the importance of communication and building relations. My one piece of advice for young and aspiring tech professionals would be to invest in positive professional relationships. Instilling a people-first philosophy will help you solve problems faster, bring your products to market faster, understand the customers better and build products in a way that is delightful both to you and your customers.

To work with tech leaders like Madhan, explore opportunities on our careers website.

Find out the level they have reached. Read on for more insights and download the report, ‘Mobile Game Advertising in 2022’.

                      

It isn’t game over yet. Delve into the report for more insights and give your strategies a power-up.

Write to us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com to explore how your brand can bring its A-game.

Tell us about yourself and your life outside of work

I am a proud mother of two young and wonderful girls and, they keep me on my toes around the clock. Apart from that, I am a yoga enthusiast and an avid traveler, and especially enjoy indulging in the local cuisines and experiencing the cultural diversity of all the new places that I travel to.

Describe your role at InMobi

In my role as a talent acquisition lead, I serve as a talent adviser to the leadership teams in APAC and facilitate the onboarding of transformational talent from the tech industry and growing our teams in various APAC markets like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, etc. My work also involves working with various cross-functional teams such as Learning & Development, Compensation & Benefits, HR Systems and HR Operations team to ensure that the hiring and onboarding process is streamlined for all stakeholders, particularly in the APAC region.

Tell us about your professional journey

I have spent the last ten years of my career as a talent acquisition expert in the tech industry, having worked with organizations like Uber and Grab. Before that, I was with a management consulting firm, Gallup. Being based out of Singapore, I have built a deep understanding of the region and have had the opportunity to build a strong network in the tech industry here, which I believe is something that I’ll be able to use in my current role at InMobi and work towards getting the best of talent to the organization.

What made you join InMobi?

The regional coverage of the role I was offered at InMobi excited me. In my previous roles, I was primarily working in the Singapore market and the prospect of expanding that and working in a regional role, owning the Japan, APAC, Australia and New Zealand market was something that pulled me in. Apart from that, I was also attracted to the ad tech industry and InMobi, with its constant innovation and disruptive outlook, is a pioneer in the space and was thus the perfect opportunity for me.

What are some things about working at InMobi that surprised you?

There are quite a few things that have been a happy surprise for me ever since I joined InMobi. Firstly, the leadership is super approachable, I had the opportunity to interact with Co-Founders in first few days at InMobi. I have seen that they could be sitting two seats away from you and you approach them at any time and have a transparent and open conversation, realizing that the leadership here truly leads by example. Secondly, you get the opportunity to be an entrepreneur in your role and get immense autonomy to innovate and disrupt.

After having been at InMobi for a few months now, it has been surprising to see how people come together to get to know each other and connect beyond the normal course of work. I love the water cooler conversations that I have between work and it’s these tranquil moments that I look forward to now.

What is the most rewarding part about working at InMobi?

I think the most rewarding part of my work at InMobi would be unlocking new talent markets for our business. Tapping into untouched talent markets, placing our teams there and seeing them grow. Witnessing InMobi’s presence grow on the map through the work that I do is something that excites me and feels rewarding.

What tips or advice would you give to all aspiring InMobians?

Keep your creative hat on and be as innovative as you can in whatever you do. One of our values is “Thinking Big”, so one piece of advice for all the new hires would be to think out of the box.

To work with professionals like Hajra in our APAC team, explore opportunities on our careers website.

Here are five ways you can grow app revenue during the holidays: 

1) Create More Ad Slots 

If you’ve been apprehensive about adding more ad slots to avoid a bad user experience, or if there is any scope to add more ad slots, this is the time to leverage unutilized free ad space in your apps. Start with identifying the touchpoints in your app where you can display more ads. Then, allocate design and engineering resources to build more ad slots and unlock more revenue. 
 

2) Experiment With Ad Formats 

Explore new ad formats to drive engagement and provide a good user experience. If you've seen success with interstitial ads in your games, experiment with rewarded video to offer a user-initiated and engaging ad experience. If you've only enabled banner ads on your app, it might be worth exploring non-intrusive native ads to showcase ads that blend into your app's look and feel. 
 

3) Leverage Addressability Solutions 

Adopting addressability solutions is gaining popularity as we head toward a privacy-first advertising world. Publishers are now seeing good results by adopting Universal IDs. We recommend reading how TextNow leveraged RampIDs using InMobi’s UnifID to grow eCPMs and fill rates by 146% and 73% here. 
 

4) Revise Block Categories 

Rework your block list to unlock revenue from top spending categories. You can block IAB sub-categories instead of the parent category. For example, if you have a roleplay game, you can block ads from roleplay games and allow ads from other genres. Here is a list of block categories InMobi supports.  

5) Publish Holiday Related Content 

Modify your app’s look and feel to give a festive vibe and publish content relevant to the holiday season. You can attract spending from marketers interested in contextual targeting, and it can also help you improve customer engagement and user experience.  

Please reach us at ssp@inmobi.com to create an impactful holiday ad revenue strategy for the rest of 2022 and the upcoming year. 

He talks about his over a decade-long #LifeAtInMobi in a conversation with us.

Tell us about your role at InMobi

I joined InMobi as a designer and 11 years later, I continue to do what I love the most and pursue my career as a designer. My designations, roles and responsibilities have constantly evolved during this time. As the company has grown and I have grown with it. There was a time when I created generic ads and in the present day, I work towards the creation of more personalized and immersive creatives using the massive pool of data that has been accumulated and keeps getting updated.

What do you have to say about completing 11 years at InMobi?

It’s hard for me to believe that it has been 11 years already. It is almost like nothing has changed, I still come to work equally motivated about passionate about what I do. I feel an extreme sense of gratitude and pride to have had the opportunity to not only witness but also contribute to how we have grown as an organization during this time, especially in China.

When I first joined, we were a team of not more than 10 and now we are a family of over a hundred employees. From a single-digit number of clients to covering all major Chinese advertisers; from co-working spaces to spacious modern offices in both Shanghai and Beijing; from banner ads to fully customized cutting-edge formats, it has been nothing but a joyride for me.

What is it about InMobi that has made you stay with us over these years?

This is a question that I get asked very often by my friends, colleagues, and family. I must admit 11 years is not a short period of time and a lot can happen and be accomplished in that time. The same goes for me – I have gotten married and am raising a family now, I went back to playing the guitar, won my first MTB racing title, and even went to Antarctica and saw the most magnificent sceneries – yet one thing that has been a constant during this time is InMobi.

The reason is simple. At InMobi, I get to follow my passion as a designer. One might think it must get boring to work in the same place for so many years, but that hasn’t been the case with me. Being part of the organization since its early years, I have had the opportunity to experience the exciting evolution of InMobi in the Chinese market and I have collected some of my most treasured memories during my time in the Bangalore office. The fact that I get to work with the teams and colleagues that I cherish, keeps me excited about coming to work every day at InMobi and I don’t see that changing in the future as well.

What keeps you motivated every day?

My source of motivation and inspiration comes from my family and small things in my daily life. I enjoy running, having simple conversations, attending art exhibitions, and building Lego. I try to live by the saying “Do what you love, and love what you do.” While these things also keep me motivated at work, the fact that I get to unleash my creativity every single day and change the way people perceive advertising is something that keeps me going.

What has been your biggest learning at InMobi?

The two learnings that I have picked up over the years at InMobi are resilience and perseverance. This is something I would also like to share with all the aspiring InMobians or all the newbies. There will be difficulties and challenges along the way but the positive outlook that you have toward them would make all the difference.

To work with professionals like Miu, explore opportunities on our careers website.

This article was first published in IMPACT Magazine.

Vasuta Agarwal, Chief Business Officer, Consumer Platform Advertising, InMobi, speaks to IMPACT Weekly Magazine about how the lock screen platform, Glance, plays to the advantage of both users and brands.

Q: Glance, when it launched, was seen as a very novel idea, which tapped into an otherwise dormant part of the phone. How does it really work, and was it the first-ever lock screen platform in India?

Vasuta Agarwal: When we started Glance in 2019, it was the first lock screen platform coming out of India. It enables the seamless discovery of content for users. We’ve basically partnered with all the large Android smartphone players. Glance sits as software on the device, and every time a user unlocks a phone, he or she can see different types of content, be it a piece of news, a sporting event, a game, or something related to interesting apps. Essentially, we bring three to four propositions on the lock screen. One is around live news sports and entertainment, another is gaming, and then we have live commerce. If you select a particular section within Glance, let’s say gaming, you will find all the different games that a user can play even without having to download them. Similarly, you have a shop tab.

With a single click, a user can actually discover different kinds of content, you don’t even have to go into an app. There is also the live proposition, where you can see how many active users are currently on a section. Here you also have live shopping events, live music shows, and even live concerts, all of which run on the screen.

Q: Can you tell me how many users Glance has today in India? Also, could you give me the breakup of those who’ve installed Glance on their own and those who are using Glance because it’s already there on their phones?

VA: We are present on more than 200 million devices in India across all the major manufacturers that you can think of in Android. We are seeing users spending almost 25 minutes a day on Glance across these different kinds of content categories and genres. In 2021, we saw almost 75% growth in engaging users. On average, a user may be unlocking a phone 70 times, and so the kind of variety of content that you can bring in for a single user is just enormous.

By now, you have heard of CPRA, but if you haven’t, here’s everything you need to know: 

What is CPRA and how is it different from CCPA? 

CPRA essentially works as an addendum to the CCPA. The CPRA will go into effect on January 1, 2023, and it will be enforceable starting on July 1, 2023.  

While there are a few differences, especially with the addition of new consumer rights, the main changes revolve around the sharing of personal data and the introduction of the SPI category (Sensitive Personal Information), which includes precise geo-location.  

Here’s a high-level deep dive:

What does it mean for app developers?

To become compliant with CPRA, app developers and publishers will need to:   

• Inform consumers of the new CPRA rights through their privacy policy  
• Provide a clear link to users for “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” and a link for “Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information”. This can be coupled if it allows the user to opt out.  
• Acquire consent to sell or share personal information of users younger than 16 years-old from the guardian.  
• Given the above, rely on a mechanism to honor opt-out requests to scale and process opt-out requests.  

How is InMobi preparing?

We have been compliant with the CCPA since its release in January 2020, and we plan to do the same for the CPRA when it comes into effect on January 1, 2023. 

We are making changes to our systems to consume the do_not_sell flags from our publisher customers so they can inform us when a user opts out. The same will be applicable for our mediation partners and supported header bidding solutions. This means that publishers will be able to send us an opt-out flag at the request level.  

We will also provide a form on the InMobi Publisher Dashboard where publishers will be able to raise Data Subject Rights, including the CPRA rights.  

In parallel, we are also expanding the scope of Data Subject Rights that we support, in line with CPRA requirements which will be reflected in our CCPA privacy addendum. 

We will notify our customers and work with them to start adopting the API. 

‘Tis the season to ask a question – How will your brand successfully engage these billions? 

Create room for your goals 

There’s no doubt that plenty of challenges come with this season. 

But the good news is that there is a way to turn them into tremendous opportunities. 

#1 – Balance the interests for shopping and match watching 

How many tabs/apps do you have open right now? That’s right, people do more than one thing at once. Shopper behavior on the Microsoft network found that 27% of their audience is more likely to search for information or products related to the match they are watching – such as the jersey of their favorite team or some other merchandise. The data further indicates that 36% of the audience is more likely to purchase a flat-screen TV and 60% are more likely to purchase a laptop. These trends show that viewers are always going to be looking at a second screen. 

The audience is likely to look at their PC during matches and working hours to watch the game, research teams, and check results while also shopping on the side. It is highly possible that they have a second screen to get match updates while keeping track of their emails and spreadsheets on another screen. 

Marketers could benefit from developing a robust advertising strategy that focuses on engaging their audience across multiple devices to create a seamless experience. For instance, Microsoft Advertising enables markets to target and engage PC audiences effectively and can make seasonality adjustments to account for the heightened activity during this period. Target returns on ad spends and target cost per acquisition are both supported bid strategies with these seasonality adjustments. Additionally, shoppers on the Microsoft Network are more likely to be high-income earners when compared to the average internet user, so brands have an audience that is more likely to make a purchase. 

#2 – Conquer the rise in media cost 

We get it – while soccer players tackle the ball, brands need to tackle investments and returns. Luckily, while traditional media gets expensive, there is a great chance to score with digital media. Thoughtful contextual placements can take your brand a long way in connecting with consumers. 

For example, Microsoft used its Audience Intelligence to develop easy-to-use in-market audiences, designed specifically for the football event. This will let your brand target high-value customers across Microsoft Search and Microsoft Audience Network. On search campaigns, these in-market audiences can be associated with your brand’s current top-performing ad groups with the "bid only" targeting model. You could begin with a bid boost of 20% and then adjust it as you evaluate the campaign’s performance. On audience campaigns, it will benefit your brand if you add these lists in "target and bid" to existing ones that are using in-market audiences. Alternatively, you could create a separate campaign that targets these sports and soccer enthusiasts in an efficient manner. 

Ensure a class act 

Most matches fall during non-working hours for viewers in APAC, which means viewers are more relaxed and less likely to be distracted or get busy. This attentive audience will have all eyes on your content, so make it a cracker. 

Microsoft Advertising reported that they saw a huge number of soccer enthusiasts from APAC on their platform. The platform is home to 63% of Australia’s football fans, 54% of Japan’s soccer lovers and 46% of India’s football enthusiasts. 

Moreover, since fans are likely to use both mobiles and personal computers (PCs) to watch matches, it would be wise to use platforms such as Microsoft Advertising that are designed to reach them across devices. 

Our opinion: a combination of search and native placements to deliver rich content and thoughtful experiences to the soccer viewer will ensure that class act. 

There is no doubt that with the anticipation building, there’s a great opportunity for brand building. Whatever your goal, score with a strategy across mobile and PC this year.

The Year of Recovery, Easing in and Shopping 

After two years of social distancing and slowed-down celebrations, consumers are breathing easy this year and are ready to ring in celebrations in full glory. They plan to bring back shopping in their festive regime and shop everything that makes them festive-ready, from apparel and accessories, to home décor and furnishing. 

From Stocking Up to Saving More 

As inflation hits the markets, Southeast Asians prefer to stock up during hot deals. They are also open to exploring less expensive options to balance the price rise and intend to save more than spending. 

Mobile Apps Dominate the Shopping Journey 

Desktop websites have declined in popularity as consumers are opting to learn, explore and buy on mobile. With exclusive app discounts, and easy returns/ exchanges, mobile apps are delivering the most convenient shopping experiences to become the undisputed king of the shopping journey. The shift in payment channels will favor digital wallets in apps trumping cash as the mode of payment. 

The Nature of Holiday Shoppers 

Southeast Asia homes will have three key buyer personas this festive season. Bargain hunters-who haven’t planned their purchases and are waiting for offers, Category explorers- who have decided on the categories but not the brands, and Brand lovers – who have decided on the brands and products they purchase. 79% of these audiences have not decided on the brands yet, leaving brands a huge opportunity to gain their attention and convert them. 

The Four Fantastic Pillars for a Blockbuster Festive Season 

The 2022 holiday season will see four major pillars driving festive success for marketers. 

1. Get to the Core of Audience Sentiments: Did you know there's about a 2x growth rate in online women shoppers from 2020? Marketers must leverage the right blend of demographic, location, and app usage signals to understand the new normal consumer habits and strike a chord with them. 

2. Target Households for Holistic Success: The key to success this season is by identifying the initiator, buyer, influencer, and user within the household and influencing them with cross-device and offline-to-online attribution. 

3. Win with the Right Creative Formula: Brands must tease with custom creatives to capture attention, drive engagement with mobile videos, and close conversions with data-driven personalization to ace the marketing game. 

4. Strengthen Intent with Online-to-Offline Experiences: Deliver seamless in-store experiences online with 3600 store tours, share offer details and directions to the nearest store to capture purchase intent with shoppable solutions. 

Delve into the 2022 Southeast Asia Holiday Shopping Guide to learn more about the consumer outlook and get a glimpse of the latest trends that help marketers mark successful festive growth. 

As our team in London stands at the cusp of massive growth and expansion in the region, Philip talks about what it feels like to work at InMobi in a candid conversation. He shares that “freedom with responsibility” is a value that InMobi truly stands by and how it allows InMobians to meet their potential. Philip further goes on to talk about InMobi culture and how it forms the foundation for us as an organization. “The strongest asset within working at InMobi comes down to the culture,” he adds.

Watch the video and find out all that Philip has to say about the company and his #LifeAtInMobi.

To work with leaders like Philip in our UK team, explore opportunities on our careers website.

Find out the level they have reached. Read on for more insights and download the report, ‘Mobile Game Advertising in 2022’.

                    

 

Game over? Not yet.

Delve into the report for more insights and take your strategies to the next level.

And to explore how your brand can bring its A-game, write to us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com.

To know more about these changes in the Australian holiday shopper’s journey, download the 2022 Holiday Shopping Guide.

                    

There’s more in store! 

Get the guide for more insights on how to delight the Australian holiday shopper. 

To know how your brand can be on their wish list, write to us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com.

Top Countries by Ad Revenue for Both Android and iOS 

Tenjin’s data shows a healthy revenue and impression distribution between the two operating systems. Being a leading monetization partner for app developers across the world, it’s no surprise to find a mix of countries from North America, South America, EMEA, and APAC as our top revenue markets.  

Building on Tenjin’s trends, InMobi has traditionally performed well in other markets like Vietnam and Mexico. 

40% of Android revenue driven by full screen 

These numbers are a global average across the SSP, therefore they will vary by region and by publishers. While a majority of our inventory across both OS is on banner ads, 40% of Android and 30% of iOS revenue is generated through non-banner inventory such as interstitial and rewarded ads. In fact, some of our larger publishers see 40%+ of revenue on full screen. 

With users preferring more and more opted-in formats like rewarded video, we have seen tremendous growth on full screen placements. Full-screen inventory ad requests for the InMobi Exchange grew by 173% and 38% in revenue in Q2 ’22 as compared to the previous year.  You can take a look at our rewarded video growth here.  

We also expect our native inventory and revenue to growth exponentially as we’ve just announced our closed beta for native ad monetization on our header bidding integration with AppLovin MAX. We now also support native ads on Google Open Bidding for both app and mobile web. 

 Interstitials Ads Post Google's New Ads Guidelines 

Effective September 30, Google’s new Ads' guidelines bans full screen interstitial ads that show unexpectedly and that are not closable after 15 seconds and interrupt users in their actions.  

While the policy invites better ad practices, the gaming developer ecosystem was certainly wondering about a potential impact, especially across the hyper-casual category.  

However, looking at the data at global level we only found a 2% decrease in eCPMs across Android, which is linked to seasonality. We also saw a steady growth of 9% in revenue and 5% in impressions, concluding that the new ad guidelines are not leading to a high impact based on the trend we see right now. 

Overall, we at InMobi welcome guidelines that focus on user experience. We believe that this will enable a better experience for the users and eventually drive higher and better engagement.  

Download the full report here. 

Read Today

Shumel is also the founder of Appsumer and he joined InMobi's London office seven months back after the platform joined forces with the InMobi Group. In this candid conversation with us, he talks about the InMobi culture that enables freedom to be entrepreneurial and the growth mindset that drives us forward.

Shumel shares that it is the mindset of the leadership at InMobi that pushes everybody to think outside the box and bring their own innovative ideas and point of view to the table. “Thinking without constraints allows us to come up with a lot more ideas that we may not otherwise,” he adds.

Watch the video to hear all Shumel has to say about the company and his #LifeAtInMobi.

To join InMobi’s team in the UK, explore opportunities on our careers website.

Here’s why brands love advertising on mobile gaming apps:

• They see higher attention and up to 2X higher engagement rates from audiences on mobile games

• There is room for more precise targeting and personalization

• Brands can score even with hard-to-reach audience segments while they play considering 43% mobile gamers in India are women and 31% gamers are aged over 45 years

• The experiences they can create for gamers on these apps are interesting and innovative

Marketers, let’s talk about your game plan.
Mobile game advertising when done right can achieve wonders – possibly even your highest score! There has been a whopping 2x jump in mobile gaming ad spends since 2021. Here’s how brands can play it smartly:

• Play the right game:
  Find out the games that your audience loves and is suited to your brand’s values. Scale and optimize your campaign on these apps programmatically. The Open Exchange is the most popular method to do so, and Private Marketplace deals come a close second.

• Score with the right format:
  Choose from fresh and engaging formats. Be it blended in-game experiences, rewarded videos, interstitials or playables, you can engage your audience in the most relevant way. Blended in-game ads are what brands are most looking forward to. InMobi’s platform data showed 1.6X growth in advertisers spending on video ad placements on mobile games.

• Catch the right metric:
  Craft your experience based on what you want to measure. Some great metrics to capture while advertising on mobile games are brand awareness, completion rates, attention time, viewability, and reach and frequency. Our report shows that ads on mobile game apps deliver close to 2x higher completion rates, engagement and eCPMs as compared to benchmarks.

Now that you’ve seen how advertising on gaming apps can create engaging experiences and help you measure success and ROI, let’s look at three myths about mobile game advertising – and wipe them out!


Is your brand safe? Are mobile game apps brand-safe?
Rest assured, your brand won’t lose a life. You can identify a range of safe apps that suit your brand’s values and the audience you want to reach: Our study found that there is an 83% match between the game and the brand’s values!


Do mobile games really take the media mix to the next level?
Advertisers have found that gaming apps enrich the media mix. InMobi’s platform data showed that 34% of all ad spends were on game apps between January and July 2022. And there has been a 60% year-on-year growth in the volume of advertisers investing in mobile game advertising.


Will it be game over as you tackle the challenges of advertising on gaming apps?
Advertising on mobile game apps is not at all difficult to manage or expensive to run. Plug-and-play solutions make it easy and affordable: 97% of brands who advertise on mobile game apps report high satisfaction.


Yes, mobile game advertising can give your brand a power-up.
A large variety of formats and a good number of success metrics make mobile game advertising a winning solution to help your brand achieve its objectives.

Get more insights on how brands score with mobile game advertising. Read our report, Mobile Game Advertising in 2022.
To know more about how to advertise on mobile games, write to us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com.

Brands have played along so far. But will they continue to?
Mobile gaming is booming in Southeast Asia, and consequently so is mobile game advertising. Our recent report, Mobile Game Advertising, 2022 found that Southeast Asia saw a 2x increase in ad spends on mobile game apps, since before the pandemic.

In fact, in just the last two years, 6 in 10 advertisers in Southeast Asia took up mobile gaming advertising.

There’s a whole list of reasons why brands in Southeast Asia love advertising on mobile gaming apps, and why your brand should too:

• Attention! Here’s your chance to get more attention.
  The rate of attention and engagement from gamers is incredible, making them a great audience for your brand. Our data shows that ads on mobile game apps delivers 2x higher engagement.

• Keep your brand safe.
  There’s a gaming app out there for every type of brand, so you know it’ll be right for your consumers. Our report found that 88% of the time, there is great suitability between the game and the brand!

• It’s personal, in a good way.
  Mobile game apps offer scope for accurate targeting and enhanced personalization that your audience will love. Over 57% seasoned brands rated this as one of the top five reasons they continue advertising on mobile game apps.

• Innovation: Unlimited.
  Gaming apps are a playing field for innovation. Your brand can create out-of-the-box engaging experiences that will enrich the media mix with a variety of formats such as blended in-game ads, rewarded videos, playables and interstitials. InMobi’s platform data shows 30% growth in advertisers spending on video ad placements on mobile games.

Okay, marketers: How will you bring your A-game?
When done right, advertising on mobile games can make your brand a top scorer! Our data shows that in 2022 alone, 60% of all ad spends were on game apps. But hey, we heard that there are some false rumors about mobile game advertising. If you’ve heard them, it’s time to clear the air!

Did someone say it’s hard to measure success on gaming apps? They’re playing.
From assessing key metrics such as completion rates, attention and engagement, viewability, reach and frequency to enhancing recall and consideration, brands are using several ways to see how their ads have scored on mobile game apps. InMobi’s platform data shows that advertising on mobile game apps delivers better performance compared to non-game apps with 1.6x higher completion rates, 2x higher engagement, and 33% higher eCPMs.

Puzzled as you wonder if mobile game advertising is tough or expensive?
Advertising on mobile game apps can be easy, affordable, and scalable with a range of plug-and-play options available via programmatic solutions! Within the programmatic domain, Private Marketplace deals are the most popular method for brands to advertise on game apps. 97% of brands who advertise on mobile game apps report high satisfaction.

Fresh formats, engaging experiences and measurable metrics make mobile game advertising a winning way to meet your goals.
Get more insights on how brands score with mobile game advertising. Read our report, Mobile Game Advertising in 2022.

To know more about how to advertise on mobile games, write to us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com.

How App Growth Marketers Can Get a Fast Start With SKAN 4.0 

In addition to adopting iOS 16.1 SDK in your apps, here are key action items app growth advertisers can take today to prepare for these meaningful improvements and where they should be looking to their partners for expertise and assistance: 

Revisit conversion value mapping schemas and verify MMP support

Work in close collaboration with your media partners such as InMobi alongside your MMP to develop a refreshed strategy that takes into consideration how to leverage the multiple postbacks now available, incorporate the new Coarse Conversion Value, and determine when to trigger conversion window locking to receive postbacks more rapidly than the default times of  0-2, 3-7, and 8-35 days that are associated with the three static windows.  These new features should be approached in a strategic manner that maximizes campaign optimization while also delivering the level of performance reporting insights you need. Consult with your measurement partners to ensure systems are ready to support your updated conversion mapping schemas and reporting needs.  

Ensure media partners are deploying upgrades that maximize the value of SKAN 4.0

Media partners must update their systems to support the new 4-digit Hierarchical Source ID, Safari web-to-app flow and ensure access to ample SKAN 4.0 compliant mobile app and web ad inventory.  Additionally, you should look to them to be making enhancements to their machine learning models that drive better performance leveraging the fresh signals SKAN 4.0 provides, accounting for multiple postbacks, new delay mechanisms, Hierarchical Conversion Values and Source IDs.  

Get in Touch

We’re happy to help you cut through the noise and understand how these changes impact your app’s growth in a meaningful way. Reach out to your InMobi Account Executive to get started, or use our contact form. You can also find more of our insights on how to navigate iOS app performance marketing and SKAN in a privacy-first world in our SKAN 4.0 Resource Center.  

Visit Today

Here’s a breakdown of the highlights and what it all means for the iOS performance advertising ecosystem.  

SKAN 4.0 Went Fully Live With All Announced Features  

Apple shut down skeptics by delivering all the notable enhancements promised when SKAN 4.0 was first revealed in full well before the end of 2022. InMobi covered these in more detail shortly after SKAN 4.0 was announced, and here’s a quick recap of the expected improvements now available:   

Fixed conversion windows of 0-2, 3-7, and 8-35 days rather than a rolling timer:

One of the most confounding mechanisms included in earlier versions of SKAN is the rolling 24-hour timer that resets each time a user completes one of up to 63 conversion events, meaning any insight into the most highly engaged users acquired as a result of a campaign can be delayed up to 65 days. Now, let the collective rejoicing begin as the rolling clock is replaced by three static windows of time that will allow for much more predictable delivery of campaign insights aligned to key stages of the post-install customer journey.  

Track up to three distinct conversion events instead of just one

As a companion to the three new fixed conversion windows, SKAN will also send up to three attribution postbacks. This gives app growth marketers notably better insight into the post-install customer journey, which in turn provides a clearer understanding of return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) and richer, more frequent signals for improving campaign optimization. A winning ad network is eligible to receive all 3 postbacks, and up to 5 non-winning ad networks are eligible to receive the first postback.  

More flexible, multi-tiered approach to crowd anonymity instead of a binary threshold

For an attribution postback to contain key insights like conversion value in SKAN v3.0 and below, each campaign is graded daily and assigned a passing or failing score that hinges on whether Apple is satisfied that the number of installs it drove was high enough to adequately obscure each converted user’s privacy. SKAN 4.0 grades on a curve instead, delivering a broader range of insights with varying granularity dependent on a crowd anonymity spectrum that takes into account the traffic volume of both the advertiser’s and the ad publisher’s app, as well as how many users converted after seeing an ad associated with a distinct campaign and ad network.   

Media partners have up to 1000x more freedom to optimize campaigns

Perhaps the most limiting feature found in earlier versions of SKAN from a campaign optimization perspective is the 2-digit campaign identifier, which caps the number of campaigns each media partner can run to no more than 100. Gone is the 2-digit Campaign ID in SKAN 4.0, and in its place is a new parameter called Hierarchical Source ID that can have as many as 4 digits.  The number of digits included in an attribution postback is controlled by Apple’s updated crowd anonymity grading scale with more digits passed as Apple’s confidence in user privacy grows. This gives ad networks up to 10,000 unique combinations of signals they can take advantage of to fine-tune for maximum performance and cost effectiveness. 

Expanded spectrum of conversion insights available at varying levels of granularity

Apple’s school of privacy in advertising likes to reward good students and one such reward is the Hierarchical Conversion Value, which is new in SKAN 4.0. The legacy conversion value in earlier versions of SKAN that allowed advertisers to define up to 63 conversion events is still in place, but it is now referred to as the Fine-Grained Conversion Value with a companion called the Coarse-Grained Conversion Value. This new parameter has three values that can be assigned to important conversion events, and it can be received in any of the 3 postbacks even when the highest tier of crowd anonymity isn’t met, while the fine-grained value will be reserved for only the first postback and higher crowd anonymity tiers.   

Support for Safari mobile web-to-app campaigns within the SKAdNetwork flow: 

While earlier versions of SKAdNetwork offer support for only in-app campaigns, SKAN 4.0 adds the ability to attribute app performance driven by ads shown in Safari’s mobile browser. This unlocks an additional conversion path for attracting new users via SKAN-compliant app growth campaigns.   

Apple Had a Few New Tricks Up its Sleeve 

In addition to delivering all expected SKAN 4.0 features ahead of schedule, Apple also worked in a few surprises, with some more welcome than others. Here’s a rundown of the new details revealed now that SKAN 4.0 is available in the wild:  

Ability to lock conversion windows

Additional functionality was revealed that gives advertisers the choice to trigger a locking mechanism when conversion events occur within each of the three new default windows. This causes SKAN to stop tracking additional conversion events until the next fixed window opens, and in turn will allow postbacks to be delivered more rapidly to inform campaign optimizations.  This locking mechanism can be configured to trigger as soon as any conversion event happens within one of the three windows, or it can be tailored to apply selectively only when events that matter most occur.   

Randomized delay mechanics for postback delivery

The rolling timer that resets anytime a new conversion event occurs in earlier versions of SKAN might be gone, but now there’s a new timing nemesis to contend with in the form of less favorable randomized delays dictating when Apple sends postbacks after a conversion window is locked or closes by default. The first postback is delivered 24-48 hours after the conversion window closes, which is in line with earlier versions of SKAN.  However, the second and third postbacks can be delayed up to 144 hours, or 6 days, dampening hopes of deeper post-install cohort analysis of how conversion timing impacts lifetime value.

Broader range of crowd anonymity tiers and visibility into corresponding levels of data granularity available in postbacks

Apple described three levels of crowd anonymity when it announced SKAN 4.0, but newly released documentation reveals four data tiers numbered from 0 at the low end to 3 at the high end. When the first postback is sent, the top two tiers are both eligible to receive the most granular conversion and source ID values, with the only difference between the two being that the 2nd tier does not receive details on which specific app displayed the ad that drove conversion. Tier 1 only receives a 2-digit source ID and the Coarse-Grained Conversion Value, and tier 0 mirrors what is received in SKAN v3.0 and below in instances when the Privacy Threshold is unmet. More detail on how postback granularity is impacted by data tier and conversion window sequence is available in this handy visual.  

In addition to adding more advanced logic to how Crowd Anonymity is calculated, Apple also revealed key elements that factor into this equation:   

• Crowd size of advertiser’s app 
• Crowd size of ad publisher’s app 
• Frequency with which an ad network’s hierarchical source ID appears in conversion events 

Safari to app flow

Documentation for SKAN 4.0 clarifies that its newly released web-to-app flow is limited to only Safari v16.1+ and will not support other browser apps or in-app browsers. This additional channel is still an incremental win, despite being narrower in scope than the industry hoped.   

InMobi has been bullish about SKAN from the start, and we’re excited to embark on this next phase alongside our clients and partners. We know how complex SKAN is to navigate, and the last thing app growth marketers need to worry about is unpacking all the technical minutia that comes with each new version. We’ve put together some quick tips here with steps you can take now to prepare to take advantage of SKAN 4.0's enhancements, and are happy to help you cut through the noise and understand how these changes impact your app’s growth in a meaningful way. 

Reach out to your InMobi Account Executive to get started, or use our contact form. You can also find more of our insights on how to navigate iOS app performance marketing and SKAN in a privacy-first world in our SKAN 4.0 Resource Center. 

Visit Today

Having completed almost a year at InMobi, Darren is already in love with the company culture and flexibility at work. He believes that people at InMobi, the InMobians, make work exciting and worthwhile. Working out of InMobi's London office gives Darren the perfect opportunity to collaborate with our teams across the globe. He is confident that with the right efforts and hard work there is immense potential for an individual's growth within the company.

Watch Darren talk about his experience and #LifeAtInMobi in this video.

To join InMobi’s team in the UK, explore opportunities on our careers website.

Not sure where to start? Well, you’re in the right place. Over the last few months, we’ve put together a wealth of resources that should get you on the right track regardless of where you are on your privacy-first journey. So, whether you have only 4 minutes to spare or a little longer, there’s something here for everybody.  

Let’s begin. 

Driving Growth: A Resource Center for Mobile Media and Marketing Professionals 

The mobile ecosystem has been shifting significantly, from changes to how Apple’s IDFA can be used for advertising tracking, to ATT framework and SKAN for insights into campaign performance. It’s a lot to keep track of and understand.   

Plus, who wants hundreds of tabs open and bookmarks? 

So here is the growing collection of deep dives into marketers' and app developers' biggest privacy-compliance, addressability, execution, and measurement challenges.  

Visit Today

The Essential SKAN 4.0 Playbook

This Playbook gives you everything you need for a solid foundation on SKAN 4.0 so you can adapt and scale according to your needs.  

Inside:   

A breakdown on Apple’s privacy strategy from ATT to the upcoming SKAN 4.0  

Key changes and improvements in SKAN 4.0 and why these enhancements matter  

Tips and next steps to take to ensure success with SKAN 4.0 

Take a Look

Looking Ahead to SKAN 4.0 

In this whitepaper, you’ll get an introduction to the InMobi approach to SKAN 4.0 and how we plan to help our partners succeed.  

Available Now 

SKAN 4.0: What App Advertisers Need to Know 

Looking for advertiser-specific guidance on SKAN? We’ve got you covered.  

Get ahead and learn what’s new with:   

Hierarchical Conversion Values    

Multiple Conversion Windows              

Hierarchical Source Identifiers  

Web-to-App Attribution  

And more! 

Read Now

SKAN 4.0: What Publishers Need to Know 

This is a great place to learn about the benefits SKAN 4.0 will bring to publishers today.   

Read Now

4 Things You Need to Know About SKAN 4.0 In 4 Minutes

We all know that changes coming to SKAN can be overwhelming, so we’ve streamlined all the key information about Apple's SKAN 4.0 release in an infographic you can read during your morning coffee or between meetings. It’s that simple.  

Check it Out

iOS 16 Debuts With Focus on Lockscreen, ‘Rise of Surfaces,’ and Consumer Experience 

Apple’s 2020 ATT announcement helped advance the advertising world toward a privacy-first future, and every iOS update since has come with anticipation of more privacy changes. However, we can all take a sigh of relief about iOS 16. This new update focused primarily on improving the consumer experience and reaffirmed that the lockscreen is the next great frontier for mobile.  

Read Today

Want to Test Your Knowledge? 

Are you a student at heart? InMobi U is the perfect place to get a best-in-class breakdown on identity and test your knowledge.  

Here are two courses to help you get started:  

Identity for Mobile Advertising

IDFA/ATT Mini-course

iLead is the leadership learning and development curriculum at the InMobi Group. It is a journey comprising of three pitstops: Milestone – A first-time people manager training program, Capstone – A training program for seasoned managers, and Keystone – A program curated for high-potential future leaders.

iLead Milestone Program

The iLead Milestone Program is one-third of the leadership learning and development curriculum at InMobi, curated to build and nurture people managers as they embark on their leadership journey. When talking about this one-of-its-kind program, Veena Sethuraman, Vice President – Learning and Organizational Development said, “We just didn’t want to solve for learning at a cognitive level; it needed to touch people’s feelings and make a real impact from an emotional intelligence standpoint.”

The Milestone Program is based on four InMobi leadership attributes, that reflect the InMobi principles:

• Strategy – Bold and Ambitious

Exploring how being bold and ambitious is what InMobi stands for and encourages across the organization.

• People – Inspire, not Manage

Discovering how leaders inspire teams to take make those bold and ambitious moves and encourage powerful decision-making.

• Execution – Making things happen

Inculcating a never give up attitude and believing how relentless aspiration for our goals gets us closer to our ultimate vision.

• Customer – Being customer-obsessed

Developing a customer-centric approach and working towards building the best customer experience.

Program Structure

Spread over a period of four months, the program is run in annual batches by virtually accommodating InMobians across the globe. Each batch is then classified into smaller groups to facilitate a smoother learning experience.

The four-month course is crafted to focus on each of the earlier mentioned InMobi leadership attributes for a month. The curriculum for each month is a well-thought combination of self-paced learning as well as interactive group and live sessions. This encourages a holistic and free-flowing learning process and allows the participants to not only learn but also reflect on and apply the learnings. The attendees are encouraged to join and participate in Reflection Circles, a group coaching conversation, that is organized at the end of each month, for them to get together with their peers and reflect upon the learning of the past month and share what worked well and what are the key areas that perhaps requires a group discussion for a deeper and more substantial understanding.

The entire course curriculum planned by the Learning and Development team at InMobi is designed to ensure that the journey is conversational, fun and engaging. It is equally important for the participants to perceive the process in a psychologically safe atmosphere, and not feel pressured to undergo the program.

The program structure also inculcates the involvement of the participants’ managers throughout this journey. Managers receive monthly reports for their team members undergoing the training to encourage healthy and constructive conversations around their Milestone journey outside the program.

Learning & Development team at InMobi has seen tremendous success through this program in paving a journey for budding leaders as they shape their professional careers.

From the Participants’ Desk

Here is what recent Milestone achievers have to say about the program.

“The iLead Milestone program was very special to me as I started my career as a manager. The program made me reflect and think deeply about how I want to be as a manager and what the key aspects are needed for a people manager. The whole program was very well thought out, and each level together formed an amazing package. Overall iLead was a fun, insightful and a cherished learning program which I thoroughly enjoyed.” – Manasa Deshpande

“The program helped us imbibe some important soft skills which should keep us in good stead, not only professionally but in some cases personally too. I realized that a lot of managers were facing similar problems in spite of being in different functional teams. Someone or the other was able to overcome these problems in their own unique way which was shared in the closed group discussions which I found very beneficial. This program is just one of the ways Inmobi as a company looks to invest in its people and I consider myself very fortunate to be a part of such an organization.”  - Jacob Joseph

“Keeping aside all the lessons and skills I learned along the way of my iLead journey. For me, the most valuable gift was a bunch of new friends within the Inmobi family, who will always cheer along as we all reach for new heights in our careers. That's something priceless! Team iLead has made me firmly believe in learning from our difficult experiences and emerging stronger.” – Bodhisattya Chakraborty

“For me, the iLead journey was filled with self-discovery & a lot of relatable anecdotes from regular work-life. I must admit, it was a very-well devised program for any first-time manager & was filled with fun-learn. From the gamification of case studies to coming together as a team on Mural boards every bit was quite novel. Due to the diversity of audiences across geography, it was fantastic to get perspective from different folks and what struck me is that the problems that I face daily (personal & professional) exactly mirrored those of my colleagues in other geographies. Thus, making us believe that we are all in it together.” – Purnank Desai

“The iLead program has been a great experience for me. One of the key things I noticed was that even in the virtual world the participants were able to collaborate smoothly. In terms of my learning, each session gave me a different perspective altogether and which I consider one of the key advantages of this program. You get to meet and chat with so many folks from various domains and get their viewpoints on leadership styles as well as the pain points when it comes to leading people.” – Viraj Shrivastava

“The iLead Training program is intensive but very well structured. All the topics that got covered were relevant to the real world and were simple yet powerful rules for managing teams efficiently. The trainers were extremely enthusiastic and highly interactive with the groups. Ranging on a scale of good to excellent, the program was extremely relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this program and certainly feel better equipped as a leader. A big thanks to the iLead team.” - Archana Kapoor

Watch this video to hear more about this program from the participants.

To join our team, explore opportunities on our careers website.

Campaign #1: Swiggy Drives Instant Impact with One-click Install on Glance

Category: Instant Impact – Silver Award

With mobile consumption shifting from switching between apps to waking up to mobile screens, Swiggy leveraged the innovative lock screen platform – Glance to grow its business and drive performance gains at optimized costs. Targeting consumers with higher purchasing power on popular apps, Swiggy identified first-time users who were more likely to convert into frequent purchasers. The campaign displayed scrumptious delicacies and an ‘Install Now' CTA on the lock screens. Based on the user’s location and time of the day, the brand served them offers and dishes for breakfast, lunch or dinner from hyperlocal cuisines that appealed to their taste buds. Additionally, the brand showcased captivating 10-second video ads and discount coupons on the Glance carousel, nudging new app installers to place their first orders. As a result, the brand saw significant and instant performance gains with a 29% increase in month-on-month first orders and an impressive 30% lower cost per new user on food delivery.  

This campaign was also a widely accredited finalist in the Personalization award category.

Read the full story here.

Campaign #2: Godrej Consumer Products Pioneers Precision Marketing at Scale on Programmatic Video

Category: Best Use of Indigenous Languages in Mobile Advertising – Bronze Award

Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) aimed to build brand salience within the insecticide category amidst all the pandemic clutter, through a meaningful, engagement-driven mobile campaign. The brand successfully engaged connected consumers with personalized communication delivered through programmatic video, utilizing first-party data and precise targeting. While GCPL successfully leveraged programmatic to drive awareness, engagement and consideration through engaging video ads, the brand also intended to validate the success of its campaign by conducting a brand lift survey to measure its impact. By leveraging InMobi Pulse, GCPL captured qualitative feedback around the perceptions and preferences of their consumers with an accurate mobile survey. The right initiatives led the brand to solve business problems through intelligent mobile-first solutions. The campaign successfully garnered a 2.48X increase in engagement rates with a 1.46X increase in video completion rates.
Read the full story here.

To understand deeper about the campaigns that can drive diverse business goals, from branding to performance growth, visit our Case Studies page.

What’s interesting to note is the spike in search activity from connected consumers looking for the most covetable products online. For any brand focusing on improving their customer acquisition and retention efforts, Search as a channel could be a game-changer, thanks to the ready access to high-intent audiences. Keeping this in mind, and the shifting consumer preferences in the post-pandemic era, Microsoft Advertising and InMobi have released their recent report ‘Festive season shopper insights 2022’. In order to understand some of the key takeaways and strategies for leveraging search advertising, read on.  

Shopping peaks during Diwali

Weeks before the festival of lights, India goes on a shopping spree, with search queries for multiple categories – like apparel, retail, jewellery and travel – seeing a significant spike. As per data from the Microsoft Search Network, 55% of searchers use search engines for online product research while 40% of searchers use search engines for brand discovery. From users’ online activity, it is evident how everything from learning about new brands, products and product categories to actually making a purchase, has shifted online. With this digital-first shift in exploring and buying patterns, the first week of sales in Oct is a pivotal moment for marketers.   

Search patterns from 2021 provide unmissable insights

Learning from last year’s queries – a time when the world was still recovering from the pandemic – will provide ample ammunition for brands to plan their search campaigns this year. Both branded and non-branded queries are unlikely to see major modifications given that certain queries are inherent to Indian consumers and their festive shopping behaviour. However, the volume of search queries is bound to increase, resulting in a growth rate in sales from 2021, already visible from the Independence Day sales this year. As consumers prepare for a dazzling festive season after the uncertainty of the last two years, apparel and retail categories will pick up faster in comparison to other categories, closely followed by jewellery and travel.  

Key festive behaviours drive search queries

The festive season in India is marked with unabashed celebrations, and indulgence in shopping forms a key part of it. From the glitter of Diwali to the merriment of Christmas, wardrobes get refreshed, interiors stand out with new furniture, gadgets see record sales, so on and so forth. This trend is driven by a simple insight – the festive season is a huge opportunity for Indian consumers to upgrade different aspects of their lifestyle. Search queries show a need to indulge while making the most of lucrative deals available online. Gifting also sees a massive high during this season, as consumers look forward to spending quality time with their friends and family.  

Search Advertising and how it can help brands stand out this season

Leveraging search advertising puts marketers right, front and centre of potential customers, enabling them to serve the right message at the right time. For maximising impact with Search, here are a few points to consider –   

Prepare for the pre-festive rush

Since shopping begins as early as September, this is the time for brands to kick off their festive season sales. For the following months, consumers are busy searching for everything from gifts, home appliances, apparel and jewellery, beauty and personal care, food, and beverages, household supplies to larger products such as automobiles. As with last year, search volumes will spike in the pre-festive period, as consumers hunt for new products, compare brands, and finally make a purchase. To be able to rake in maximum conversions, it's imperative for brands to be present at the epicentre of online festive activity – the search engine.  

Prioritise contextual relevance and safe buying experiences

Marketers should serve contextual ads to be able to solve for user queries and eventually drive sales. This starts with reaching the ideal audience with precise targeting and curating relevant experiences – be it through presenting products as possible gifting options or communicating lucrative sales and offers to the deal hunters. To drive deeper connections with shoppers, flexibility and convenience become key along with a focus on safety. Brands should highlight services such as contactless delivery services in Search ads, in order to create a positive impression on consumers looking for safe shopping experiences.  

Leverage Search from Awareness to Action

The festive season sees a lot of online clutter, with every brand vying for that coveted user attention. To be able to cut through the noise, marketers should be aware of today’s non-linear customer journeys and leverage Search across the funnel. Choosing the right kind of ad, aligned to the buyer’s persona and every stage of his journey, is crucial here. During the learning stage, while users are making generic searches, brands should leverage search ads to stay on top of the mind of potential customers. Remarketing ads can enable brands to drive better recall during the exploring phase when users are busy with price/product comparisons. Finally, for the purchasing phase, brands can close the loop on conversions with shopping ads for a seamless buying experience.  

To learn more about how best to influence consumer decisions this festive season, read the ‘Festive season shopper insights 2022’ report.

Apart from feeling that InMobi cares for its people and rewards performance, Romita also shares that she feels at home here. InMobi being the first company where she has spent more than a year, Romita talks about working with the best minds, the development opportunities and the strong culture that has made her stay.

Watch the video for our conversation with Romita where she speaks about her experiences and her #LifeAtInMobi.

To work in our UK team with colleagues like Romita, visit our careers website.

But we can all take a collective sigh of relief. The iOS 16 update offered no major changes that will impact the trajectory of our industry and instead, updates focused primarily on improving the consumer experience. 

There is one major update with iOS 16 worthy of attention from the mobile advertising world: a customizable lockscreen. With this update comes the ability for consumers to personalize their lockscreen with unique wallpapers and widgets. On a similar track, Google is currently rolling out widget updates to their own popular apps, such as Google Drive, Chrome, Gmail, and Google Maps. 

This update does not come as a surprise to us at InMobi. We’ve been exploring the lockscreen’s potential for some time now.  

The Rise of Surfaces  

By providing even the simplest customization to the lockscreen, Apple validates what many other mobile-first companies have been evangelizing for years: Our smartphones are only just beginning to be smart. With the proliferation of 5G and consumers now using smartphones as their primary tool for daily life, the mobile ecosystem is ripe for disruption, and it’s clear that surfaces across iOS and Android are the future of both productivity and media.   

As lockscreens and homescreens emerge from under-utilized real estate relegated to just basic utility, we are finally seeing “The Rise of Surfaces.” This next stage of mobile innovation will empower publishers and developers to provide a new and unprecedented level of intuitive functionality as well as customizable and frictionless experiences for consumers that look like TV but act like mobile.  

Leveraging this "screen zero” real estate also reduces the noise and clutter of regular mobile browser time. It provides a natural extension of the surfaces experience wherein news, sports, banking and finance, games, entertainment, and video can be consumed by 6.6 billion smartphone users globally as curated, sharable experiences. And there’s no turning back from that. 

Other Updates 

As to not rehash what’s already out in the trade publications, here are a few sources we recommend to help you get up to speed on other iOS 16 updates:  

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/ios-16s-best-new-iphone-features-new-imessage-updates-lock-screen-and-more/ 

https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/12/23348578/ios-16-download-rollout-availability-features 

Also, you can go right to the source for an exhaustive list of new features, including ones that will be released later this year.  

For a deep dive into all things Apple, SKAdNetwork, and identity, please visit our resource page here. 

Tell us about your responsibilities at InMobi.

In my current role as the Country Head – Japan, I am leading the team in our Tokyo office to manage and expand our InMobi Demand and InMobi Exchange businesses here.

Japan is the third biggest digital market in the world and an important one for InMobi going forward. I am also actively working towards launching and establishing Glance and Swish in the Japanese market.

What has been your professional journey before you joined InMobi?

I have been working in the Japanese digital marketing and advertising industry for over 22 years. In my previous roles as the Vice President or Japan Country Manager for Verve, Mobvista, Rakuten and Appier, I had the opportunity to get an in-depth understanding of the ad tech industry in the country. In my current position at InMobi, I believe this experience is best put to use.

Who are you outside of work? What are your interests or hobbies?

I was born around the city of Kyoto which was once the capital of Japan and is culturally rich. Since I was brought up in an environment of such significant history and heritage, I love to spend my time exploring historical places and heritage sites in Japan as well as around the world.

I have a deep interest in exploring the culture and history of India, but since I joined InMobi during the pandemic, it hadn’t been possible yet. During my very recent visit to the Bangalore office, I took out the time to do site-seeing around the city and especially enjoyed exploring the Bangalore Palace.

What is it that you love most about working at InMobi?

The InMobi culture is such that it prioritizes its employees and their happiness, and we work together as a family here. Our company culture is flat and makes everyone feel inclusive, no matter which part of the world they are working from. I believe that’s what really makes InMobi a truly international company.

To join our Asia Pacific team and work with leaders like Takeshi, explore opportunities at our careers website.

The demand for eCommerce experiences surged since the beginning of the global pandemic. This has forced retailers to rapidly adopt digital and mobile strategies to meet consumer expectations and maintain relevance throughout the year, especially as the holiday shopping season approaches.

According to a report by Adobe Analytics, consumers spent about $204.5 billion on online shopping during the holiday season in November and December 2021, an 8.6% increase from 2020.

Ahead of the 2022 holiday shopping season, here are 6 ways retailers can plan for success: 

1. Understand The New Kind Of Display

In-store displays prioritize multiple products, therefore, giving the customers many options to choose from. However, to draw in customers and generate sales during the holiday season, focus should be on how efficiently the assortment is displayed.

In the digital world, each product page is a display window and can generate interest for your online store.Multiple items on a single product page is daunting and your digital audience is less likely to click or purchase anything.

Additionally, you can influence the customer to buy your products by using Retail Media advertising. These ads can be displayed on the home page, search results, category page, or product detail page.

Retail Media such as brand videos boost product visibility in the digital space, which is ideal if you are looking to drive more traffic to your website and app or make more sales during the holiday shopping season.

2. Focus Your Site On Mobile Devices

Mobile has a rapidly growing share of eCommerce; therefore, you need to optimize your site. With eCommerce mobile sales revenue steadily increasing, brands that fail to deliver mobile-friendly experiences may suffer tremendous revenue losses. Optimizing for mobile doesn’t only entail making your site design responsive, it also means making the interface intuitive for mobile browsing. 

Before the holiday shopping season is here you can develop an app to make it easier for your customers to shop online. As per data by Statista, mobile apps are expected to generate $613 billion in revenue by 2025. Therefore, you can’t ignore their contribution to the business.

With a mobile app for your business, customers can order products, make payments, and access company information in real-time. In addition, they can shop from anywhere without leaving the app.

3. Research Your Customers

As you plan for the holiday season, you need to understand your customers. Keep in mind that your in-store and online shoppers are related but different. Research your competitors, examine your shoppers' broader characteristics and understand what drives them to buy products. With this information, you can target them on your website and with advertisements.

If you need direct consumer data, you can partner with a mobile research platform that enables you to get feedback on a new product concept or conduct brand and shopper research. These insights will help you identify consumer trends and plan for the holiday shopping period.

4. Consider BOPIS

Brick-and-mortar stores have an advantage over digital businesses because they can offer customers buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS) services. BOPIS is an important concept if you want to boost in-store foot traffic and connect your customers' offline and online experiences.

Customers shop at stores with BOPIS services because there are no shipping fees, the service is quicker, and there's in-stock insurance. Therefore, you should look for ways to launch this service. Fortunately, several eCommerce platforms help with inventory management and other solutions.

To implement BOPIS in your store, you need a website or app for customers to order products. An app is convenient because customers can get push notifications when the order is received, processed, and ready for pickup.

5. Build Out Your Shipping Plans

Holiday shopping comes with increased traffic to your store. To avoid long wait times and product delays, you need a specific plan to fulfill orders. Your plan should indicate how you'll store the inventory and when and where the online orders will be packed. It would help if you also choose a shipping carrier and how to get the products moving.

Research outsourcing fulfillment and order management for your inventory to prevent issues during the peak holiday season. However, if you are handling the order fulfillment yourself, you need to learn and train your teams on how to handle the task efficiently. If your teams are not well equipped, this will slow down the processing of online and in-store orders.

As part of inventory management, you also need to have out-of-stock plans. You need to have a back-up plan for when stock runs out and a strategy on how to handle it and alert the customers when the products are restocked. For the process to be efficient, involve your tech team in developing an automated plan to handle such inventory issues.

6. Test Your Website to Handle Increased Traffic

Consumers today shop for the holidays all year round. Therefore, you need to prepare for the heavy holiday traffic by stress testing your website early enough. This will come in handy to confirm whether the website can handle a high number of customers. 

Testing your site beforehand allows you to identify any flaws and correct them before the holiday shopping season starts. Some of the key areas to pay attention to are checkout and payment processing. When these are ready, you won't encounter any issues with your customers.

Apart from the website, you should also test your mobile issues. Ensure that the app has excellent navigation and that content is compatible with all smartphone devices. Fix any bugs and issues beforehand to make it easy for customers to shop via their phones.

Summary

The holiday shopping season is profitable for most retailers. However, you need to be prepared well enough in advance to handle the traffic and fulfill the orders. As you prepare your teams for the busy season, you also need to use advertising to reach consumers. This will drive traffic to your website and mobile apps and increase your sales during the 2022 holiday shopping season.

About the Author

Jake Rheude is the Vice President of Marketing for Red Stag Fulfillment, an eCommerce fulfillment warehouse that was born out of eCommerce. He has years of experience in eCommerce and business development. In his free time, Jake enjoys reading about business and sharing his own experience with others. 

The MMA Smarties Business Impact Index (BII) is the first and only global modern marketing index that identifies, ranks, and awards top agencies, advertisers, brands, and technology platforms driving significant business impact. Its proprietary methodology developed in collaboration with WARC, the global authority on advertising and media effectiveness, recognizes the best-of-the-best from the ecosystem. InMobi, with its unprecedented contribution as a global technology platform, has been ranked #1 by BII 2021, and this blog gives a quick preview of the winners of BII 2021 and pays tribute to them, revering them for their esteemed contribution.
 

Acing the MMA Business Impact Index

InMobi is ranked #1 for its exemplary work done to help brands achieve their full-funnel marketing goals in 2021. The business impact that each contender brought to the table was weighed against the following indicators: 

1. Awards each contender won at Smarties 2021 India 
2. The grade (Gold, Silver, Bronze) and categories of awards they won (in terms of numbers and diversity) 
3. The subsequent competition, they gave the winners as awards finalists
    

What makes this win interesting is the tough competition we faced; InMobi outperformed global powerhouse brands and the toughest contenders with an unbeatable 123.2 points to reign as the best-of-the-best for the year 2021.

Winning with brands that made a difference 

As we discuss the awards, bringing forth the award-winning work that scaled InMobi to reach the #1 rank is imperative. 2021 Smarties has seen inspiring and admiration-worthy success stories across the APAC region. InMobi has driven significant impact across legacy brands such as Godrej Consumer Products, Unilever, Pernod Ricard, and The Coca-Cola Company to new-age brands such as Kia Motors, Gradeup, and MFine. Here’s the brief list of awards these brands won and the categories they made a huge difference to. These successes helped InMobi strike hard at Smarties 2021, winning 6 Bronze, 6 Silver awards, and 1 Gold award.

To learn more about these great campaigns, visit our Case Studies page. As we continue to embark on the journey of creating more brand successes in the BII 2022, learn the difference these awards are creating across the industry from the MMA Smarties Business Impact Index page.

Michael shares that freedom and autonomy are attributes that are deeply rooted in the InMobi culture and we truly believe that great heights are reached only when wings are let loose to fly as we set out to be the best version of ourselves and unleash creativity and innovation.

Watch Michael talk about his experience and his #LifeAtInMobi.

To work in our London team with colleagues like Michael, visit https://www.inmobi.com/company/careers/.

Campaign #1: Paddle Pop thrills parents and kids with the "Choco Magma Land" Treasure Hunt  

Award Wins: 

1. Best Direct to Consumer Campaign – Silver Award 
2. Best Original Content – Silver Award 

(Also nominated for the categories: 1. Best Use of Interactive Media / AR & VR, 2. Best Use of Video, 3. Most Innovative Use of Mobile, 4. Industry Specific Use of Mobile: Food & Beverage) 

The campaign focuses on the relaunch of Paddle Pop's popular chocolate ice-cream variant – the' Choco Magma' in Indonesia. As an aim to drive product consumption by creating a fun and engaging activity before the relaunch, Paddle Pop encouraged parents to participate in the activity with their children to cultivate healthy snacking habits among them. The Choco Magma Land game successfully engaged them as they spent 1:02 minutes on average per experience, with the CTR beating the industry average by 6%.   

Read the complete success story here. 

Campaign #2: Wyeth Nutrition leverages InMobi for commerce to grow in-store purchases  

Award Wins: 

1. Best Location-Based Marketing – Silver award 

(Also nominated for the categories: 1. Best COVID-19 Response, 2. Best Insights-Driven Mobile Campaign, 3. Best Mobile Campaign for a Specific Audience, 4. Industry Specific Use of Mobile: Health & Wellness) 

The campaign stands by the brand's mission of #NurturingTheExceptional as growing toddlers are curious and imaginative and often start learning early on. Wyeth Nutrition decided to provide 'role-play learning' to feed their imagination by providing a free doctor kit on the purchase of Wyeth S-26 Procal Gold. To drive strong purchase intent for the product, the brand needed to spread awareness in an engaging fashion. Hence, Wyeth Nutrition took the gamification route to enable the child to treat a patient through a live procedure. With this live gaming campaign, the brand connected with 7 million Indonesians with a 3X CTR and a massive 1.7X overall engagement rate.  

To know more about how Wyeth Nutrition executed the campaign to perfection, read the complete success story here.  

Campaign #3: Castrol strengthens brand recall with blended in-game advertising  

Award Wins: 

1. Best Mobile Campaign for a Specific Audience – Bronze Award 

(Also nominated for the categories: 1. Best Use of In-App Advertising, 2. Best Use of Interactive Media / AR & VR, 3. Best User Experience) 

The campaign highlights how brands can drive top-of-the-funnel objectives with blended in-game advertising. Castrol partnered with Xaxis and InMobi to engage Filipino gamers with an immersive in-game experience and measure the overall impact of mobile in driving brand consideration and purchase intent. With dynamic ad placements and engaging in-game creative experience, Castrol drove impeccable results in just a month - ~70% of respondents successfully recalled the ad.   

Learn more about how the brand successfully drove its mission on mobile here. 

Campaign #4: Selecta Supreme drives purchases with an online to offline shoppable experience  

Award Wins: 

1. Best Use of Display Advertising – Gold Award 

(Also nominated for the categories: 1. Best Direct to Consumer Campaign, 2. Best Location-Based Marketing) 

This quintessential shoppable experience unveils the purchase impact Selecta Supreme drove by activating a mobile campaign. The Archipelago sees rising temperatures during February, and Selecta, aimed to communicate to Filipino households with kids about their bestseller ice cream, 'Choco Almond Fudge.' Leveraging household targeting, the brand provided an immersive shoppable experience, and ensured seamless online to offline attribution. The campaign results voiced the perfect mobile strategy and execution, with a 35% increase in the purchases driven in just a month. 

Read more about the success story here. 

Campaign #5: Viso Pises Takes a Meaningful Step with Mobile to Spread Detergent Awareness 

Award Wins: 

1. Best Use of Display Advertising – Silver Award 

The campaign stands as a testament to the success of mobile in driving awareness. In Cambodia, the consumption of liquid detergent is an emerging opportunity; the brands that trailblaze this trend will secure their longer-term pursuit of scale and growth. Hence, Unilever Cambodia needed to build a positive notion about the performance of their newly launched liquid detergent - 'Viso Pises'- in Cambodians' minds. Unilever Cambodia Viso Pises turned its far-sighted vision into reality through an interactive yet simple "slider-bar" experience. The brand depicted the contrasting differences between the widely used powder detergents and the highly capable liquid detergents in the most engaging way. Viso Pises delivered a 4.5X CTR with the right mix of creative excellence and targeting capabilities. 

To know more about how the 'slider-bar' experience was executed, read the success story here. 

Campaign #6: Pepsodent evokes confident, "Merdeka" smiles with an AI-powered brand activation  

Award Wins: 

1. Industry Specific Use of Mobile: Consumer Goods – Silver Award 

(Also nominated for the categories: 1. Best COVID-19 Response, 2. Best Original Content, 3. Most Innovative Use of Mobile Technology) 

A campaign that truly stands for delivering a 'larger good' to society, this success story exemplifies Pepsodent's endeavors to encourage healthy brushing habits among Indonesians. The brand observed that consumers took the discipline of brushing twice a day lightly with the pandemic forcing a prolonged stay at home. As a result, numerous dental concerns arose. The brand aimed to increase oral health awareness and, subsequently, toothpaste adoption during the month of pride for Indonesians – the month of their nation's independence. Targeting families, the brand decided to make Indonesians feel special and proud to get their hands on the special edition of the #SenyumIndonesia Merdeka toothpaste that elicits the honor of the Archipelago. Combining the power of video, AI-based keyword recognition, and Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO), the brand created an eye-catching, rich media experience. 360,000 ad viewers interacted with the AI-powered video experience, with the video completion rate at 3.3X at the end of the campaign.   

Learn more about the award-winning campaign here. 

To understand how mobile is bringing marketers closer to their consumers, read the success stories of brands across different verticals from our Case Studies page.  

Well, you’re in luck. Here are the Top 5 Insights to Help Retailers Prepare for the Holiday Shopping Season:  

Looking for more insights? Download our Holiday Shopping Playbook today.  

Get the Report

Campaign #1: Star Sports ignites passion for cricket through unique storytelling on mobile

Award Categories:

1. Mobile In-App Advertising (Entertainment) – Gold 

2. Innovation In Audio Advertising – Silver 

To create interest and awareness for India’s cricket test series against South Africa, Star Sports, the official telecast partner in India, created #FirstKaThirst (Thirst for Firsts) campaign for the nation’s cricket-crazy audiences. To make this a memorable and immersive experience, the brand partnered with GroupM and InMobi and leveraged an agile, scalable, and intelligent integration for unique storytelling mobile campaign which was further empowered by motion and voice technology. The experience left users truly spellbound as 45% of them interacted with it and 35% of them expressed interest in the series. To know more about how Star Sports hit it out of the park with unique innovation on mobile, click here.

Campaign #2: Swiggy drives instant impact with one click install campaign on Glance

Award Categories:

1. Display Campaign (E Commerce) – Gold 

2. Mobile In-App Install Campaign – Bronze 

To reach food lovers pan-India, Swiggy leveraged Glance, the first-of-its-kind lock screen content platform integrated on 80% of new smartphones sold in India. The brand delivered unintrusive content on the lock screen with scrumptious delicacies and personalized the user experience by showcasing breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes according to the time of the day. By leveraging

Glance's one-click install feature, Swiggy created a frictionless app download experience for users without leaving their lock screens. Additionally, the brand showcased captivating 10-second video ads and discount coupons on the Glance carousel, nudging new app installers to place their first orders. As a result of the mobile-first, frictionless screen-zero discovery and the subsequent one-click install experience, the brand acquired a high-quality consumer base with app transaction of 9 weeks. A 30% decrease in CPA was noticed at the end of the campaign period, while there was a 29% increase in first-time orders. Read the complete success story here.

Campaign #3: Cuvora amplifies revenue growth with In-app ad monetization

Award Category:

In Mobile App Monetization – Gold 

Cuvora aimed to monetize its diverse ad inventory of banner, interstitial and native ads with demand at scale from premium advertisers while offering its 8.4 MAUs an unintrusive ad experience. The brand leveraged InMobi Exchange to maximize ROI by connecting with top-class demand programmatically, finding the right balance between eCPM and fill rate, thereby generating the highest yield. While the InMobi Exchange platform’s capabilities provided transparency to the app developer, the exclusive access to premium demand enabled a significant increase in overall revenue. Cuvora witnessed 8.4X growth in ad revenue and a 33% increase in eCPM, thus successfully scaling its ad monetization initiatives. Read more about the success story here.

Campaign #4: Godrej Consumer Products leverages programmatic video advertising for full-funnel impact

Award Category:

Overall Use of Programmatic in a Marketing Campaign (CPG) – Gold 

GCPL aimed to build brand salience within the insecticide category amidst all the pandemic clutter through a meaningful, engagement-driven campaign. The brand successfully engaged connected consumers with personalized communication delivered through programmatic video, utilising first-party data and precise targeting. The right initiatives led the brand to solve for business problems through intelligent mobile-first solutions. The campaign was successful in garnering a 2.48X increase in engagement rates with a 1.46X increase in video completion rates. Know more about the campaign here.

Campaign #5: Kia amplifies brand love for the Carens model through clutter-breaking, mobile-first campaign

Award Category:

Display Campaign (Automobile) – Gold 

Kia partnered with InMobi and Innocean Worldwide to design an interactive mobile campaign for boosting brand recognition and maximising mindshare. Through a seamless, delightful mobile gamified contest, users were able to discover the stunning features of the Kia Carens and were further encouraged to share their results on social media, which magnified the buzz around the model. A clutter-breaking, mobile-first approach helped Kia amplify brand love and drive business objectives in equal measure. This campaign was successful in driving fantastic results, with 2X engagement rate recorded in just 2 weeks and a cumulative 713 hours spent on the ad unit.

Campaign #6: OLX maximises revenue growth through a seamless mobile experience

Award Category:

In Mobile App Monetization – Bronze 

With 40 million MAUs in India, OLX Advertising aimed to grow its revenues in the highly competitive Indian market. Through this campaign, the brand wanted to monetize its ad inventory while also creating seamless ad experiences for its app users. OLX partnered with InMobi and leveraged their supply-side solutions to monetize a new stream of ad revenues. OLX leveraged InMobi Exchange, the leading Mobile Exchange Platform, to get exclusive access to diverse demand (over 100 DSPs) across the globe. This partnership was successful in attracting the best bids for OLX’s premium ad inventory, with a 100% MoM increase in ad revenue. Read more about the success story here.

For a deeper understanding of brands leveraging mobile-first advertising in truly clutter-breaking ways, refer to our Case Studies page.

InMobi Commerce has partnered with a specialty grocery retailer to provide their advertisers with unparalleled access to high-impact, performance-driven media.  

With our self-service, AI-powered optimization platform, advertisers can effectively “set and forget” their retail media campaigns and trust they’ll hit their advertising goals.  

How Does an Automatic Campaign Work? 

InMobi Commerce’s AI-powered, automatic campaigns find the most relevant targeting parameters, site placements, and bid values enabling advertisers to go from “set-up” to “launch” in just a few simple steps.  

Manually finding new keyword opportunities is a heavy lift for advertisers. InMobi Commerce’s AI platform programmatically discovers new keywords from shopper search logs & post -search shopper behavior (including actions like adding items to cart, visiting a product page, and completing a purchase) to improve Automatic campaign performance with zero advertiser effort constantly.  

Our AI system also continuously adjusts bids, within the advertiser’s return on ad spend (ROAS) goal and max bid input, based on data like click-through and conversion rate. With adaptive bidding, our platform can decrease Automatic campaign bids when competition is low and later increase bidding when competition is high to reach the campaign’s ROAS goal.  

AI In Action 

Advertiser’s automatic campaigns delivered:  
- 2.12X higher conversion rate than manual campaigns 
- 1.81X higher click-through-rate than manual campaigns  
- 95% of campaigns achieved a 3x return on ad spend (ROAS) 
- 57% of product sales during the campaign were driven by Automatic campaign advertisements  

Do you want to learn more about InMobi Commerce’s platform, and how we can deliver results for your retail media campaigns? Contact us today!  

However, it’s important to prioritize the right mix of supply-side platforms (SSPs) and exchanges to maximize monetization and reap the benefits from the last few months of 2022. Here are a few variables to consider as we dive into the last stretch of the year:  

Diversify demand – We recommend that you talk to your bidding partners (SSP/Exchange) to understand the projected demand growth in Q4 2022. Your conversations must factor in the following:

• Growth in brand and UA spending: Advertisers' spend with InMobi Exchange grew by 34% between Q1 and Q2 2022. Also, our exchange grew by a 40% in Q2 2022 compared to the previous year. With both brand and UA spending bound to increase in H2 2022, we are expecting ad spending to clock new heights across regions coming up. It’s important that you speak to each bidder and know the trends they have observed and are likely to see in this quarter from the DSPs and/or advertisers they have on board.

• Agency Partnerships: Understand if unique demand partnerships and/or agency preferential status are part of their supply path optimization (SPO) efforts. At InMobi Exchange, we take pride in being an approved in-app partner of choice for the world’s largest agencies. For more details, please check out our SPO course on InMobi U. 

Support for high yield ad formats – Ensure that you get the best ROI on the ad formats you support.

• The second half of the year usually sees an increase in spending on high-performing, full-screen ad formats given their higher engagement and conversion rates. In general, full-screen inventory click-through rates (CTRs) are 13x greater than banner CTRs on average. Also, full-screen inventory ad requests for InMobi Exchange grew by 82% in Q2 2022 as compared to the previous year.  The ad revenue driven by this supply grew 1.5x for the same period.     

• Historically InMobi has seen, on average, video completion rates of around 80% and viewability over 90% (across Open Measurement SDK, IAS, Moat and DoubleVerify) via private marketplace deals.  
• Also, it is important to check if your bidding partner offers video pod support (i.e. providing publishers the ability to return multiple ads from a single ad request). In addition to our existing Video Pods, InMobi allows publishers to monetize from a mix of both Video and Static creatives in the same pod consecutively.  
• Having 2.6 billion mobile gamers globally and with an in-game advertising market expected to grow by almost 20% by 2024, it is imperative for gaming app developers to start collaborating with the right bidding partners. InMobi recently launched a partnership with in-game advertising provider Anzu, allowing publishers partnering with InMobi to monetize their titles with blended in-game ads that open up new reliable revenue streams, complement the gameplay, and work alongside other monetization models and solutions. 

Universal IDs – App developers are witnessing a 15% to 60%+ (averaging at 39%) uplift in eCPM for impressions where universal IDs (think LiveRamp, ID5, etc.) are being passed in the bid requests. Hence, we would suggest you prioritize bidding partners who offer ID management features such as InMobi’s UnifID which allows publishers to integrate with multiple ID providers of their own choice.  

Overall Yield – Q4, more than any other quarter, also requires close attention to yield. Having the right mix of SSPs and exchanges ensures efficiency by increased competition and improved returns between partners. We also have noticed that header bidding integrations help improve overall yield. InMobi recently partnered with Google Open Bidding which makes us the first in-app exchange to go live across all leading header bidding platforms.   

If a partner’s fill rate or win rate is low, then you should probably reconsider their rank within your monetization stack.    

For more detailed coverage, you can go through our InMobi U courses, which have been built to guide publishers on the best practices to improve in-app ad revenues.  

If you have any questions on the demand that we have queued or expect to see in the last quarter of 2022 and beyond, please write to your dedicated customer success manager. 

Missed the webinar? Well, you’re in luck! You can watch the conversation here at your leisure.  

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• Key findings from the 2021 shopping season that can impact this year’s season  
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Tell us about the path that led you to InMobi.

I was previously working at Amobee in television advertising operations and wanted to return to programmatic advertising in some capacity. Having worked in the ad tech industry for many years now, I had been involved with the demand side of the business for quite some time and wanted to explore working on the supply side. The right opportunity came at the right time when I found the technical account manager role here. I had heard nothing but positive things about InMobi and thought it would be a great time to jump back into the programmatic waters and apply my past industry and technical knowledge on the supply side platform/exchange side of the industry.

What made you join InMobi?

As already mentioned, I was interested in returning to programmatic and working on the supply side. Based on the trajectory of both technology and advertising, joining a mobile supplier in the programmatic space with a huge upswing made the most sense to me and InMobi was the answer. Not to mention the fact that the entire interview process from start to finish was so seamless and I thoroughly enjoyed speaking and getting to know everyone involved in the process. I was left with an excellent impression and am very excited to be here now.

What is that one thing that surprised you about the organization after you joined?

I would say, it was the approach toward onboarding and training that left me surprised. I appreciated the fact that I have had the opportunity to meet with different people, learn the day-to-day business practices and get up to speed without being overwhelmed with all things at once.

An incident that has stood out for you during your InMobi journey so far

More than an incident, I would like to share how the organizational practices and culture have stood out for me ever since I joined InMobi. I really love how collaborative the teams are in getting to the bottom of issues and how efficient the meetings are. InMobians are always very helpful and want to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding products, updates and issues. I definitely feel the strong support system.

What would you say to someone looking at joining InMobi?

I completely believe in what others have been saying about this being an ideal time to join InMobi. One can really bring in new ideas and perspectives to help the teams continue evolving. Everyone in the organization embraces change and wants the company to continuously improve.

How does your #LifeAtInMobi seem to be shaping up?

Flourishing – the world that perfectly describes how my #LifeAtInMobi is shaping up. I believe I have been extremely fortunate to have joined InMobi and I look forward to contributing here as much as possible.

To work with customer success experts like Michael, explore opportunities on our careers website.

InMobi has been disrupting the mobile space with innovative campaigns since its inception and, this year, has swept away 10 key awards at the IDMA. We at InMobi, are thankful for our brand partners – GCPL, Domex, and SplashLearn to have trusted in our vision of powering success on mobile, and to our agency partners – Mindshare, and our strategic partner – Microsoft Advertising, for the breakthrough partnership in delivering phenomenal campaign success. Here’s a glimpse of the key campaigns that the jury and the netizens loved the most. 

1. Digital Transformation – The Godrej Way 

Winning Categories

1. Most Effective Use of Digital Analytics - Gold

 2. Best Innovation in Mobile Marketing - Bronze

As Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) was increasingly integrating digital capabilities with different aspects of its business, it decided to leverage mobile to drive personalization at scale. Educating consumers on maintaining an insect-free home became more important than ever during the pandemic, and GCPL decided to launch a mobile-first strategy to execute this mission of getting consumers to use Good Knight and HIT to continue to keep their homes insect-free. With women as the target audience in the low involvement home insecticide category, the brand phased out a sequential strategy to drive campaign success: 

1. By leveraging over 2000 high-value data attributes on InMobi Audiences, the brand accurately identified Indian women from NCCS-A category households in the hyperconnected world.  

2. The brand then delivered personalized, tailor-made communication to the audience via vernacular video content across five diverse Indian languages with 105 mobile-first creatives. 

3. Lastly, GCPL built custom audiences based on ad visibility and phased out a sequential targeting strategy to drive action among users with a high brand affinity and intent. 

As a result of the campaign, users viewed over 91.2 million personalized videos, leading to 380,506 hours of content consumption. The campaign delivered an incremental reach of 25% with a whopping 50% increase in effectiveness with personalized videos and a massive 2.48X increase in engagement rate. The home insecticide category saw a promising 15% revenue growth in the last fiscal year of 2021, driving a massive success for GCPL.   

Read the full story of ‘Digital Transformation: The GCPL Way’, here. 

2. Domex: Bringing India Back on Track 

Winning Categories

1. Best Campaign - Use of Mobile and Mobile Monetization - Gold 

2. Best Data-Driven Marketing Strategy - Gold 

3. Best Integrated Media Campaign - Social Cause - Gold 

4. Best Banners -Single/ Campaign, Rich Media with or without video – Silver  

5. Best Innovation in Mobile Marketing- Silver 

6. Best Use of Mobile - Customer Engagement - Bronze 

7. Location-based or Proximity Marketing Campaign of the Year - Bronze 

As the first lockdown restrictions in India eased, Domex, Hindustan Unilever Limited's clinical disinfection brand, took on the responsibility of keeping Mumbai train services clean and safe for its 7.5 million daily commuters. The month-long campaign included disinfecting train platforms and ticket counters at regular intervals with Domex's Disinfectant Floor Cleaner. The product, which had a minimum of 0.5% sodium hypochlorite, was claimed to destroy viruses and bacteria in just 60 seconds. The brand hoped to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation during the pandemic and increase the likelihood of consumers adopting the product for home use as well.   

With mobile as the primary channel, the brand introduced Domex's Disinfection Alert System (DAS). The brand polygon mapped travelers to locate their nearest stations in real-time, and then, the API-integrated mobile services ensured that these station visitors received timely, personalized messages with details of the most recent sanitization efforts conducted at those stations to drive mass awareness. Domex continued this endeavor of disinfecting public spaces and helping Mumbai 'Get Back on Track' well after the campaign ended. 

Learn more about the award-winning campaign, here. 

3. SplashLearn: Drives Awareness with Microsoft Advertising & InMobi  

Winning Category

1. Best PPC - Silver 

In the wake of the pandemic in mid-March 2020 when schools were shut down across the US, many parents were concerned about the effects on their children’s education. It was then when SplashLearn proactively rose to the challenge to ensure that children were offered courses which not only educate but also engage. This early adoption was made possible by the Microsoft Advertising platform and InMobi, where the brand delivered the right message while reaching parents across the US. Additionally, the brand leveraged advanced features such as the Microsoft Audience Network and other extensions to create awareness for their rebranding from SplashMath to SplashLearn and drove reach and new customer acquisitions. 

The campaign resulted in a 182% increase in the reach, the percentage of leads increased by 267% and the overall conversion rate saw a phenomenal 24% growth, in just one month. 

Learn more about the award-winning story here. 

This is applicable to: 

• Full screen static and video interstitial ads that show unexpectedly, as users expect to begin a game, engage in content, or before the app’s loading screen. 
• Full screen static and video interstitial ads that are not closable after 15 seconds and interrupt users in their actions.  

Inspired by the Better Ads Standards – Mobile App Experiences, this new policy will be effective starting 30 September 2022 and will only affect Interstitial ad units. This does not affect rewarded ads, since they are opted-in by users, and overall ad units that don’t interfere with the app usage or game play. 

About the Better Ads Standards 

The Better Ads Standards were developed by the Coalition for Betters Ads, which gathers leading international trade associations like the IAB and companies from the digital advertising industry.  The Better Ads Standards were created using extensive consumer research and aim to identify ad experiences - across desktop, video, mobile web and mobile app – that are below the threshold of consumer’s expectations.   

What does the new Play policy mean for app developers and advertisers? 

App developers on the Google Play Console are required to comply with the Better Ads Experiences policy and to implement changes on their interstitial ad inventory by 30 September 2022.  

We anticipate that app developers who have not yet adhered to better ads standards, will see a decline in scale and revenue across their interstitial ad units. Most of our top publishers have confirmed that they already adhere to these best practices, so the impact is expected to be minimum. We should expect higher turnaround time on new app releases or SDK updates as Google will start enforcing stringent checks going forward. This policy is also an opportunity for developers to adopt opted-in ad formats such as high yielding rewarded ad units and experiment with other ad formats that blend seamlessly with the user experience, such as native ads or in-game ads.  

Advertisers might see a slight decline in available interstitial ad inventory. As an ad exchange focused on both gaming and non-gaming inventory, InMobi will remain in a good position to provide alternative inventory to interstitial ads for advertisers to reach their goals. 

That said, the ecosystem is awaiting some clarity on the language shared by Google on the policy around ads showing “unexpectedly”, so that there is absolutely no doubt on the requirements.  

How does this impact InMobi? 

At InMobi, we are highly invested in ad quality and in creating ad experiences that put users first. 

The Google Play Betters Ads Experience policy aims to positively preserve the experience of consumers exposed to advertising by implementing guidelines that will promote quality and safe ads.  

Standards like the Coalition for Better Ads are important for our ecosystem as they prevent advertising practices that have an effect on a publisher’s reputation, an advertiser’s reputation, and most importantly the user experience, to continue. 

Ad unit placements are created and controlled by the publishers. This is an opportunity for publishers to create more trust with their users by providing ad experiences that are seamless and non-intrusive. 

We will work with our publisher customers to optimize their yield and with our advertiser partners to keep reaching their KPIs through alternative high impact ad formats. 

“InMobi has always believed in the benefits of in-app bidding for maximizing publisher revenue, eCPMs, and fill rates. We also strongly believe that publishers should be able to work with us on the in-app bidding platform of their choice. We are thrilled to expand on this philosophy by partnering with Admost, Aequus, and HyperBid as a real-time demand source,” said Kunal Nagpal, SVP and GM, InMobi SSP.    

“As Admost Mediation Limited, we've always been more than satisfied with the support that we receive from the Inmobi Team and now our partnership is now even more strong by adding Inmobi as our new bidding partner to our rich bidding inventory. The immediate response to all our issues has been the foundation of the trust that we built while we do business together and we have confidence that this partnership will always grow in this sense,” Ayşegül Yıldırım, CEO of Admost Mediation Limited.

“We believe this new partnership will add further value to both HyperBid and our publishers as we expand our bidding demand sources with InMobi, one of the best bidding partner in the industry. This is a key step forward in making it seamless for publishers to maximize ad revenue and improve operational efficiency. InMobi supports the move to an open and fair ecosystem, helping our app publishers and developers have access to a more transparent and more efficient ad monetization ecosystem,” said Morten E. Wulff, CEO of HyperBid. 

The mode of integration for all three platforms is via our SDK, and we support a range of ad formats like banner, interstitials, and video formats, including rewarded ads. Apart from these new integrations, we have delivered strong monetization results for our publishers across leading in-app bidding platforms like AppLovin’s MAX, Amazon’s TAM, ironSource, DT FairBid, Prebid, and Google’s Open Bidding.  

If you would like to get started, please check our support portal pages for our three new partners: Admost, Aequus, and HyperBid. If you have more questions, please reach out to your InMobi Customer Success Manager or write to support@inmobi.com. 

"This article first appeared in B&T"

Media buys and programmatic advertising are a constant force within the digital-led modern world, and InMobi are pushing businesses to understand the relevance of Supply Path Optimisation (SPO) and how it can save your company both money and time.

So if it’s so important, what is Supply Path Optimisation? Thanks to its rapid evolution and growth, programmatic advertising can often become muddied down with multiple paths and intermediaries standing between publishers and advertisers, which can incur additional costs for the buyer and reduce overall profits. SPO is designed to cut down the various pathways and find the single best option to connect the publisher, the users and the advertisers.

According to InMobi, SPO specifically answers the concerns of advertisers by reducing redundant intermediaries in the programmatic chain, all to determine the optimal path of supply for buyers. This helps the advertisers reduce the amount of commission they’re paying as the programmatic chain becomes shorter.

Think of it this way: thanks to the rapid growth of the digital programmatic world, the links between publishers and advertisers can often become a web of middle men, including both Demand Side Platforms (DSP) and Supply Side Platforms (SSP) designed to automate media buys. SPO looks at all the threads of the web and finds the most efficient route from A to B in a way that delivers maximum return on ad spends.

There are plenty of benefits to SPO. Not only can a buyer remove redundant intermediaries, but they can also reduce or eliminate self-competition – that is, competing bids on separate SSPs for the same inventory. It can also benefit publishers, as reduced fees can deliver higher CPMs for publishers while also driving more spend from buyers when they see higher efficiency.

SPO can also represent the potential for publishers to attract even greater demand from buyers and advertisers. When buyers are selecting a publisher to do business with, one with a much clearer and more direct sales path will be more attractive than one with a web of intermediaries at play, so the potential for business goes up.

The importance of SPO isn’t lost on most companies. Daniel Tozer, trading director, Havas Media Australia said: “Transparency and real value for our client dollars across the supply chain has been at the forefront in our industry. A cleaner/simplified supply path ultimately means a stronger level of inventory and better performance.”

Jonas Jaanimagi, technology lead, IAB Australia added: “Enhancing automated trading efficiencies through fully transparent paths via SPO are a critical utilisation of the programmatic standards. These efforts help buyers to gain efficient access to verified supply, build greater trust in the programmatic eco-system and can underpin the yield-management strategies for premium publishers.”

According to InMobi, there are two tactics for SPO. The first is to utilise algorithmic-driven real time supply filtering, a type of program that removes indirect supplies (intermediaries, for example) and allow the buyer to filter inventory sources.

These mechanisms can include ads.txt and app-ads.txt, a method of providing text files declaring authorized SSPs on a seller’s site; Sellers.json, a file type that shows all publishers an SSP works with directly; and Supply Chain Object, which allows buyers to see the number of intermediaries between the SSP and the publisher as nodes and helps to plot the clearest path available.

The second method for SPO is a strategic approach marketers can employ. By consolidating bidding and media buying to a list of a few trusted SSP partners that can provide scale efficiency and transparency, a buyer can reduce overall risk and create more streamlined supply paths.

A more nuanced approach is required when considering in-app advertising. There are some distinct differences between advertising on the web vs in mobile applications, thanks to websites being open spaces anyone can access while apps are individual programs, and this plays into the roles advertisers can take in both. Unfortunately, while advertisers have arguably more options available to them when utilising in-app advertising – including better reach and personalisation – the medium also requires more depth to its SPO.

A good example of this is in-app OTT, or over-the-top video streaming. Content syndicating companies will seek out video content and license them to third-party OTT apps and channels in return for monetisation rights for a proportion of the inventory. The variety of companies involved in these transactions adds to the complexity of the media buy, since there are technically entities with the genuinely direct access and authority to sell this inventory programmatically.

Fear not, dear readers, for buyers can still implement solid SPO strategies when advertising in-app. Finding efficient and direct paths can be done by utilising algorithmic-driven mechanisms like app-ads.txt and Sellers.json to compare SSPs and eliminate suboptimal paths with redundant intermediaries. You can also optimise your reseller paths – not all reselling is bad and identifying which ones can create value and which will only add to the complexity is an important tool in any buyer’s belt.

An example of good SPO use is Nick Brignell, general manager, speciality business – Xaxis, Sightline & INCA, Group M. “We have seen that deliberately choosing a specific SSP but still dealing directly with the publisher or broadcaster, helps us cleanse and take control of the supply chain as well as gain significant pricing and priority advantages for GroupM clients,” he said.

“This has flow on effects like driving advantage in a biddable environment, better brand safety controls and ultimately more working media dollars to increase quality of supply for our clients”

Most buyers these days are already well-versed in web SPO, but with the ongoing rise in in-app advertising, understanding the differences and knowing how to create the most direct and efficient supply path possible can be critical to the success of an advertiser. Good luck, media buyers, and go forth and make strong business choices!

However, let’s dive into what was announced. 

What’s new? 

If you’re keeping score, here’s what we’ve seen through different SKAN releases up to now.

However, let’s take a more detailed look at these new features for SKAN 4.0. 

Hierarchical Conversion Values  

The privacy threshold has likely had the biggest negative impact on advertisers’ ability to spend on iOS post-ATT. This is because the understanding of install value was lost for a high percentage of paid installs when a certain volume of installs was not met (we suspected this privacy threshold was around 20-30 installs per campaign and 128 installs per campaign on Facebook due to their Campaign ID mechanics).  

Quite a big percentage of data was lost (~20% depending on campaign granularity), so this is a very welcome feature. It is a change to Conversion Values that delivers some indication of install value even when the install volume is lower.  

There are now two types of Conversion Values returned: 

• Coarse-grained: When the previous privacy threshold is not met, this returns a “low”, “medium” or “high” value for the Conversion Value. 
• Fine-grained: The same 64-bit value that has traditionally been used for Conversion Values will be returned when the privacy threshold is met. 

In an important change, for some use cases, Conversion Values can now go up and down. Previously, they only went up. 

Key considerations for advertisers: 

• Small-scale testing gets easier: This does not eliminate privacy thresholds; however, it does reduce the threshold for “NULL” conversion values to be returned. Due to “crowd anonymity”, which is explained in the WWDC SKAN session, the install bar for a coarse-grained Conversion Value can be lower that a fine-grained one meaning advertisers who want to test campaigns can now get some indication of success beyond “NULL”. 
• What does low, medium and high mean to you?: You can select what value you want to place on low, medium and high. An obvious approach given there are three values and six bits in a fine-grained Conversion Value might be something like the below. This way you can map coarse and fine-grained Conversion Values more easily. However, it’s time to dig into your in-app analytics to find those three key data points that map to the value of a user. The points you choose will also depend a lot on whether the conversion schema you use is revenue based (now more viable than ever), event-based or funnel-based. 

Multiple Conversion Windows 

A critical balance for advertisers when they only receive a single SKAN postback has been trying to capture enough information on the value of an install whilst not delaying data too long for analysis and not letting the 24 hour timer lapse through inactivity. Much like the solution Google announced, Multiple Conversion Windows means advertisers no longer have to strike this balance. 

These key changes have been announced to Conversion Windows: 

• The 24-hour timer has largely been removed. Thank goodness! However, your first fine-grain Conversion Value will have a 24-hour time limit. Your coarse-grain conversion values won’t have this limitation anymore though. 
• Advertisers can now receive three SKAN postbacks for a single install, each with a specific Conversion Window e.g., 0-2 days 3-7 days and 8-30 days whereas previously it was a single postback.  
• The 2nd and 3rd postback will only be triggered if the privacy threshold volume has been met and also will only be coarse-grained not fine-grained Conversion Values. 

Key considerations for advertisers: 

• Cohorts are back: A key metric for user acquisition has been looking at ROI on a cohorted basis, whether D1, D7, D30 or beyond. This was lost with previous versions of SKAN as advertisers largely were getting a postback with three days of data or less. This allows advertisers to once again start to look at ROI on a cohorted basis in tools like Appsumer. They won’t be perfect as the second and third postback will be coarse grained and with the random timer cohorting back to a specific day is impossible, however, they will give better signals than before. 

Hierarchical Source Identifiers 

The 2-digit Campaign ID was a limiting factor for things like testing creatives and formats, particularly on Facebook where they reserved 1 digit for their own testing. So hierarchical source identifiers adding an extra 2 digits does open up more data richness for testing creatives and formats that will be welcome.  

Hierarchical source identifiers essentially expand the Campaign ID field to four digits vs two. Albeit, with caveats: 

• Much like hierarchical conversion values, crowd anonymity comes into play. 
• It’s believed that when a coarse-grained Conversion Value is returned you will only receive 2 digits of the Campaign ID. 
• However, as install volumes increase on a campaign you will start to open up more digits for the Campaign ID. 

Key consideration for advertisers: 

Increase granularity with volume: To ensure you at least understand high-level campaign information even on low volume campaigns, it’s probably worth going from least granular to most granular in order of preference when structuring the Campaign ID. For example, see the below visualization. 

Web-to-App Attribution 

Although this hasn’t been a key demand we’ve seen from app-first advertisers, if you’re web and app hybrid then SKAN’s inability to attribute web-to-app flows has likely been a big pain point. SKAN now covers web-to-app attribution when the web ad is directed to an app’s App Store product page. A long overdue improvement for many verticals. 

Wrapping up 

Advertisers who have been falling back on fingerprinting can now consider that Apple has given them a final warning. A privacy session at WWDC was very clear that fingerprinting is not allowed. Whether we’ll see Apple policing the wild west of fingerprinting by rejecting app updates or by introducing technological solutions is still unclear. However, what is clear is that fingerprinting is not a grey area, it is without doubt against Apple’s policy.  

Apple wants you to use SKAN and overall these are really welcome improvements for SKAN. If Apple are to clamp down on fingerprinting and SKAN becomes the dominant attribution solution for iOS, these changes make it more viable. In particular, still getting some idea of install value when the privacy threshold is not met will drive more iOS ad spend, as this has been a central challenge of SKAN.  

Now is the time to get behind SKAN and what these changes introduce is far more data complexity – just within the walls of SKAN – that advertisers will need to make sense of. There will be far more normalization and unification of even more SKAN data complexity needed. This requires an additional BI data layer on top of your MMP for all advertisers to manipulate, normalize and unify this data and turn it into an apples-to-apples comparison across channels and OS’s that delivers performance insights. Just a few areas of data manipulation that this update introduces are:  

• Coarse-grained and fine-grained Conversion Values introduce two new datasets that need to be unified and normalized in SKAN data. The flexible data infrastructure of a BI layer already enables the normalization and unification of SKAN and ID-based data into aggregate reports; it will also be flexible enough to normalize and unify these two datasets too.  
• Performance will also need to be constantly retrospectively updated with three postbacks all with different Conversion Windows. Dealing with retrospective data updates is a solution that a flexible BI layer can handle along with cohort visualizations. 
• Hierarchical source app IDs also introduce more granularity back into SKAN data that was previously lacking e.g., creative & format etc. Having a BI solution that can handle these different levels of granularity will put that data to work to generate granular insights. 

This article first appeared in ET Edge

As an increasing number of netizens come online via smartphones in India, advertisers across the region have been focusing on building unique contextual experiences by enhancing the understanding of their consumers. According to eMarketer, mobile ad spending in India grew YoY by 35.9% in 2021 and is forecasted to grow by 28.4% in 2022. But just as the advertising ecosystem was getting better at delighting its consumers through contextualization, recent changes to privacy frameworks have got advertisers reconsidering their strategies. What does this mean for the average advertiser in India? InMobi commissioned a study by Forrester Consulting, “Future of Mobile Advertising in Tackling Data and Identity Deprecation” to understand just that.

When questioned on what the top marketing priorities of leaders across India’s diverse brand ecosystem were, there was an interesting shift in the tide. While increasing brand equity in the market remains the first priority, increased awareness about data privacy laws has certainly influenced a marketer’s agenda.

Complying with new data privacy laws and regulations is paramount for organizations in India. However, this casts a shadow on all aspects of consumer data including accessibility, recency, quality, etc. In their absence, marketers might be unable to derive actionable insights required for making informed business decisions.
 
To this end, one of the biggest barriers for organisations to overcome is consistent up-skilling of employees and sourcing talent with channel-specific skills. Given the volatile data privacy landscape, overcoming this challenge will be a continuous process over the next couple of years.

But what has led to this significant shift in focus for advertisers? Rising consumer concerns and awareness and the need to comply with data privacy regulations are key challenges for most organizations (83%) and the top driver for organizations to adopt consumer data practices.

On closer evaluation, it is clear that the Indian advertising ecosystem lacks readiness for data and identity deprecation. Maturity levels shift across different stakeholders of the ecosystem.



With this context, what does the future hold for advertisers? Decidedly, advertisers are looking to build alternative targeting approaches.



To build personas and draw insights from the various data sources, marketers are onboarding specialists for first-party data efforts, building customer data platforms, and overcoming the challenges of walled-garden data. To better track and measure the impact of their campaigns, they will continue to invest in verification, brand safety, and measurement tools. In fact, 8 in 10 brands are already using and will expand their usage of preference management platforms to help them understand the needs of their customers better.



 

Ultimately, in order to move forward advertisers will have to follow these guiding principles:
✓ Rethink identity and adopt alternative targeting methods. It is imperative for the advertising industry to focus beyond traditional targeting methods (i.e., third-party cookies), to pave the way for success with new identity solutions and contextual targeting. Test out a portfolio-based strategy with a mix of targeting approaches.
✓ Invest in first-party data. Maximize the value of first-party data through tools like customer data and preference management platforms. Be transparent about data collection and usage, and communicate value to consumers, not just free content but a better customer experience.
✓ Embed Privacy by Design (PbD) principles to your marketing approach. Adopt a privacy-first approach and proactively think about how to protect customers’ privacy and aim to build a privacy-first culture across your firm.

Interested in learning more about these insights. Download the full report here

Putting the spotlight on the some of the most promising mobile-first innovations in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and ANZ, Mob-Ex announced its finalists for this year’s award ceremony. We at InMobi feel truly privileged to have been shortlisted for 27 categories.  

Read on to understand more about the 7 campaigns that made the cut:  

Campaign #1: Paddle Pop thrills parents and kids with the "Choco Magma Land" Treasure Hunt 

Paddle Pop shortlists:  

Category 1: Best Direct to Consumer Campaign 

Category 2: Best Original Content 

Category 3: Best Use of Interactive Media / AR & VR 

Category 4: Best Use of Video 

Category 5: Most Innovative Use of Mobile 

Category 6: Industry Specific Use of Mobile: Food & Beverage

With the relaunch of its popular chocolate ice-cream variant – the all-new ’Choco Magma’ in Indonesia, Paddle Pop wanted to drive product consumption by creating a fun, engaging activity that parents could take part in with their children to cultivate healthy snacking habits. Paddle Pop partnered with Mindshare Indonesia and InMobi to create a gameplay experience that needs no preparation and is all fun for parents and children alike. Given the exciting nature of the Choco Magma Land gaming experience, Paddle Pop saw users spending 1:02 minutes on average per experience, with the CTR beating the industry average by 6%.  

To know more, click here.  

Campaign #2: Wyeth Nutrition leverages InMobi for commerce to grow in-store purchases 

Wyeth Nutrition shortlists:  

Category 1: Best COVID-19 Response 

Category 2: Best Insights-Driven Mobile Campaign 

Category 3: Best Location-Based Marketing 

Category 4: Best Mobile Campaign for a Specific Audience 

Category 5: Industry Specific Use of Mobile: Health & Wellness 

Growing toddlers are curious and imaginative and often start learning early on. With its mission to #NurtureTheExceptional in Indonesian children, Wyeth Nutrition decided to provide role-play learning to feed their imagination. The brand provided a free doctor kit on the purchase of Wyeth S-26 Procal Gold for parents that instigates the little doctor in kids. To drive strong purchase intent, the brand needed to spread awareness among Indonesians in an engaging fashion. To this end, Wyeth Nutrition took the gamification route through an interactive mobile campaign.  

With this live role-play mobile campaign, the brand connected with 7 million Indonesians with a 3X CTR and a massive 1.7X overall engagement rate. 

To know more, click here.  

Campaign #3: Castrol strengthens brand recall with blended in-game advertising 

Castrol shortlists:  

Category 1: Best Mobile Campaign for a Specific Audience 

Category 2: Best Use of In-App Advertising 

Category 2: Best Use of Interactive Media / AR & VR 

Category 4: Best User Experience 

Castrol partnered with Xaxis and InMobi to engage the Filipino gamers with an immersive in-game experience and measure the overall impact of mobile in driving brand consideration and purchase intent. With dynamic ad placements and engaging in-game creative experiences, Castrol drove impeccable results in just a month - ~70% of respondents successfully recalled the ad.  

To know more, click here.  

Campaign #4: Royco and Bango online-to-offline sampling program 

Royco and Bango shortlists:  

Category 1: Best Awareness Campaign 

Category 2: Best Results-Driven Mobile Campaign 

Category 3: Best Use of Promotions 

Category 4: Industry Specific Use of Mobile: Food & Beverage 

With Royco and Bango, the popular instant food brands from Unilever, introducing four new products - Royco Telur Asin, Royco Sup Kepiting, Bango Opor Seasoning, and Bango Nasi Goreng Seasoning – in the heavily cluttered Indonesian market, was challenging. The brands intended to showcase a strong differentiating point for these products by emphasizing the promise of quality, taste, and nutrition and the ethos Unilever stands for. The idea was to launch a free sampling program that will enable meal providers to taste the free product of their choice and experiment with newer recipes.  

Royco and Bango partnered with Mindshare and InMobi to create a user-friendly journey on mobile that facilitates a seamless online to the offline trail with this free sampling experience. Through the compelling campaign, Royco and Bango drove footfalls to 4,000+ stores across the Archipelago, with a 38% decrease in Cost Per Acquisition (CPA).  

To know more, click here.  

Campaign #5: Pepsodent evokes confident, “Merdeka” smiles with an AI-powered brand activation OR Senyum Indonesia 

Pepsodent shortlists:  

Category 1: Best COVID-19 Response 

Category 2: Best Original Content 

Category 3: Most Innovative Use of Mobile Technology 

Category 4: Industry Specific Use of Mobile: Consumer Goods 

Pepsodent observed that consumers took the discipline of brushing twice a day lightly with the pandemic forcing a prolonged stay at home. As a result, numerous dental concerns arose. The brand aimed to increase oral health awareness and, subsequently, toothpaste adoption during the month of pride for Indonesians – the month of their nation’s independence. Targeting families, the brand decided to make Indonesians feel special and proud to get their hands on the special edition of the #SenyumIndonesia merdeka toothpaste that elicits the honor of the archipelago.  

Pepsodent partnered with Mindshare and InMobi to elevate its brand love in Indonesia. Combining the power of video, AI-based keyword recognition, and Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO), the brand created an eye-catching, rich media experience. 360,000 ad viewers interacted the AI-powered video experience, with the video completion rate recorded at 3.3X at the end of the campaign.  

To know more, click here.  

Campaign #6: Selecta Supreme drives purchases with an online to offline shoppable experience 

Selecta Supreme shortlists:  

Category 1: Best Direct to Consumer Campaign 

Category 2: Best Location-Based Marketing 

Category 3: Best Use of Display Advertising 

As the Archipelago sees rising temperatures during February, right before the summer kicks in officially in March, Selecta, the Philippines' #1 ice cream brand, aimed to communicate to Filipino households with kids about their bestseller ice cream, 'Choco Almond Fudge.'  

The brand partnered with InMobi and Mindshare Philippines to leverage household targeting, provide an immersive shoppable experience, and ensure online to offline attribution. The campaign results voiced the perfect strategy and execution done on mobile, with a 35% increase in the purchases driven in just a month. 

To know more, click here.  

Viso Pises shortlist:  

Category 1: Best Use of Display Advertising 

In Cambodia, the consumption of liquid detergent is an emerging and fast-growing opportunity; the brands that trailblaze this trend will not only benefit from a first-mover advantage but also secure their longer-term pursuit of scale and growth.   

Hence, Unilever Cambodia needed to build a positive notion about the performance of their newly launched liquid detergent - 'Viso Pises' in the minds of Cambodians. Unilever Cambodia Viso Pises partnered with Havas Riverorchid Cambodia, Moblaze, and InMobi to turn their far-sighted vision into reality, through an interactive yet simple “slider-bar” experience. The brand intended to depict the contrasting differences between the widely used powder detergents and the highly capable liquid detergents in the most engaging way. Viso Pises delivered a 4.5X CTR with the right mix of creative excellence and targeting capabilities 

To know more, click here.  

Raising the bar with an inspiring digital transformation story, InMobi bagged 3 prestigious awards for the campaign - 'Digital Transformation: The Godrej Way'.  

Winning Categories:  

1. Most Effective Programmatic Media Partnership- GOLD award 

2. Best First-Party Data Strategy by a Marketer- SILVER award 

3. Best Branding Campaign- SILVER award 

Read on to learn about the show-stopping campaign that won the hearts of both consumers and the distinguished jury. 

Digital Transformation – The Godrej Way 

About the Brand: Godrej Consumer Products Limited 

Godrej is an iconic brand with 123 years of providing delightful experiences to consumers globally. With the rapid digitization in India, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) is increasingly integrating digital capabilities with different aspects of the business – how it manufactures, markets, and engages with consumers. GCPL aimed to leverage the power of the primary screen for Indians- mobile, to identify and engage connected consumers seamlessly. 

The Story of Digital Transformation 

COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill when staying home and being safe became imperative for citizens across the globe. This dramatic lifestyle shift led to two major changes in the behavior of Indian women: they felt an increased responsibility for the health and wellness of their families, and they spent time on various OTT platforms, moving away from TV to on-demand video consumption and casual mobile gaming.  

For Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), women are the primary influencers and decision-makers in the household in the extremely low involvement home-insecticide segment. To promote the continued usage of powerhouse brands such as Good Knight and Hit during the pandemic, GCPL aimed to reinforce the need to maintain clean and insect-free homes to avoid vector-borne diseases and ensure that nothing escapes the consumer's radar while battling the virus. GCPL launched a three-fold mobile-first strategy to execute this mission: 

1. Identifying Right Audiences: By leveraging over 2000 high-value data attributes on InMobi Audiences, the brand accurately identified Indian women from NCCS-A category households in the hyperconnected world 
2. Engaging with Vernacular Content: The brand then delivered personalized, tailor-made communication to the audience via vernacular video content across five diverse Indian languages with 105 mobile-first creatives.
3. Retargeting High Intent Audiences: Lastly, by marrying the brand's first-party data and InMobi's data signals, GCPL built custom audiences based on ad visibility and phased out a sequential targeting strategy to drive action among users with a high brand affinity and intent. 

GCPL leveraged programmatic to successfully drive awareness, engagement, and consideration. To measure the impact of mobile in driving marketing success, the brand conducted a brand lift survey. By leveraging InMobi Pulse, GCPL could accurately capture qualitative feedback around the perceptions and preferences of their consumers with an accurate mobile survey. 

As a result of the campaign, users viewed over 91.2 million personalized videos, leading to 380,506 hours of content consumption. The campaign delivered an incremental reach of 25% with a whopping 50% increase in effectiveness with personalized videos and a massive 2.48X increase in engagement rate. The home insecticide category saw a promising 15% revenue growth in the last fiscal year of 20211, driving a massive success for GCPL.   

Read the full story of ‘Digital Transformation: The GCPL Way’, here. 

Explore more success stories to learn how brands from different regions and verticals have delivered high-impact campaigns to achieve full-funnel objectives. For personalized assistance on how your brand can uncover its true potential with mobile marketing, write to us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com  

With InMobi Commerce’s self-service, AI-powered optimization platform, advertisers can effectively “set and forget” their retail media campaigns and trust they’ll hit their advertising goals.  

Develop Your Strategy Using Automatic, AI-Powered Campaigns 

Because most advertisers know the initial list of SKUs they want to promote and have an established ROI goal, we recommend starting with an Automatic campaign. Advertisers can allocate a percentage of their overall campaign budget to test and learn with an Automatic, AI-Powered campaign.  

This method helps advertisers better understand the list of relevant/top-performing keywords, category pages, and product pages for each SKU and the optimal bid value compared with competitors. This ultimately helps limit any potential overspending throughout the campaign. While an advertiser is testing with an Automatic campaign, they can also accept the automatic optimization suggestions provided by InMobi Commerce’s DSP to fine-tune their ROI and impression goals.  

After testing with InMobi’s Automatic campaign tool, advertisers can apply those insights – optimal keywords, category pages, product pages, bid values and expected impressions – and run a Manual campaign aligned perfectly to their business goals. With Manual campaigns, advertisers can blend their learnings from Automatic campaigns with additional self-selected targeting options to reach their campaign goals.  

While running a Manual campaign, if there is a change in a competitor’s bidding strategy or customer behavior that begins to affect the campaign’s performance, the advertiser can switch back to an Automatic campaign to gather additional learnings and continue optimizing toward their business goal.  

Here’s How the Process Works 

Campaign Set-Up & Testing  

There is a new shoe brand, called Spike, looking to drive sales on ShoeLaLa.com. Spike’s brand manager, who is handling multiple components of the brand’s launch, is looking for an effective solution to better understand the right keywords and bid values for their online launch.  

Spike’s brand manager chooses to start promoting their new shoe online using an Automatic campaign. They start with a daily budget of $100 and run the campaign for a week.  

Over the course of the week, the initial Automatic campaign is live, Spike’s brand manager understands the list of keywords that will deliver the expected ROI within their campaign’s budget. Before increasing their daily budget, Spike’s brand manager runs a few more tests using an Automatic campaign to understand which keywords will deliver their 2.5X ROAS goal without losing out on impressions to a competitive brand.  

Post-Testing & Campaign Optimization 

After testing, Spike’s brand manager creates a Manual campaign with a shortlist of keywords that will deliver over a 2.5X ROAS and have enough traffic to win at least 1K impressions per day.  

Over the next few months, Spike’s campaigns are hitting their ROAS goals and delivering more sales than initially predicted. To build on that success, Spike increased their daily advertising spending, but they noticed some of their competitors had started outbidding them.  

To gain additional learnings on the changing competitive ad bidding space, Spike’s brand manager invested a portion of their ad budget into an Automatic campaign. The Automatic campaign helped Spike identify the new optimal bid values that can help them reach the ROI they were previously getting. 

Want to test InMobi Commerce’s self-service, ai-powered optimization platform? Contact us today to set up a demo!   

Ever since Apple’s ATT (App Tracking Transparency) was first announced, the industry started speculating what the ATT opt-in rate would be. Initial opinions seemed to see the glass half empty, expecting opt-in rates to fall between 0-20%. Today, a year after the release of iOS 14.5, opt-in rates are looking a little better: the latest insights from InMobi Exchange indicate the global opt-in rate is 35%, calculated based on the percentage of ad requests with an IDFA  (Identifier for Advertisers). 

However, for a user to be tracked with IDFA, they first need to choose the “Allow” option for both the advertiser and the publisher/app where the ad is being shown. It’s important to note that even when using a mobile measurement platform (MMP) for attribution data, app marketers will only get device-level post-install metrics once they get the users to opt in to the advertised app as well.

App marketers should monitor advertiser-side data (as a benchmark to be aligned with other apps) and publisher data (to estimate how ATT will impact their tracking capabilities). 

The same applies to publishers: looking at ATT opt-in rates from both sides will help publishers understand whether they are above or below the industry standard, and how to make their traffic more valuable and appealing to marketers.

Why Should You Increase Your ATT Opt-in Rates?

While the industry has made a lot of progress in testing new attribution methods in the post-IDFA era, with the current setup, identifiable traffic is still highly desirable: IDFA offers data granularity that can be leveraged to understand user behavior and help optimize the performance of SKAdNetwork (aka SKAN, Apple's framework for tracking attribution of iOS advertising campaigns).

Increase Your ATT Opt-in Rates In 3 steps

1. Implement an ATT prompt and pre-prompt

An ATT prompt is a pop-up requesting users to allow or deny access to their IDFA. Implementing this prompt is mandatory if you’re looking to track users or collect their IDFA data.

The only customizable element within this pop-up is a “purpose string” which allows marketers and publishers to explain why they’d like to track the users. Other than that, prompts have a fixed layout and design.

A pre-prompt or context screen is a different type of pop-up message shown to app users right before Apple’s prompt is displayed. This screen educates users on why they should choose the “allow tracking” option within the prompt. While pre-prompts are not mandatory, implementing them can help convince users to agree to be tracked; they essentially give you a little more room to explain the value to the user. 

Unlike prompts, pre-prompts are created and designed by publishers and apps, providing more flexibility to craft and showcase the message you want to communicate.

User privacy and transparency are at the core of what we do. In spite of the impact iOS 14.5 had on our industry, we see this initiative as a step forward toward a safer environment. Along the same lines, it’s important to be transparent with users, telling them what their data will be used for and how this favors them—and ATT prompts and pre-prompts allow us to educate them on these aspects. 

Each advertiser/publisher has unique challenges, so every company should focus on identifying which benefits will be relevant to their specific audience. For example:

• If your app is a mobile game, you can say: “Sharing your data will allow you to save your progress and keep playing across multiple devices”
• If your audience relies on your app’s social features, try using: “This allows us to connect you with your friends”
• If in-app advertising represents one of the main incomes of your mobile business, say: “This will help keep our app FREE”

 2. Stick to Apple’s guidelines 

When implementing pre-prompts for your app, always consider Apple’s guidelines: there are certain designs and elements that could lead to rejection by App Store Review. Here’s what you should bear in mind:

• Don’t include multiple buttons or CTAs (Call To Action): Stick to one button titled “Continue,” “Ok” or any other synonym. Refrain from using the word “Allow” as it might be misleading.

• Don’t add additional actions or clickable elements: Offering users a way to leave the pop-up screen without viewing the prompt with an option to close or cancel is not allowed.

• Don’t offer rewards or incentives: Asking users to grant their permission in exchange for rewards, discounts, credits, or any other benefit is forbidden.

• Don’t limit access to content or functionalities until users grant access to their data: You mustn’t withhold app features or restrict user experience in any way to compel users to tap “Allow.”

• Don’t include and/or modify one of Apple’s prompts: While we’ve seen some apps showing images of a standard prompt with annotations or design edits, this practice is not approved by Apple.

3. Make it work for your app 

While all apps should follow Apple’s guidelines for prompts and pre-prompts, different verticals are creating different contextual screens based on their unique challenges: some make their pre-prompts more informative, some focus on visuals, and others rely on specific keywords. 

Let’s take a look at ATT pre-prompts for different verticals.

Mobile games

Gaming apps have some of the most visually striking pre-prompts, always making these screens match the look and feel of the game to maintain an immersive user experience. 

This example from Merge Dragons shows us how to effectively make a pre-prompt match the game’s interface. 

Subway Surfers’ prompt not only matches the game’s look and feel, but also does a great job at explaining everything users need to know about the ATT prompt:

• Why it’s important for the game: it helps Subway Surfers support their business.
• Why it should matter to users: this will make the ads they see as relevant as possible.
• Why they shouldn’t be worried about this: if they change their minds, they can update their choice at any time.

Commerce apps

For Commerce and Shopping apps we’re seeing different strategies as regards design, but a similar approach in terms of the messaging: keeping it short and sweet. Their goal is to convey the main message in a couple of lines, going straight to the point. 

While some brands, like Bershka, opt for a catchy title, others, like Lamoda, grasp users’ attention through aspirational pictures. 

Finance apps

Privacy and security are always top-of-mind for Fintech apps like banks, wallets, or crypto platforms. Pre-prompts across this vertical often make a point to reinforce this notion. For example, Coinbase’s message reads “we take your privacy seriously” and avoids mentioning sensitive words like “tracking”. 

IDFA vs SKAN

It’s not an either-or scenario, as you really should run both for optimal results. While ATT opt-in rates didn’t turn out to be as low as expected, there’s still a relevant share of IDFA-less traffic. However, SKAdNetwork adoption continues to grow: 81% of ad requests on InMobi Exchange are compatible with SKAN 2.2.

“In this period of transition, the best approach for marketers and publishers looking to drive success on iOS is two-fold: on the one hand, they should be improving their communication with users to get them to understand what ATT means and the value they get out of opting-in; on the other hand, they should also continue to optimize their SKAN solutions and campaigns to engage users in non-IDFA traffic—especially now that Apple has announced many improvements for the upcoming SKAN 4.0 framework.” — Franco Passamonte, Sr. Product Manager, Jampp

“In today’s privacy-first world, it’s important for both the buy-side and the sell-side to embrace these changes and implement the best tools and solutions. For the foreseeable future, this will mean straddling multiple targeting and measurement solutions on both sides. But having a thoughtful approach to addressability and making use of all available technology that's privacy-safe, publishers can effectively leverage the programmatic ecosystem to continue monetizing their apps and provide users with free-to-download apps.” — Utkarsh Sinha, Head of Product Marketing, InMobi Exchange.

This blog post was written in collaboration with Jampp.

About Jampp

Jampp is a programmatic advertising platform used by the most ambitious companies to accelerate their mobile businesses.

As a leading mobile DSP for the post-IDFA era, Jampp delivers enhanced performance through all the traffic and attribution types including SKAN, probabilistic attribution, and IDFA to drive campaign success. 

The answer to the above riddle is to have an innovative mobile marketing software developer kit (SDK) that can help both parties anticipate industry challenges, navigate today’s privacy-first world, and that empowers them with more than just average SDK monetization, audience engagement, and measurement capabilities.  

Introducing The InMobi SDK   

The InMobi SDK is lightweight, easy to install and use, and delivers unrivalled performance with a near-zero crash rate. It gives app developers more consistency and stability, a safer way to collect data signals, easier deployment of ad formats, and a reliable future-proofed privacy solution. For advertisers, the InMobi SDK provides superior ad experiences that don’t detract from the in-app experience, greater control over ad creative, and our IAB SDK certification ensures more accurate tracking and measurement.   

Big Results and Broad Integration 

As of today, close to 25,000 apps have already integrated the InMobi SDK, generating 2.5 trillion monthly ad requests on 2 billion unique users globally, with the prime intent to plan and execute their mobile monetization strategies. 

The InMobi SDK is now certified on all major platforms, including AppLovin, IronSource, Fyber, and Google AdMob. App publishers can now simply integrate the latest mediation SDK and its set of adapters, and this automatically updates their app with the latest InMobi SDK. 

The InMobi Flywheel Effect 

Over the past few months and years, we’ve made constant investments to make our SDK more robust and stable. All these capabilities help generate what we call the InMobi SDK flywheel effect. When the SDK innovates and solves for monetization and beyond for app developers, advertisers similarly reap the benefits of our innovation to solve for their own needs. Our SDK innovations enable them to scale their mobile investments, which in turn empowers the SDK to innovate and evolve.  

This is how our SDK tree expands to serve both app developers and advertisers: 

Here’s How Our SDK Works: 

For App Developers: 

• Monetization+ – Supercharge the success of your app by unlocking our addressability solutions, superior ad experiences, client-side measurement capabilities, and more, all powered by our super lean SDK.  
• Demand diversity – This is a direct example of the SDK flywheel effect. The stability and robustness of the SDK ensures that we have a very healthy diversity of brand and performance media flow, in addition to a well-diversified open and private exchange media flow. This means that historically strong periods like Q4 are especially robust, and that app developers see ample demand even during historically quieter periods like Q1.  
• UnifID – This is an industry-first identity solution built for app developers and powered by the InMobi SDK to simplify addressability. It accelerates an app’s monetization journey by enabling them to integrate with multiple universal ID vendors in just a few clicks. One of our publisher partners, TextNow, has seen its eCPM increase by 146% for native ads and 35% for banner ads after implementing UnifID. Read more here and here.

• Future-proofing your monetization – This is another direct example of the SDK flywheel effect. In this uncertain world where platform and regulatory changes happen at an increasingly rapid pace, our SDK is in a unique position with its presence and capabilities to offset any impact that these changes bring. As examples, two future-proofing addressability tracks we’re working on include the following: 

  • On-device targeting, which will enable partners to run targeting on the client-side versus on the server side in a way that fully respects user privacy. 

  • Cohorts, such as sourcing/processing/storing/refreshing interest-based or behavior-based cohorts on the client-side in a privacy-first way.

• New sources of revenue (#InMobiBeyondBanners) – Here's yet another direct example of the SDK flywheel effect. Our SDK has the ability to light up new and unconventional formats and then scale them. A few examples we’re working on:                                                                                                                                       
  • ​Swish – A ground-breaking new real estate offering for monetization on Android phones. I can't say any more at this time, so stay tuned!   
  • Ad Pods and Rewarded Video – Think of a series of ads as seen in OTT video streaming environments, now think about that same series of ads on in-app video slots where only one video ad was running until now. That’s Ad Pods for you. We’ve also pumped up the Rewarded Video proposition with many features to make it truly rewarding, including the ability to customize ad duration, close delays, skip delays, add rewarded playable, dynamic video orientation, mixed ad pods, eight customized templates, and more coming soon to cater to user engagement needs and overall performance.  

For DSPs:

• Maximum access – We’ve seen tremendous growth of direct in-app header bidding supply powered by our SDK. This ensures that advertisers get the first look at inventory in a first-price setup. They can take what and how much they want at the price that works and the power multiplies when combined with one or more points below.  
• Accurate signals – Our SDK captures cleaner and more accurate signals at scale. These signals, when consumed by the bidder and processed by machine learning algorithms in the right way, do wonders to improve return-on-ad-spend (ROAS).  
• Seamless rendering – Our SDK ensures the seamless rendering of creatives. While a conventional banner is easy, advertisers will appreciate this capability when you think about a video ad with an end card playing buffer-free the entire time during the video and then triggering seamless interactions with the user through the end card. Besides providing a better user experience, seamless rendering results in better measurement, better attribution, better KPIs, and better ROAS. 
• Future-proofing your scale – This is a direct example of the SDK flywheel effect. Our impeccable focus on in-app, along with the SDK's presence and robustness, empower innovation on the app developer side and advertisers reap the benefit. So, when developments and improvements like on-device targeting and user cohorts go live, advertiser targeting capabilities get new armor, and you never lose scale to run at full speed. Also, your canvas gets bigger and your scale tops up when new real estate like Swish and Ad Pods get enabled in the mobile environment.    

For Advertisers:

On top of the benefits for DSPs that are automatically applicable for all advertisers, the InMobi SDK enables you to:   

• Always be close to your customers – The gap between you and your mobile customers (existing or new) will always be minimized, irrespective of the changes happening in the industry or whether you’re running programmatic in-house or through an agency trading desk. 
• Better creative – You will never compromise on your messaging or narrative – or bringing “aha” moments for your mobile users because the InMobi SDK gives you super-powers to innovate on creatives.     

The Future of Mobile Ad Tech  

It’s a competitive mobile app marketplace and app publishers and advertisers need more capabilities than a standard SDK can provide. At InMobi, we’re dedicated to empowering app developers to become successful entrepreneurs and for marketers to help build successful careers by delivering high impact results. That’s why – both in this blog post and in the larger resource center where it sits – we have brought together the most helpful, educational, and inspirational resources to power both parties along their respective journeys. 

I’m very excited about how the InMobi SDK will play a significant role in shaping the future of mobile ad tech, and I look forward to sharing more updates with you on this topic in the next few months.  

Download the InMobi SDK today to get started. 

To learn more, check out our latest SDK video. 

To learn the complete story of how Castrol perfectly executed the campaign, read the success story now. 

What Are Your Responsibilities at InMobi?

As a tech leader, my role is to nurture innovation as more and more telcos are tying up with InMobi to elevate experiences for their customers, scale business growth and monetize their digital assets. This involves ensuring that visually attractive Android and iOS apps are developed that are backed by big data systems that carry live content.

What Has Been Your Professional Journey So Far?

I have over 20 years of experience working with startups. I have had long stints at BlueJeans Network and Sling Media, and numerous other shorter stints. Along the way, I had the opportunity to work with top talent and raised high-performing teams. My love for problem-solving and search for excellence motivated me to co-author 12 patents in the fields of video streaming and P2P connectivity.

What Motivated You To Join InMobi?

Before accepting joining the company, I did research on InMobi’s ability to hire and nurture lateral hires for leadership roles. I found that incredible systematic support from in-house experts is available to all employees and learning fast while making a few mistakes is enabled and encouraged at InMobi. Expertise is spread across all the levels in the organization and not clustered at the top. These findings exceeded my expectations and that’s what motivated me to join InMobi.

Little Known Facts About You?

I enjoy playing tennis or going for a run every day. When indoors, I prefer watching movies and playing on the PlayStation. I am also a part of a motorbike group that takes up cross-country rides, hones off-roading skills and teaches emergency bike repair skills. The unifying theme in this group is helping needy neighborhood schools through renovation support and equipment purchase.

To work with engineering leaders like Parimal, explore opportunities on our careers website.

This article first appeared in Martech Asia

Rishi Bedi shares his insights on how mobile technology transforms creative storytelling for brands and how brands can optimize the best of mobile technology to upscale their ads in today’s dynamic, hyperconnected world.

As technology continues to permeate everything we do, for many, the morning routine starts with first picking up the mobile phone. Be it scrolling through the morning news, checking weather updates before stepping out of the house, or gaming and browsing social media feeds in between work meetings, one thing is certain – mobile content experiences including ads are an integral part of our everyday lives.  

Keeping up with Gen Now 

As the mobile-first consumer’s behavior and expectations evolve exponentially, brands must stay ahead of the curve in terms of their engagement strategies. However, as brands try to engage the overwhelmed consumers, the hardest challenge lies in keeping up a consistent level of creativity. So, how can brands optimize the best of mobile tech to ensure that they are competitive and relevant in today’s dynamic, hyperconnected world? The answer lies in 3 poignant steps: 1. Fueling creativity with mobile-first intelligence 2. Engaging with the consumers by leveraging the native features of mobile, and 3. Ending with a clear and meaningful call-to-action. 

Fueling creativity with mobile-first intelligence  

Oftentimes, brands can seek inspiration and conceptualize the most relevant experiences for their target audiences by leveraging mobile-first consumer intelligence. The result is the potential for brands to engage with consumers in their moments of truth. For instance, eleven months into the pandemic, a globally known soap brand, Lifebuoy realized that public service announcements (PSAs) in Indonesia weren’t making an impact anymore. The brand analyzed and applied real-time location intelligence, which helped them arrive at the concept of completely transforming the healthcare measures related PSAs during the pandemic. The awareness ads made personalized service announcements for each smartphone user, based on the viewer’s regional location, daily habits of users in that location, and psychographic profiles. 

On the other hand, a close connection between creativity, engagement, and gaming among people is fast emerging as a common trend. Mobile gaming is being picked by consumers from all age groups and the number of mobile gamers is estimated to have witnessed a 2X YoY growth in unique users and 4X YoY growth in usage. What is even more interesting in the context of brands is that more than 70% of gamers prefer to see an ad as a method to progress in the game and more than 60% of gamers recall the ads they see.  A study on the state of mobile gaming in a particular region could guide brands in seeing markets that have the greatest potential for mobile-led gamified ads and the various ways to gamify them. 

Engaging with the consumers by using native features of mobile 

Delivering a sublime, seamless, and unique consumer experience needs brands to not only draw inspiration from mobile-led intelligence but also implement it using the right native features of mobile. The smartphone has over 50 native features, which if leveraged intelligently, can transform the delivered experience. Their usage can make the consumers have a higher engagement with the brand because it makes consumers feel actively involved in the experiences delivered to them.

Many globally renowned brands have achieved this successfully and at scale. To promote that a newly launched car model supported voice commands, Kia, the automobile brand, combined voice detection and virtual reality technologies in their recently launched artificial intelligence (AI) powered interactive ads. The mobile ads enabled users to virtually explore the interiors of the new car model by live voice commands. Voice commands such as “Hello Kia, open the driver window” from the user ‘opened’ a virtual car door, leading engaged users to immersive product pages, which drove up the product consideration. Dettol, a cleaning supplies brand, boosted purchase intent for a new product in Pakistan that is especially useful in the summer season with a weather forecast based video experience. After an accurate and real-time prediction of weather through the user’s location, time, and day, the ads displayed tailored messages for the product, encouraging users to make a purchase decision. Similarly, to mirror the retail experience online for their new lipstick collection, L’Oréal Paris India, the iconic beauty brand, leveraged augmented reality and facial recognition technologies. The brand created a mobile-first ad campaign where ad units used mobile’s front camera to identify a user’s facial features. The ad then allowed the user to virtually try on and experiment with various lipstick shades from the collection.

As brands get better at building various experiences on mobile, they can also start combining their first-, second-, and third-party data signals along with Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) to deliver sequential storytelling to their customers. The learning point for brands here is that imparting an element of customization into every stage of the consumer life cycle is crucial for mobile ad engagement – and this must be done right from the start of an ad viewing journey. 

Ending with a clear, meaningful call-to-action 

A call-to-action (CTA) button that effectively wraps up the user journey is most critical for capturing the affinity, consideration, and intent built during the immersive experience. From a content perspective, an ideal CTA is user-focused, simple, highlights benefits, creates a sense of urgency, and is customized to the platform. Visually, for creating a good CTA, the button would have to be optimally located, sized, and colored according to different mobile screens and consumer demographics.  

To effectively keep up with these extensive considerations, brands could opt to apply various technologies and tools like heatmaps. They present data from visual storytelling and can help brands identify which parts of the display or video ads users are interacting with the most, which can help in the effective placement of a CTA. AI technology can also help brands power their CTA buttons as it could streamline content data and automation throughout the ad’s workflow. More importantly, brands can impart their creativity through their CTA buttons – similar to Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital. The brand’s ads included relevant neurological designs surrounding their CTA buttons while also diversifying their CTA mechanisms to redirect users to videos or website landing pages according to their interest levels.

The future of creativity rests on mobile intelligence and innovation 

While there are various measures that brands can use to keep their mobile ads competitive, innovation, intelligence, and creativity remain constant denominators for brands looking to scale to new heights. Effective use of mobile-first intelligence allows brands to act on existing resources within informed boundaries while innovation allows for brands to push past these boundaries and produce transformative ads that can catch the attention of busy consumers. Overall, remaining competitive requires a holistic effort on both short-term and long-term strategies. As long as brands can achieve a synergistic balance of the two and add mobile-first intelligence-driven creativity to their mobile ads, the potential for great returns on them remains limitless.

This article first appeared in ET Edge.

Why brands should leverage rewarded videos to have maximum engagement with consumers during the 2022 cricket season

Every year brings a new set of challenges for brands to manoeuvre, and this year requires balancing rising costs while owning a share of mind among the ever-evolving consumers. Brands have long relied on seasonal marketing opportunities to achieve both. Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 has kickstarted a highly active and engaging cricket season from a consumer behavior perspective. Trends show that mobile advertising is an extremely cost-effective way for brands to build readiness for this season. Moreover, mobile-based audience buys can be the winning strategy for brands to get maximum returns on their ad spends during such events. While a smart brand might already be leveraging both in its advertising strategy, an inefficient execution can still make the Gen Now consumer slip away.

Right Place and Right Format to Execute the Winning Ad Strategy
Brands must understand what motivates the consumers to win them at the right place with the right format of ads. Both IPL and Google Play were introduced in 2008. Over the years, India has seen an exponential increase in smartphone users for whom mobile is a constant companion while watching cricket matches. This has also resulted in the rise of mobile gamers in the country, who were approximately 300 million in 2021 spread across all age groups with women making up to 44% of Indian mobile gamers. IPL made fantasy cricket the most famous esport among Indian gamers and this makes mobile games the right place to create an ad experience for Indian consumers during the cricket season. Now let’s focus on the right format for advertising within games in this context – rewarded videos.

Rewarded video is an ad experience that provides users with an opportunity to watch a video in exchange for a reward within the app. These rewards are strategically placed in the game experience making them valuable to the users by taking the form of in-app currency or premium content. Rewarded videos have emerged as the most engaging and leading ad formats because of users opt-in to watch them. Everyone’s Gaming Among Us report by InMobi shows that over 74% of Indian gamers prefer to watch a rewarded video as a method to progress in the game.

Three Ways in Which Rewarded Video Ads Will Super-Charge Your Brand
Firstly, rewarded video ads are inarguably the most engaging ad and receive up to 31% higher completion rate and 2.6 times higher engagement. Since users opt-in for them, they tend to watch them till the end. They also positively affect the user experience because they provide rewards that let users as far into the game as they want without having to pay. With all the benefits leading to higher engagement, rewarded video ads bring a higher return on ad spends (ROAS) for brands.

Secondly, rewarded video ads can help brands increase overall brand awareness. Everyone’s Gaming Among Us, India report shows that over 60% of mobile gamers recall the ads they see in games. If a brand can show a rewarded video ad to an interested consumer in an engaging and interactive format and provide a lucrative reward on completion, they can exponentially drive up the chances of increasing the brand awareness in the engaged user.

Thirdly, rewarded video ads have a high reusability and versatility quotient and can be leveraged for multiple marketing goals. Multiple versions of the same rewarded ad unit can be created by tweaking the end card and the landing page as per the consumer’s journey with the brand. The utility of the rewarded video ads also extends beyond the top of the funnel. Their high engagement rate makes them an effective way to drive desire and action among consumers too. Rewarded video ads can also be a great way to collect feedback and insights by creating surveys that when answered, provide a reward to the user in the game.

Best Practices to Create Rewarded Video Ads
Rewarded video ads bring maximum returns when they pique users’ interest through an engaging ad experience. For brands looking to boost their ROAS, here are some of the best practices around rewarded videos to keep in mind this cricket season:
1. Avoid the “one-size-fits-all” approach: Brands must find out what resonates the most with their consumers by studying their online behavior, offline characteristics, and topics of interest to create rewarded video ads that are both personalized for the user and customized to the gaming experience.
2. Leverage the full potential of the visuals: Crisp video ads with effective placement of logo, engaging text, interactive end card, and the right selection of post-click landing page perform the best.
3. Choose the right video type and duration: The type of the rewarded video, such as – Video or end card, Vertical or horizontal, With or without sound controls, Non-skippable but closeable, With a countdown timer, Playable ads – has a high weightage in its engagement and viewability. Also, studies show that video ads of 15 to 30 secs duration perform the best.

Rewarded Video Ad Campaign That Captures Consumer Mindshare
Seagram’s Royal Stag, a category leader with a global presence, wanted to reach out to young Indians and trigger the affinity of its core target group that would create a deeper connection with the brand. They created a winning campaign by effectively executing the mobile advertising strategy discussed so far. Royal Stag reached the right user through InMobi Audiences, hit the right place where their audiences were present – casual gaming apps, and created a memorable ad experience by leveraging the right format – rewarded videos. The campaign had a balanced mix of various types of video ads in a gaming environment which ensured a non-intrusive experience. As a result, the brand reached 2 million unique users with 4 million video views and 1.4x higher video completion rates against industry benchmark in just a month.

Even the best strategies perform poorly without proper execution. For brands trying to own mobile-first Indian consumers’ share of mind, selection of the right place and right format in the marketing campaigns can make all the difference. Indian consumers’ love for mobile gaming makes rewarded video ads the most productive way for brands to create an immersive experience that delights these consumers. Being one of the leading ad formats in the advertising industry, building a knack for running rewarded video ad campaigns can also help brands develop an edge for other seasonal marketing opportunities.

Known for trailblazing ways to bring more convenience into the lives of consumers, Swiggy decided to explore innovative channels to acquire high-quality users and drive first orders on food purchases. The brand partnered with InMobi and Glance to reach consumers on the front page of their mobile - the lock screen.

The brand leveraged InMobi Audiences to identify and target first-time users who were more likely to convert into frequent purchasers. Through the seamless one-click app install on Glance, Swiggy amplified its growth across India and achieved incredible results.

Learn more from our Illustrated by InMobi infographic. 
 

Deep dive into the success story here.

Interested in achieving ground-breaking results like Swiggy? Get in touch with us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com. 

Here at InMobi, we not only wanted to give industry folks a rundown of this past year in gaming, but also what’s to come. Here’s a preview of what we unpacked:  

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency and Google Privacy Sandbox 

Privacy has been a major theme in the mobile world since Apple launched its App Tracking Transparency feature last April. In an industry heavily reliant on targeted advertising and mobile user data, this change to IDFA protocols was sure to make publishers and advertisers nervous. And with design protocols for Google’s more balanced Android Privacy Sandbox currently available for review, this matter of privacy will continue to be a key point of industry conversation for years to come.  

A year into ATT, we are happy to report that we, and the industry as a whole, have adapted well with creative solutions that respect individuals’ privacy while enabling advertisers to reach their goals across both traditional gaming and newer in-game environments. (Meanwhile, opt-in rates are still relatively stable at 35%, especially with those game developers that take the time to educate consumers on the value exchange.) 

Acquisitions 

We all remember where we were when Microsoft announced its $68 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard just days after Take-Two's milestone acquisition of Zynga. While shocking, these deals say a lot, not only about the state of the gaming industry overall, but the dominating force of the hyper casual mobile gaming market. Zynga gave us Farmville and Activision Blizzard had previously acquired King Games.  While the gaming industry may still shy away from acknowledging the powerhouse combination of mobile and hyper casual gaming, clearly the makers behind Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty think otherwise.  

With the foretold recession, watch this space. We may see further consolidation across the field. This is especially true where we see publishers like Zynga acquiring tech players like Chartboost to gain greater transparency and control over their monetization and user acquisition.  

Trends 

We all know that trends come and go. They’re temporary reflections of the current whims of a consumer base. But we do want to draw attention to some trends with evidenced staying power. 

As it stands, pop culture is becoming a growing source of inspiration for mobile gaming, and we expect to see more crossover between gaming and the zeitgeist. Developers filled the Apple App Store and Google Play with Squid Game-inspired hyper casual experiences. Riot Games debuted Arcane on Netflix, basing the series off of the publisher’s League of Legends. The Witcher, another huge series on the streamer, also derives original inspiration from the video game franchise of the same title. Take-Two Interactive is partnering with the platform to bring a film adaptation of 2K Games’ BioShock.  

We’re also seeing many more developers employing their design skills to create the perfect scenarios for creating viral moments and buzz around their games. Take Wordle for instance. With the automatic built-in share function, creator Josh Wardle encouraged plenty of social media competitiveness and thus visits to the browser game, well before The New York Times jumped in to acquire it.  

Web 3.0 and Gaming 

I know we’re all trying to make sense of the gaming world in the wake of Web 3.0, crypto gaming, and the Metaverse. I also know that caution tends to be practiced when faced with unknowns. However, InMobi encourages the naysayers to treat this new phase of the Internet and gaming as a period of great innovation and potential.  

The Big Question  

Who will capture the future of entertainment? This is perhaps the single most important question across all entertainment/media industries. With companies like Netflix making huge plays in the gaming arena, and Epic Games acquiring the music streaming platform Bandcamp, more stakeholders are taking a multi-hyphenate, multi-industry approach to capturing the attention of audiences. There’s only 24 hours in a day. 

What’s Next 

Still need convincing? Join me at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity on Tuesday, June 21 at 11am CET. I will be moderating a session with HUMAN, NBC Universal, WPP, Reddit, and Anzu to discuss these trends in the context of innovative new advertising units and the safest ways to buy them.   

Can’t make it to Cannes? Read more in our new annual report on all things Metaverse.   

Nate’s Top Tips for UA and Retargeting Creative 

Check out this sneak peek of what Nate noted on the Remerge blog: 

1. Tell a story with your brand elements. 
2. Evoke an emotional response with your retargeting creatives. 
3. Use rich media experiences to convert awareness into acquisition. 
4. Experiment with creative themes. 
5. Take advantage of in-game advertising. 

Of course, there’s a lot more! Be sure to head over to Remerge’s blog to read Nate’s full advice and check out some examples to emulate. 

Additional Creative Tips and Best Practices 

If you’re looking for additional suggestions and tips, then be sure to check out our report that we co-produced in partnership with Celtra, A Guide to Quality Ad Creatives for Mobile Screens.

What does an effective in-app ad actually look like? Are elements like customization and interactivity key to strong mobile ad creatives?  

To help answer these questions and more, we turned to the creative experts at Celtra to share some insights and tips about how to make winning ad creatives for mobile apps. Click here to get your complimentary copy of the report. 

For additional insights on creative best practices for in-app performance advertising, check out this article from Srinivas KC, SVP and GM of InMobi DSP. 

And if you’re looking for examples of the mobile in-app ads that surprise, delight and deliver real results, head to our creative gallery. 

Interested in leveraging the services and expertise of InMobi’s creative services team? Click here to reach out to our team of mobile experts today. 

Not quite. Inflation, rising gas prices, labor shortages and lingering supply chain issues all threaten to damper the holiday season. 

In some sense, however, these concerns are nothing new. Not only did year-over-year prices rise over 3% in December 2021, but consumers also saw approximately 6 billion out-of-stock messages last holiday season. 

Despite all the headwinds, what can retailers and manufacturers do to see success this holiday season? The answer is in the palm of your hand. 

Highlighting The Growth and Ubiquity of Mobile 

The key to success this year is to reach consumers through their favorite screen: Mobile. U.S. consumers will spend close to four and half hours using mobile devices in 2022 – as compared to just over three hours spent watching linear TV. Over a third of all time spent with media will be devoted to mobile this year. 

Let’s dive into mobile more. For one thing, close to 90% of all time spent on mobile is devoted to apps. 

And the top apps used may surprise you. Of all time spent on mobile, less than one-fourth (23%) is spent using social media, according to eMarketer’s figures. 

Mobile’s Role in Product Discovery 

It’s one thing to note the growth and scale of mobile. But how can mobile help retailers and manufacturers? As InMobi's research has shown, in-app advertising is ideal for product discovery. 

According to InMobi’s first-party research, over one in five Americans said they enjoy seeing ads in apps. Additionally, 53% say they discover new products through mobile advertising.  

After seeing and interacting with an ad for a product that interests them, what action do Americans usually take? The top response was visit a brand’s website (32%), followed by open or download the brand’s app (16%).  

Where are consumers seeing these ads? Top answers include gaming apps (25%), social apps (23%), streaming apps (15%), mobile webpages (15%) and news apps (14%).   

Mobile’s Role in Shopping 

Mobile devices have proven critical beyond just product discovery too. For starters, retail m-commerce holiday season sales in the U.S. rose over 14% in 2021, totaling more than $93 billion. And eMarketer is predicting an additional increase of close to 20% for this year. 

InMobi’s research backs this up. Just 28% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 said they shopped in store during the 2021 holiday season. Across all age ranges, 30% shopped for gifts via a mobile website or app. 

While some of this mobile-led commerce is undoubtedly a result of shoppers looking to avoid crowds, the convenience and ease offered by mobile-first transactions is clearly here to stay.  

And even when consumers are not purchasing directly from mobile, it still is playing a major part in the final purchase. Consider these facts: 

• 69% of people will look up a product online before coming to a store to make a purchase. 
• People who see a location-based mobile ad and actually visit a brick-and-mortar location are 25% more likely than others to make an e-commerce purchase with that brand.  
• 46% of consumers look up products and conduct research on items while shopping in store.   
• Of all the people who are exposed to a typical location-based mobile ad campaign, about two-thirds of them will later make a purchase with that brand. 
• 60% say they will continue BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store) post pandemic while 47% will continue store curbside pickup.   

Putting Together The Complete Mobile Picture 

To succeed this holiday season, retailers and manufacturers need to understand how media (esp. mobile) is used at every stage of different consumer segments' buying journey. Mobile is the top screen for most Americans, and it becomes even more important as consumers venture back outside in greater numbers. 

Interested in kicking off your holiday shopping season on the right foot? Reach out to InMobi! Get in touch at efficientbuying@inmobi.com.  

As the leading experts in mobile, InMobi can help you execute successful advertising and marketing campaigns this holiday season which reach consumers at scale through their most-used device. 

Is this the best strategy for reaching mobile users? Not quite. Here are some key reasons why you should diversify your mobile ad spending: 

1) To find audiences who aren’t on social media or aren’t social-first 

According to eMarketer, the average American will spend over four hours and 40 minutes a day using mobile. Of that time, less than an hour (about 53 minutes) is spent on social networks. That means only around 19% of all time spent on mobile is devoted to social media. For brands whose only foray into mobile is through social media, this means that they’re not really talking to individuals throughout most of their mobile journey. 

2) Enables you to reach audiences when they’re most receptive to your messaging 

According to InMobi research, more than one in five consumers actually enjoy seeing mobile ads. And among Gen Zers, that figure jumps to 29%. 

Where are consumers seeing these ads? Some of the top answers include gaming apps (25%), streaming apps (15%) and news apps (14%).   

Think about it this way: let’s say you’re trying to sell umbrellas. If someone opens a weather app and sees that it’s going to rain all next week, they may be highly receptive to your messaging. But if you’re running the same ads on social media, the same ad may be less effective outside of this content. 

3) Gain independent verification, especially around key metrics like viewability 

Most of the Walled Gardens are self-attributing networks, meaning that marketers have to take their reporting at face value. This issue has impacted agencies and advertisers before, such as in 2017 when Digiday reported that Facebook’s average viewability rate could be much lower than benchmarks across the open web. 

When spending with an independent partner, however, this is not a concern. Just about all leading independent advertising options work with a third-party validation partner (like IAS or Moat) that can independently vouch for the reporting and highlight any potential discrepancies. 

4) Less beholden to scandal 

Just about all major Walled Gardens and major social media platforms have been subject to scandal over the past few years. Every time a scandal is brought to light, advertisers who have a major presence on that platform are caught in its wake.  

But by diversifying ad spend to not be overly reliant on one or a few advertising options, brands can be sure they are less directly impacted whenever the next scandal or flareup arises. By investing in and working with a wide variety of options, advertisers can easily reallocate spend as soon as necessary. 

5) Enables you to more easily scale campaigns 

Even the largest platforms are unlikely to be able to help advertisers reach all of their prospective audiences. Even a service as popular and as well-used as Gmail still doesn’t reach millions of Americans. 

For example, let’s say a brand is included to reach Gen Z audiences. Their first inclination may be to advertise on TikTok. But according to numbers from Statista and Insider Intelligence, only around 58% of all Gen Zers in the U.S. have a TikTok account – to say nothing about how active they are on the platform. A TikTok-only campaign would then mean that the advertiser wasn’t talking to over 30 million people in their target demographic. 

6) Have less to worry about from a brand safety/brand suitability standpoint 

Many of the biggest Walled Gardens rely primarily on user-generated content. As a result, it can be difficult for advertisers to determine beforehand where exactly their ads will appear and in what context they will be seen.  

From a brand suitability standpoint or even one around brand safety, this can be highly problematic. The last thing any advertiser wants is to have their messaging appearing alongside objectionable content. Should an ad accidentally appear pre-roll before a hateful video, for example, consumers may develop a negative brand connotation as a result.  

One study found that 49% of consumers will develop a negative perception of a brand if their ads appear next to offensive content. 

This is much less of an issue in environments where the content is much more static, such as a hypercasual mobile game, where an advertiser always knows how their ads will appear. It can also be mitigated through advertising that doesn’t appear directly next to any content, such as rewarded video ads or fullscreen interstitials. 

7) Ability to tap into managed service offerings 

Just about all of the major digital advertising platforms operate on a self-serve basis, meaning that someone has to log in to a platform and set up an advertising campaign themselves. Only the biggest of big spenders will gain access to any direct help from the platforms themselves. 

For some advertisers, this self-service capacity is ideal. This is especially true for those with a lot of internal expertise and/or limited ad budgets, among other reasons. 

In other instances, of course, this is not ideal. Some teams do not have the time or expertise to manage campaigns on their own, nor are they able to always successfully scale their campaigns on their own.  

When diversifying an ad portfolio, an advertiser should use a mix of managed and self-serve options. That way, they have a variety of management options at their disposal. 

8) Better ROI often outside of Walled Gardens   

Many advertisers take a one-stop-shop approach to digital advertising, thinking that they can meet all of their campaign goals through one platform. This is not always the case however. 

Take Super PAC Local Voices as an example. Across their entire 2020 mobile campaign, their average video ad completion rate in-app was over 83% — a far higher number than what Local Voices saw on Facebook. 

Further, the average viewability rate of a vertically oriented mobile video ad is 124% higher, on average, than the average viewability rate of a video ad run on Instagram. 

9) Helps ensure your messaging is not ignored 

Ads run in Walled Garden environments are not often memorable. Between endless scrolling, preroll ads to skip as soon as possible and tiny ads within email, just to name a few examples, it can be difficult to break through the clutter. 

By diversifying your ad spending, advertisers get access to a wider array of creative formats which are designed to capture attention and engage audiences. In the mobile in-app space, some great examples include fullscreen interstitials and rewarded video ads. For example, 32% of Gen Zers report making purchases when interacting with rewarded ads. 

10) Consumers may be more receptive to your messaging outside of social media 

It may be worthwhile to diversify mobile ad spending to make sure that ad messaging is seen in a context where consumers will be most receptive to it. 

According to one study, 44% find the ads they see on social media to be irrelevant to them. In comparison, 21% actually enjoy seeing ads in their favorite mobile apps. 

How To Get Started 

Interested in channeling the advice of Wu-Tang Financial and diversifying your mobile ad spend? Reach out to the mobile experts at InMobi to learn more and get started: https://www.inmobi.com/company/contact/.  

Sources: 

• https://www.emarketer.com/content/us-time-spent-with-media-2021-update  
• https://www.inmobi.com/blog/2021/12/15/what-us-consumers-think-about-mobile-advertising 
• https://www.inmobi.com/blog/2021/02/09/benefits-of-apps-beyond-the-walled-garden-technology-companies   
• https://digiday.com/marketing/facebook-video-ad-viewability-rates-low-20-percent-agencies-say/  
• https://techjury.net/blog/gmail-statistics/  
• https://www.statista.com/statistics/1276021/instagram-snapchat-tiktok-gen-z-users/ 
• https://www.insiderintelligence.com/insights/generation-z-facts/  
• https://www.marketingdive.com/news/study-mobile-games-better-for-brand-safety-than-social-media/552711/  
• https://go.inmobi.net/hubfs/Local_Voices_and_InMobi_Case_Study.pdf  
• https://www.storegrowers.com/youtube-ads-benchmarks/  
• https://go.inmobi.net/inmobi-mobile-video-advertising-trends-report-2020 
• https://metric-ds.com/blog/viewability-facebook-instagram-ads/  
• https://www.inmobi.com/blog/2022/03/07/rewarded-video-ads-what-all-gaming-app-publishers-should-know  
• https://www.surveymonkey.com/curiosity/74-of-people-are-tired-of-social-media-ads-but-theyre-effective/  

And as we have come to know, rewarded video effectiveness can be attributed to their incorporation of reward and incentive to the in-app experience for consumers.   

But what exactly do consumers know and understand about rewarded video? To find out, InMobi and our team of market researchers polled hundreds of consumers in April and May to dive deeper into their thoughts on mobile ad formats and rewarded video specifically. Here is what we found.  

Key Findings:  

• Overall, consumers across gender and age groups largely prefer mobile apps having ads in lieu of needing to pay to download an app.
• When it comes to identifying different types of ads that offer rewards, 37% of female respondents have seen rewarded video ads, which is more than other rewarded ad formats. However, a bulk of respondents were not able to recognize a rewarded ad across gender and age groups.  
• By age, however, older Millennials and Gen Xers take the cake in including video as a recognized rewarded ad formatting, with image ads being most recognizable amongst Gen Z and younger Millennials. 

Knowledge And Preference For Rewarded Video

When aware of these types of ads, consumers really prefer video as a rewarded ad experience. In total, 66% of respondents prefer rewarded video over other rewarded ad formats. Although they still prefer rewarded video, it is worth noting that men have a significantly stronger preference for interacting with a task ad compared to women.   

With rewarded video ads, users can choose whether or not they want to engage with the ad, and this choice makes a big difference in how these ads are perceived. 

Rewarded Video Ads And Gaming 

As expected, consumers best recognize and have preference for rewarded video in gaming apps. And this makes sense. The in-game experience is already ripe with reward and incentive, so of course rewarded video ads can be easily integrated into the mobile gaming experience for users.  

When we think of rewarded video ads, it’s easy to see how a user would want to watch the ads in exchange for extra playing time, extra lives, in-game currency and the like to advance in gameplay.  

And our data reflects this, with 58% of those surveyed preferring to see this rewarded ad format in-game. However, our survey came back with some surprising insights in addition to affirming what we already suspected about rewarded video in-app experiences.  

Here are the specifics: 

• When compared to arcade, action/adventure, racing/sports and battle royale games, strategy/trivia/puzzle games are the preferred gaming category for users to interact with a rewarded video ad. 48% of respondents (55% of women) prefer seeing this popular ad format in strategy, trivia and puzzle-based games. 
• 46% of consumers prefer seeing rewarded video ads during gameplay once they need resources, like in-app currency, extra lives, additional playing time, character skins and the like.  
• 17% of consumers aged 55 and up, however, specifically prefer to engage with rewarded video ads at the beginning of a gameplay. And if this sounds surprising, it aligns with some of the research we spoke to Dr. Diego Garaialde about. In his research around reward effectiveness, the post-doc found that rewards are generally most valuable early on in an interaction/login. 
• The top desired reward is in-app currency (33%); 15% of male consumers prefer account upgrades as a reward for watching video ads, significantly more than women; women have a stronger preference for additional playing time (15%) compared to men.  The 55 and up club might just be an untapped consumer base when it comes to thinking about who is downloading and truly engaging in gaming apps and preferring gaming brands overall. 24% of 55+ gamers site additional time as their reward preference, and 53% prefer to see rewarded ads for other gaming apps.
• Across gender and age groups, the go-to action after seeing a rewarded video ad is clicking to learn more, meaning that rewarded video most likely has a better impact on branding than performance.  

Opportunity Outside of Mobile Games 

While mobile gaming is a go-to site for rewarded video, our research found that there is opportunity for the inclusion of rewarded video ads in non-gaming contexts.  

Learn more:  

• 37% of respondents recognized rewarded video in music apps, with 14% of total respondents actually preferring to see rewarded video in music apps. One can wonder if this is a consequence of users needing to subscribe to music streaming apps in order to have an ad-free experience. While some are willing and able to fork over the $4.99 and $9.99 subscription price or make multiple in-app purchases, there are a countless number of consumers who are not. Perhaps, it is amongst these individuals that a limited ad-free experience in exchange for watching a video ad is preferable to just simply listening to ads mid-stream.  
• The majority of female consumers prefer to see video ads for food and drink brands instead of the more stereotypical apparel, home goods and health and beauty brand categories.  
• 23% of consumers see discounts as a preferred content for rewarded video.  

Time To Think Outside Of The Box 

Rewarded ads are heavily associated with video and gaming, whether that be in-game ad experiences or ads for other games. Our findings also most notably suggest a serious lack of out-the-box thinking from publishers and advertisers overall in how to introduce and use rewarded ad units.  

Truly, a wide variety of apps should implement rewarded ads in addition to other ad placements as part of their broader monetization model, as doing so will improve ad revenue, user engagement and retention rates. 

Even within mobile gaming apps, gamers have become so accustomed to seeing ads for other games that publishers should aim to mix things up and make efforts to get other types of advertisers to buy into their supply.  

In-game experience across gaming genres is often enhanced by things such as casual ease, competitiveness and incentive but also novelty. Just as developers know how to introduce new features and creatives in their game to keep up interest, publishers should think about how to use their in-app ads for opportunities for increased novelty in the user’s overall experience. Imagine how many more users would run to your game if they knew there was a chance to get a discount at their favorite restaurant or for their brand of choice?  

Let the folks at InMobi help you build your expertise and utilization of this highly effective and popular ad format in a way that would be most fruitful for you. Want to learn more? Please reach out to us here or across any of our socials.  

The common assumption about gaming is that it’s all about consoles, young people and fast food. But the reality is so much more nuanced than that. From gamers over 55 to the highest gaming in-app purchases coming from working women, gaming is no longer an escape for this narrow cohort only.  

Here are the top four most common myths associated with in-game advertising and the realities behind them:  

1) In-game advertising is not brand safe   

In-game advertising is one of the safest gaming formats. Mobile games, like all apps, go through strict content review checks by the app stores before they are approved for publishing. There is usually no room for user-generated content to appear during gameplay, and game developers ensure the environment has only specific spaces dedicated to advertising. All inventory in this format is run through safety vendors like HUMAN to ensure it is fraud-free. Advertisers can also choose to exclude categories like shooting when running ads on in-game ad units.   

2) In-game rendered ads are not viewable to users 

In-game has seen viewability rate highs of up to 96%, where viewability wate considers the ad's placement, depth, user presence and angle when rendering. Ad setup requires no new creatives as all sizing is according to IAB standards, while best practices for being viewed by gamers during gameplay indicate the use of bold, simple visuals.  

3) Users are not interested in in-game ads  

Half of gamers want to see their favorite brands in the game, while 70% find the presence of an ad positively influencing gameplay. While in-game advertising is still a new format, the nuance of today's gamers, coupled with the amount of attention they give gaming, has advertiser curiosity piqued. 

4) There are not as many high-quality apps on in-game  

InMobi, along with platform partners like Anzu, also ensure quality checks cover everything from game quality to, ad quality and user experience. Moreover, the content review checks by Apple’s and Google’s app stores, combined with user reviews and ratings, ensure that only the high-quality apps can provide scale for ad opportunities. 

Overall, in-game advertising is a must-have for all branding campaigns. Its seamless, immersive nature supported by viewable measurement makes it the perfect driver of brand recall. And for those who are curious to dapple with game advertising, this is the ideal format to try mobile marketing for the first time.   

With active feedback from our existing publisher customers, we selected two critical focus areas to improve the user experience on the InMobi CI:  

1. Interactive and informative onboarding experience for new users. 
2. User-friendly and intuitive CI for existing users. 

We are excited to share that we have added the following features to provide publishers with an interactive and intuitive onboarding experience on the InMobi CI: 

1) Walkthrough Tours: This feature helps new publishers get an overview of the CI and guides them on how to navigate through important sections, step-by-step.   

2) Onboarding Guide: This feature visually guides new publishers on how to complete the steps required to set up their account and start monetizing with InMobi. 

3) Tooltips: This feature is used to provide clarity and additional information on important sections and settings of the CI. To see the tooltip, users can hover on the blue i icon.  

We believe these features will be beneficial to our publishers to get started on the InMobi CI and in reducing manual intervention needed from the Customer Success and Support teams. We plan to release more features in the coming months to help publishers discover our new products and collect direct feedback from the CI. Stay tuned for more updates.  

The index allows you to search for SDKs across categories and it provides insights on each SDK based on its usage data from Google Play to ensure you choose a reliable and safe-to-use SDK for your apps. Below is what you can find:  

• Details about the latest SDK versions  
• SDK adoption and retention metrics   
• Android app permissions requested by the SDK  

We are also pleased to share that we have registered on the Google Play SDK Console, the counterpart of the index for SDK providers. It allows us to maintain the SDK details on the index and share information about SDK crashes and issues with app developers. 

Saurav Dutta, VP Product Marketing, InMobi Publisher Platforms, said, “The Google Play SDK Index is a great initiative by Google to provide transparency about the Android SDK landscape and app developers are going to find it super useful for their various needs ranging from monetization to user support. This transparency is in line with our philosophy and we believe that the index will strengthen the belief that premium app developers have on InMobi SDK for their monetization strategy, and provide more transparency about the functioning and performance of the SDK.”    

Besides offering improved monetization results, the InMobi SDK provides additional value to publishers through advanced ad formats and addressability solutions such as UnifID. This industry-first in-app identity management solution from InMobi empowers you to implement multiple identity vendors like LiveRamp, ID5, Epsilon and LiveIntent from one single point of integration. We are also continuing to equip our SDK with more capabilities that can enable publishers to grow their business beyond ad monetization. 

If you are evaluating the InMobi SDK for your app, we recommend going through this guide to understand its features and benefits. Visit the InMobi Support Portal for more information.   

With InMobi Commerce’s self-service, automatic optimization platform, advertisers can effectively “set and forget” their retail media campaigns and trust they’ll hit their advertising goals.  

This means retailers can unlock recurring budgets from more brands, particularly mid- and long-tail brands, that can’t or don’t want to dedicate the resources to campaign management.  

What if you could “set and forget” your retail media ad campaign and trust that you’ll hit your advertising goals?  

Create Campaigns With Ease 

Launching retail media campaigns shouldn’t be complicated or require a massive “hands-on keyboards” team. In just five simple steps, including pressing “launch,” advertisers can go live with their campaigns with InMobi Commerce.  

Automatic campaigns can be set up in just two minutes without advertisers needing to worry about which keywords to bid on or how much to set as their starting bid. Advertisers just need to input their key indicators of campaign success, like desired return on ad spend (ROAS), and InMobi’s AI engines will continuously optimize their campaign with the right keyword and bid value. This means that brands of all sizes brands can ensure they are hitting ROI goals from day one.  

Our AI-powered, automatic campaign optimization not only works in search pages, but we have also extended the solution to ads that run on category to product targeting too. This is because our goal is to help advertisers and retailers create a full-funnel product discovery and retail media experience.  

 
AI-Powered Automatic Targeting  

The platform intelligently finds the right campaign keywords — helping advertisers reach shoppers more effectively and delivering a better ROAS.  

In addition to automating keyword targeting, our platform also helps advertisers find relevant product and category pages that are most likely to influence purchase decisions along the shopper’s journey.  

Advertisers want to make sure they don’t lose out on any opportunity to reach their target shopper – either with awareness-focused video experiences or with video experiences aimed at driving lower-funnel conversions – and they want to show up on all relevant and profitable pages. However, most advertisers don’t have the time or resources to analyze the full breadth of category pages, search terms, competitor pages, and more available on a retailer’s site.   

InMobi Commerce’s automatic targeting feature determines the list of keywords and pages that are most likely to help advertisers reach their campaign goals, helping them diversify their targeting and reach consumers throughout their purchase journey.  

Automatic targeting capabilities also help advertisers quickly react and adapt their ad strategy to keep up with their competition’s bid strategy without overspending or missing campaign goals. Our platform is able to continuously find all the possible pages where an advertiser could outbid their competition without missing out on their expected ROAS goals.   

Continual Campaign and Bid Optimization

Finally, InMobi can also help eliminate the headache of finding the right bid values for a campaign. The platform can reduce and increase the bid value to help achieve campaign objectives. 

During the lifetime of a campaign, several factors can impact performance, including changes in consumer behavior, increased competition on high-value keywords or pages and more. These problems can be addressed by optimizing your targeting strategy, but also by refining your bidding strategy.  
 
Our automatic campaign solution continuously monitors user behavior and ad competition across each category page or key search terms. Whenever there is a change, not only does our system capture that, but we are also able to modify the bid value and add/remove targeting parameters that would help an advertiser reach their campaign goals. Because the platform operates within the boundary of your expected profitability, you never have to worry about overspending. 

This can be done all be done automatically, or advertisers can manually approve which optimizations to make in their campaign. This continuous monitoring helps brands stay above their target ROAS at any point in time and eliminates the need to manually intervene timely to keep up with the customer behavior and the competition.  

Interested in learning more about InMobi Commerce? Head to https://www.inmobi.com/retail-media today. 

Our business development managers are based all over the world across, covering Europe, the Middle East, Africa, East and Southeast Asia and North America. And because we know how elusive our industry can be at times, we are lifting the veil and introducing you to members of our team as they play some of their favorite mobile games of the moment.  

With these exclusive gameplays, you’ll get an inside look at what goes through our leaders’ minds when it comes to a gaming app’s creative assets, mechanics, in-app rewards and the overall gaming experience. You will also get a breakdown on considerations like rewarded video, monetization and other industry pursuits and trends.  

Take a look:  

Everyone, meet Thelap Vuong. He’s the Business Development Manager for InMobi’s EU Gaming Division. He is based in London. Up first we have Thelap playing Beatstar by Space Ape Games. 

Next, meet Sneha Balasubramanian, — InMobi's Senior Business Development Manager for the EU as well as the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. She is based in Bangalore. Today, Sneha plays one of her favorite brain games from the Lumosity app: Trouble Brewing. 

Let’s Connect  

Over the next few weeks, we’ll continue to introduce our business development managers. So if you happen to see them on your feed, drop a like! Let us know what games you’ve been playing.  

And if you’re especially looking for the best monetization practices for your game, please reach out! Join us online or via our various social media channels, and be sure to head to https://www.inmobi.com/game-monetization to learn more.  

As the Philippines sees scorching summers every year, Filipinos love indulging in Selecta’s range of ice creams to beat the heat. Last summer, the brand wished to promote their bestseller ice cream, Choco Almond Fudge, through the increasingly preferred channel by consumers – the mobile. 

Selecta partnered with InMobi to launch a mobile-first campaign that effectively engage consumers and nudged them to purchase the ice cream at their nearest stores. Additionally, they launched a brand lift study to measure the impact that mobile had in driving incredible results for the brand. 

Learn more about the extensive campaign from our Illustrated by InMobi infographic. 
 

Interested in knowing how the brand achieved impeccable results on mobile? Read the full success story here. 

Write to us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com to learn how you too can partner with us and leverage mobile to drive brand objectives in 2022. the 

We have expanded the partnership to support publishers using all versions of Ad Manager and publishers monetizing mobile web inventory can now add InMobi as a real-time ad source.  

To support faster onboarding, we now support Onboard Online on Ad Manager or the ability to set up a partnership directly on AdMob. 

Are you considering adding InMobi to your list of real-time bidders? Here are some points to note: 

• There is no SDK integration required as InMobi connects with Google using an openRTB integration.  
• We support static banners, static interstitial and video ads (includes interstitial, RV, instream) on in-app and we support static banners and instream video ads only on mobile web. 
• Support for native on in-app is currently in a closed beta with few publishers and support for native on mobile-web is currently in the works. 

We recommend going through Google’s official documentation on the GAM and AdMob support portals for more information. If you would like to get started, email us at googlebidding@inmobi.com for the next steps.   

Key Themes 

• Back-to-school (BTS) shoppers are likely the same shoppers as weekly grocery shoppers, but they are shopping differently. 
• Inflation and a commodity approach to BTS goods is leading to needs-based/price-based decisions. BTS shoppers largely see school supplies as a commodity, meaning price and value are key drivers of purchase decisions this year. 
• Our data shows that this will be a highly competitive BTS season for retailers to attract this valuable shopper base. 
• Online having more of an impact on supplies and apparel than in grocery (despite the “buyer” overlap.) 
• Three-fourths plan to spend the same or less on BTS – there’s going to be a price war for these valuable shoppers. Ancillary value to these shoppers is meaningful, as 58% are going to buy other goods while doing their BTS shopping. 

2021 Overview 

Last year, InMobi research around the 2021 back-to-school shopping season found that school shoppers were most likely to say they were buying clothing and accessories – and that they plan to spend $250 or more on elementary school students and at least $850 on college students. Further, InMobi’s 2021 survey found that back to school shoppers plan to spend more money shopping online via mobile devices than they would spend in person. 

Similarly, numbers released by the National Retail Federation in July 2021 predicted that “[f]amilies with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $848.90 on school items, which is $59 more than last year.” 

All of these numbers point to the optimism consumers had heading into the 2021-2022 school year. At the time, it seemed like remote learning was finally a thing of the past, with a return to in-person learning imminent or in full swing across the country. 

What, then, is the year-over-year prognosis for back-to-school shoppers? Compared to last year’s optimism, shopping overall this year continues to be colored by inflation, ongoing supply chain issues, labor shortages and more. Are consumers ready to spend this back-to-school season? 

That’s what we wanted to find out. Earlier this year, we polled over 1,000 consumers across the country using InMobi Pulse, InMobi’s mobile market research solution, to see how they were thinking about and buying school supplies. 

Here’s what we uncovered. 

Highlights: 

• Although in person is still the top purchase method for school supplies (83% said so, which is six points higher than what we observed in 2021), third-party apps (30%), websites (24%) and store apps (19%) had large shares of usage. 
• Online shopping for school supplies is similar to 2021 trends. This shows that there is growing comfort with a return to in-person shopping, but also that online is here to stay. 
• 40% of back-to-school shoppers are likely to purchase bundled supply kits. Directionally, parents of Pre-K/K students are most likely to buy kits (49%). 
• 60% said they have bought snacks for themselves or for their children for use in school, while 50% said the same thing about apparel. 

Understanding Overall School Spending Habits 

Based on our data, it’s reasonable to assume that school spending is expected to increase somewhat this year.  

• One in four said they already have spent more on school supplies in 2022 compared with 2021, while 22% said they spent less money. 

• Close to a third said they have spent more on apparel this year compared with the previous year, while 18% have spent less. 
• 38% said they spent more on snacks in 2022 compared with 2021, while 17% said they spent less money. 

Understanding School Supplies Buying Habits 

Overall, 59% said they have recently bought school supplies for themselves or for their children. For those with children in middle school, that figure shoots up to 70%. 

The vast majority (83%) of these purchases happen in person, with 24% using a store’s website. Further, 30% said they use a third-party website or app (like Amazon) while 19% use a store’s own app. 

This year, we also wanted to ask about school supply kits, in which multiple related items are bundled together. The research showed that 40% would be likely or highly likely to buy these kits – and for those with younger children, the percentage jumps up to 49%. 

The top choice by far for purchasing school supplies is Walmart, with two-thirds of shoppers saying they would be turning to Walmart. Other top options included Target (36%), Amazon (31%) and Dollar General (29%). 

School Supply Shopping Motivators: 

• Price (61%) 
• Availability of Certain Items (42%) 
• Promotions or Discounts (35%) 
• Quick Delivery (16%) 
• Online Ordering Options (16%) 
• Loyalty Program (12%) 

Interestingly, school supplies shoppers are not one-track minded. The research found that 58% were likely or highly likely to also buy non-school supplies during their back-to-school shopping. 

Understanding Apparel and Snacks Buying Habits 

Here’s what our research uncovered around apparel and snacks shopping for school. 

Apparel 

• 50% said they have recently bought apparel for themselves or for their children for use in school. 
• 79% buy apparel in person, while 31% use a third-party app or website and 23% use a store’s own app. 
• 50% buy apparel from Walmart, with other popular options including Target (35%), Amazon (29%), Kohl’s (28%) and Old Navy (28%). 

Snacks 

• 60% said they have recently bought snacks for themselves or for their children for use in school. 
• 86% buy snacks in person, while 14% use a third-party app or website and 14% use a store’s own app. 
• 62% buy snacks from Walmart, with other popular options including Dollar General (27%), Target (25%), Amazon (14%) and Gopuff (5%). 

How To Launch a Successful Back-To-School Advertising Campaign 

With the back-to-school shopping season about to begin in earnest, what can brands and retailers do to make the most of this time of year? Based on the data from InMobi Pulse, here are some key points to consider.  

• Target parents, not students. Parents, especially those with younger or middle school-aged children, are much more likely to spend – and spend more – than parents with older kids or students themselves. Many parents are focused on price, so messaging should highlight value. 

• Brick and mortar should be an area of focus. Across the board, a lot of back-to-school shopping is likely going to happen in person. For one, that means brands should make sure their brick-and-mortar locations are ready to handle the demand. Brands and retailers should also consider tactics that are proven effective at driving footfall, like mobile ads with custom maps to the nearest store location.  
• Digital channels are still vitally important. Even though consumers are back to buying in person, that doesn’t mean that digital channels should be neglected – far from it, in fact. Many consumers will still shop online. Furthermore, digital advertising is often an ideal way to reach consumers; this is especially true with mobile – not only will time spent on mobile rise in 2022, but the fact that it’s always with consumers makes it an ideal marketing channel. Just because shopping is predominantly going to be in stores, according to Pulse results, the product discovery and browsing behavior should still largely be influenced via digital.  

What are your thoughts on what our data reveals about 2021 back-to-school shopping trends? Let us know on social media! You can reach out to us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.  

Interested in learning about InMobi, our data and our approach to mobile? Reach out today to speak with one of our mobile experts. 

What Are Your Responsibilities At InMobi?

I am responsible for building long-term strategic partnerships with the mobile network providers across Northern Europe, with a particular focus on the UK’s four carriers. The mobile carriers are constantly looking at ways to drive the top-line number. Meanwhile, the application providers, the brands and the platforms are seeing exponential growth in revenues and profit. All using the carriers’ airwaves and customers. InMobi Telco is the conduit that enables the carriers to tap into this eco-system and its commerce marketplace, seamlessly.

What Has Been Your Professional Journey So Far?

Having spent most of my over 20 years of work experience in the telco industry, I would like to think that I have a good understanding of the challenges and opportunities that are within this space and how InMobi’s services truly add value to it. I started my career in sales by joining Xerox and working there for several years in various roles. I have held commercial/sales leadership roles at TalkTalk, Vodafone, Sky and Cable and Wireless.

When I was at Xerox we all dismissed the alarming predictions by Microsoft’s Bill Gates of a paperless office. Fast forward 10 years, whilst playing snake on my Nokia 3310 in 2005, a colleague told me that he believes that will be receiving emails, watching movies and paying mortgages on our handsets. Having witnessed Microsoft’s success, I believed him. Today the average consumer spends close to four hours every day on a mobile device, and studies show that 90% of this time is within the apps on the device. I paid this month’s mortgage through my mobile. Mobile is the next big thing.

What Motivated You To Join InMobi?

The answer is belief. Belief in the product, belief in the leadership and belief in the opportunity. At InMobi, we truly have something very special. Not just the products but also the people. We make a real difference and have a significant impact on our customers' business outcomes. We listen and then deliver on what we say we would do. InMobi has a clear vision, great strategy and overall a fantastic purpose. Here we are encouraged, pushed and rewarded for innovating, without any barriers. We are entrepreneurs, we think big, we are driven and most of all, we are proud.

The world is rapidly moving into the Fourth Industrial Revolution and here at InMobi, we are playing our part by spearheading the transformation through mobile. This is what gets me up every day! It’s an exciting time and an exciting place to be.

Little Known Facts About You?

I live in South London with my family. I have a passion for the great outdoors with a particular love for the mountains where I ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer. Closer to home I play golf, fly fish and watch Crystal Palace Football Club play with my youngest son.

Check out this infographic to learn more.

What is Addressability? 

• “Addressability is what connects advertisers and publishers to consumers across digital channels and devices.” – LiveRamp 
• Addressability is “the process of customizing a brand's message, product, placement and timing to match the personal lifecycle needs of the customer at a specific point in the purchase cycle, thus optimizing relevance.” – Karlin Linhardt, Chief Outsiders CMO 

How Is Mobile Advertising Addressability Changing? 

The five biggest changes and announcements impacting mobile advertising from the past five years: 

• February 2022: Google announces plans to roll out Privacy Sandbox to Android. 
• June 2021: Google announces that it is set to expire support for third-party cookies in Chrome in 2023. 
• April 2021: iOS 14.5 officially goes live, meaning that Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency is officially in effect. 
• January 2020: The State of California officially begins enforcing the California Consumer Privacy Act. 
• May 2018: The General Data Protection Regulation takes effect in the European Union. 

• Why Addressability Matters 

Consumers now spend 4.5 hours per day on their mobile devices, and 79% of all digital engagement takes place on smartphones. And those numbers are even higher in younger demographics. This is the medium that people like best at this point in time.  

Mobile app developers provide willing consumers with access to their content in exchange for the opportunity to present those consumers with a reasonable number of sponsor messages. An ad-supported business model enables publishers and developers to offer their content/apps for free while still being able to see revenue. 

In turn, advertisers have the right to know that their advertising spend reached its intended audience, the majority of which is people likely to be interested in, or in-market for, its products and services. 

“As we all become more uncomfortably comfortable with the demise of third-party cookies, the initial shock is turning into full-blown action for most. The collection of first-party data and even zero-party data is a top priority if not THE priority for this year as publishers attempt to rebuild trust and direct consumer relationships.” – Raquel Hudson, AdMonsters Contributing Writer 

“The shift from broadcasting to directly addressing customers is a subtle change, but quite radical in its consequences for marketing practice. Broadcast media send communications; addressable media send and receive. Broadcasting targets its audience much as a battleship shells a distant island into submission; addressable media initiates conversations. The new marketing does not deal with consumers as a mass or as segments, but creates individual relationships, managing markets of one, addressing each in terms of its stage of development.” – Robert C. Blattberg, Professor of Retailing at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and John Deighton, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, 1991 

Key Addressability Use Cases: 

• Monetization: Many advertisers prefer to only reach audiences with a propensity to buy or be interested in their products or services. By making their ad inventory as addressable as possible, publishers can increase demand for their ad slots, thus boosting overall revenue, 
• Data Management: Considering the vast amount of information now available to both advertisers and publishers, it’s important to understand what data needs to be prioritized and if any data needs to be handled in a special/specific manner. Identity is key to both pursuits, helping advertisers and publishers determine what may need to be prioritized and if any particular constraints have to be applied. 
• Media Planning: Before running a campaign, it’s critical to understand who needs to be targeted, where they can be found, when they are most receptive to marketing messaging, etc. 
• Targeting: Identity is key to both helping advertisers know who they should be targeting with their ads and in making sure those ads actually reach the right audiences. 
• Optimization: Once a campaign is in progress, it is often helpful to see which audiences are responding well to select messages and then to tweak over time. This is possible at an audience level only when specific users or cohorts are addressable and identifiable. 
• Measurement: According to the classic Peter Drucker quote, “You can't improve what you don't measure.” And addressability is key to measure, both to ensure that the right audiences are being looked at and that the right metrics are being taken into account. 

The Targeting Framework: How to Think About Addressability and Targeting 

Three core ways to think about identity: 

• User-level (using identifiers grounded in consent) 
• Interest-based (using online and offline behavior to model audiences including lookalikes) 
• Contextual targeting (using content signals to find relevant audiences) 

The Way Forward: Best Practices For Today 

Advice for Advertisers  

• Take a holistic approach to addressability, utilizing a variety of solutions to find and reach your best audiences.  
• Continue to invest in mobile, as mobile audiences will continue to grow.  
• Build out your first-party data stores, and work with partners who can supplement and complement your data. 

Advice for Publishers 

• Implement options to make your ad inventory more addressable (UnifID, explanation of ATT prompt, sign-ins, etc.) and test multiple solutions to discover what works for you.  
• Move to in-app bidding to receive the highest eCPMs for available inventory and optimize your yield strategy based on addressable and non-addressable audiences.  
• Implement ad units that command higher eCPMs (like rewarded video). 

InMobi is Here to Help 

1) UnifID is InMobi's solution that enables app publishers and developers to easily integrate with multiple identifiers/identity solutions  

UnifID makes it easy to:  

• Safely collect and store consented first party data.  
• Work with/integrate with multiple identifiers/identity solutions.  
• Make ad inventory more addressable. 

2) AmplifID is InMobi's upcoming solution that enables advertisers to activate first-party audiences programmatically through universal IDs.  

AmplifID makes it easy for buyers to:  

• Reach their target users in high-performance mobile environments.  
• Find addressable mobile supply at scale for multiple universal IDs.  
• Target based on first party data with or without DSP support for the ID of choice. 

3) InMobi’s identity graph allows for combined knowledge sharing to better understand, identify, engage and acquire consumers in a privacy-compliant way, making it easy to:  

• Enable advertisers to gather permissibly-sourced first party data,  
• Gain a deeper understanding of consumers and prospects by leveraging InMobi's data lake.  
• Activate on the combined knowledge through InMobi Exchange and/or managed service ad buying. 

4) InMobi’s Data Lake Strategy is to build the widest, deepest, cleanest data lake on mobile users in North America. This will enable our partners to use performance data with identity for multi-touch attribution, media mix modeling, Next Round Media Planning, etc. 

Our goal is to make it easy to:  

• Identify the best audiences on mobile.  
• Find and target audiences on mobile utilizing a variety of high-quality data sources. 

Interested in learning more? Head to www.inmobi.com/company/contact to schedule a call with our mobile addressability experts. 

Sources: 

• https://liveramp.com/addressability-marketing/  
• https://www.mytotalretail.com/article/addressability-the-new-term-for-digital-marketing/all/  
• https://blog.google/products/android/introducing-privacy-sandbox-android/  
• https://blog.google/products/chrome/updated-timeline-privacy-sandbox-milestones/  
• https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/ios-14-5-offers-unlock-iphone-with-apple-watch-diverse-siri-voices-and-more/  
• https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa  
• https://gdpr.eu/  
• https://www.emarketer.com/content/us-time-spent-with-media-2021-update  
• https://www.admonsters.com/eletters/call-in-the-addressability-task-force/  
• https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/interactive-marketing-exploiting-the-age-of-addressability/  
• https://www.forrester.com/report/assess-your-identity-approach-now/RES177092  

Top Quotes From Janelle

Viewability Defined: “Viewability is a measure of whether or not an ad had a chance to be seen by a user. It gives marketers that base knowledge that their message was seen by a customer because there's not much value in an ad if it wasn't seen. Measuring viewability gives marketers a clearer understanding of their campaign effectiveness, and also allows advertising spend to be allocated to the most valuable media.

The MRC (Media Ratings Council) defines an impression as viewable if 50% of the ad is visible for at least one second for display ads and at least two seconds for video ads.

And viewability is one of the features demanded most by agencies and advertisers.  They want to ensure they're allocating their media spend towards quality inventory, and viewability is a key factor that advertisers consider when deciding how much to bid for impressions, so it makes it a crucial lever for publishers to optimize their ad revenue.”

Top Viewability Challenges: “Nobody wants to waste their media spend on ads that no one is seeing. There are definitely some factors that can affect viewability.

This includes the placement of the ads. Ads need to remain in view for at least one second for display or two for video. The placement really does matter, and things that can affect the placement also are page load times or the responsiveness of page design. The size and layout of the ad can also affect placement and viewability.

It's really important to measure the viewability of your inventory and make optimization decisions about ad sizes and placements based on actual performance data.

Another factor that also affects viewability is invalid traffic. Invalid traffic and ad fraud are pervasive in online advertising. It's estimated that about $44 billion a year on digital ad spend is lost to ad fraud.

With third party verification, advertisers can understand whether an impression is fraudulent or not. At Oracle, our Oracle Moat engineers and data scientists devote substantial effort in researching and developing methods of detecting IVT.”

Benefits of Using a Third Party for Viewability: “I think highly viewable inventory is only going to become more valuable to advertisers. And as digital advertising becomes more sophisticated, media buyers and sellers not only want to prove the value of their ads, but they also want to transact on viewability.

It becomes a common currency to use MRC viewability standards, and without a common measurement method, it would be impossible to really determine the true value of a viewed impression or optimize and forecast inventory effectively. All digital media owners should allow their inventory to be measured for viewability by an accredited third party. This helps assure marketers that their media investments meet industry viewability standards.

They can also then make informed budgeting and optimization decisions for their campaigns. A third-party measurement provider like Oracle Moat provides an independent position. Oracle is agnostic, and we don't sell or buy media. Our primary aim is to facilitate a safe environment for effective marketing. We strive to provide accurate IVT detection for all digital media and also recognize that measurement is a constant evolution. We continue to develop new ways to measure.”

In-Game Advertising Explained: “When we're referring to in-game advertising or native in-game advertising, we're talking about ads that take place as part of the gameplay – so really operating within the 3D scene itself.

This goes way beyond pre-roll or mid-roll display formats. These native ads can be roadside billboards or stadium banners or ads on the sides of buildings within the 3D game space.

The other thing to keep in mind as we talk about in-game advertising, the number of gamers has skyrocketed over the last few years. It's estimated that there are about 3 billion gamers worldwide. Advertisers have really come to see gaming as an effective platform for connecting with a diverse audience.”

Benefits of Advertising to Gamers: “Gamers also tend to spend hours at a time playing their favorite games – or if you're like my son, even watching other gamers play them on streaming video. So gaming is a unique challenge where the audience is really fully engaged, and to advertise in this unique space, there must be careful consideration to fit seamlessly in the gaming experience and not negatively impact it.

When we think about in-game ads that are inserted natively to the gaming experience, these are really high-resolution creatives, and they offer significant placement opportunities on premium games. Oftentimes, game publishers are involved in choosing where they think the ad should go to be complementary to the flow of the game. So in-game ad tech companies really maximize impressions with the best ad placements that blend in seamlessly with the immersive environment and really add another layer of realism to the 3D space.”

Why In-Game Advertising Needs Its Own Standards: “As we think about these ads, gaming ads look and behave very differently from other media channels. Web ad standards don't really work for 3D games.

If we think about a virtual billboard that could appear in a racing game, let's say a game player is driving a car and they may see a billboard ad on the racetrack. It may appear on their screen for just a few seconds – or it could be obscured by another in-game object, like another car ahead of them. Or it could be seen from an awkward angle as they approach a turn on the track.

In order for concepts like viewability to be translated effectively for in-game and other 3D environments, these are really important aspects that we have to consider. What impact does an ad rendering far away from a user in a 3D space have on the ad's ability to be seen? And what impact does the angle of the ad have?

In-game advertising platforms are aiming to give advertisers metrics that are similar to what they've used to in other channels. These are early efforts at really creating a starting point for brands and agencies to measure in-game ads. But ultimately, the industry will need to modernize a set of guidelines that arm both advertisers and developers with consistent metrics.

While there aren't in-game viewability measurement requirements that are defined by the MRC today, we are starting to see progress on industry standards. Recently, the IAB and the MRC have collaborated to update measurement guidelines for in-game ads and have established an in-game measurement task force.”

Understanding The Biggest Challenges Around In-Game Advertising and Viewability:

“As we look at the effect that the pandemic and lockdowns have had on users viewing behavior, people are forced to spend more time at home. Gaming usage grew. I think the global market for in-game advertising is estimated to grow to about $6.4 billion by 2027.

It will become crucial for effective measurement to be defined for in-game ads in order for advertisers to have the confidence to move significant budgets into in-game advertising. If we look at the history of new media, whether it was web, social or mobile, advertiser adoption was always preceded by pioneering measurement.

In advertising, we know that if you can't measure it, it doesn't matter. Providing third-party measurement is essential to really being able to build effective media strategies and build industry confidence and wider adoption. Defining these measurement standards for in-game advertising will really help to establish it as an ad category. It also protects gamers, brands and agencies, developers and the industry as a whole.

At Oracle, we're also super excited to be rolling out viewability measurement for in-game ads.

Our viewability measurement within in-game takes into consideration the percentage of the creative on screen, the ad size, the time in view and the angle of the ad. We also verify impression delivery and detect invalid traffic across in-game ad formats. We're really proud to introduce in-game measurement as a major breakthrough to understanding more about in-game environments, and also see this as a continued effort to work with in-game advertising partners and industry bodies to expand and evolve our measurement.”  

How Privacy and Targeting are Impacting Digital Advertising Viewability and Budget Allocation: “With the rise in regulation policy, we're seeing these consumer platforms implementing changes that restrict identifiable data that's previously been used for advertiser targeting. But in terms of ad spend, there still remains the ongoing need to measure and optimize budgets to make sure they're allocating their spend as efficiently as possible. 

But as the digital advertising industry moves beyond personal identifiers, I think it will be important for advertisers to diversify their portfolio of solutions, to include solutions that are built on a privacy-first approach to measuring.

When it comes to measuring effectiveness for new emerging formats like native in-game advertising, it does differ from other digital advertising. And in-game ads are typically not clickable. They're shown while the viewer is midway through a game, so they're unlikely to click away and go to an app store or e-commerce page. It's really seen more as brand awareness marketing.

And measuring in-game ad effectiveness is a combination of viewability measurement and brand lift studies rather than trying to directly track clicks or purchases. It's really that brand lift measurement which will be IDFA proof. This is something that could push in-game ads higher up on advertisers’ media plans.”

Charting The Future of Digital Advertising and Viewability: “I think we're faced with the reality that people have access to way more media than they could possibly ever consume in their lifetime. You're really recognizing that how people choose to consume their media is key to understanding their unique circumstances and unique mindset. It's really important to rethink the way we capture the attention of our audience.

And as we expand into new emerging online advertising, it's also super important to establish a baseline to measure against, like everything that's relatively nascent. There are still going to be a lot of things that we are not sure about or are unknown. I think emphasizing on transparency and standards across the industry will be key.

It's also important to recognize that the viewing environments today are totally different. Tt's not an easy apples-to-apples comparison, and we need to consider that when we are measuring attention as well.

One thing that remains is that people are there to consume content, but they do not want to be bombarded by advertising. And with emerging media like in-game, it's important to think about the overall experience we're providing and really asking ourselves if the experience for the customer is positive and engaging or is it annoying? And this should always be top of mind, but especially in newer channels like in-game advertising.

I think what's been important for the success of in-game advertising is the approach that's been taken to keep the gamer's experience in mind and not disrupt their experience. And when this is done well, this is really enabled advertising to fit harmoniously within the 3D game space and add to the overall real world feel of the game experience. and add to the overall real world feel of the game experience.”

About Oracle Moat

Oracle Moat is an ad measurement and marketing analytics suite designed to help advertisers, publishers, and platforms measure media performance across the breadth of their digital and TV advertising campaigns.

About the Interviewer  
Matthew Kaplan has over a decade of digital marketing experience, working to support the content goals of the world’s biggest B2B and B2C brands. He is a passionate app user and evangelist, working to support diverse marketing campaigns across devices.

As eMarketer has reported, over 80% of consumers bought a different brand than their usual choice between July and September 2021. Issues relating to the supply chain and inflation were impacting the customer experience then, and these concerns have not yet abated so far this year. 

In light of these trends, what can consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies do to better meet changing consumer expectations today for both prospective and existing customers? What does a quality CPG marketing strategy look like in 2022? That’s what we wanted to find out. 

At the beginning of 2022, we surveyed over 2,800 CPG consumers across the U.S. using InMobi Pulse, InMobi’s mobile market research solution. Looking at a broad array of consumers, we ultimately wanted to answer the following questions: 

• How are different consumers reacting to available loyalty programs?  
• How does advertising impact loyalty, and how should marketing fit into a brand’s overall loyalty strategy? 
• What kinds of loyalty and rewards programs most entice consumers? 

Here’s what we uncovered. 

Key Findings: 

• Private label product loyalty is not far behind national brand loyalty. If a branded player loses a shopper to a private label, our data shows they may never get them back as private label loyalty is neck and neck with branded items. 
• Product and retailer loyalty varies across CPG categories. Pet products and retailers have the strongest loyalty, while baby item shoppers are the most product and retailer fluid based on convenience during a time precious life-stage.  
• Future consideration for loyalty programs is strongest among ages 18-34. Drivers to sign up vary based on the type of loyalty program. Loyalty program involvement is linked to stronger product loyalty. 
• Online shoppers for food and household skew significantly younger. Consumers ages 18-34 like personalized ads, while those 55+ like to see availability. 
• Overall, consumers love CPG ads that make them aware of new products or products they haven’t tried. 

How Loyalty Varies Across Products, Manufacturers and Retailers 

Interestingly, consumers are most loyal to brands and retailers when it comes to pet care products, while they’re least loyal when it comes to baby items. As Jeff Williams, Vertical Strategy Lead for CPG and Pharma, has quipped, “Americans are more loyal to their fur babies than they are to their actual babies.” 

Brand preference skews toward national brand products, though not overwhelmingly so. And while consumers prefer national brands due to quality perception, private label shoppers are driven by various motivators. Interestingly, although national brand products drive stronger loyalty, private label product loyalty is not far behind. 

And more specifically, food and beverage brands and household items have virtually no loyalty overall in preference to private label vs. national brands. 

We observed similar trends on the retail side, with retailer loyalty primarily being driven by convenience. In this space too, consumers prefer national brand products because of quality. 

How CPG Loyalty Programs Can Impact The Bottom Line 

Historically, the brand experience that CPG companies provide has hindered their ability to offer loyalty programs direct to consumers. After all, outside of direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses, most CPG brands are reliant on retailers for their sales. 

The way CPG consumers have been able to address this gap is by partnering directly with retailers on their loyalty programs. While still relatively nascent, the data shows that loyalty program involvement is linked to stronger product loyalty. 
 
 
This is a significant development, as in the past CPG brands have had a relative lack of first-party data. Thanks in part to loyalty programs, CPG companies are able to have their own customer data sets to leverage. 

What kinds of loyalty programs most entice customers? That all depends on the category. 

In grocery, consumers are most interested in rewards-based loyalty programs. In comparison, loyalty programs directly offered by CPG brands themselves will generate the most interest if they offer participants free delivery. 

CPG Advertising Best Practices 

What can CPG brands do to get the word out about their loyalty programs and other offerings? As past InMobi research has shown, mobile advertising is especially effective. 

Awareness and discoverability are the keys to national CPG brands winning in today's environment.  Awareness leads to trust and perceived quality.   

Brands can win by increasing their share of voice in the industry during tumultuous times. That is why P&G has weathered difficult economic times, by winning share and investing when times get tough.   

Consumers love CPG advertisements that make them aware of new products or products they haven’t tried. In addition, one in four said that ads for CPG products encourage them to try new products. 

What kinds of ads do consumers like to see? Our research found that answers vary on age. Younger consumers tend to prefer personalized messaging, while older shoppers want ads to focus on product availability. 

What are your thoughts on this data? Do any of these findings surprise you? Let us know on social media! Send us your thoughts on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

To help answer these questions, we recently sat down with Dr. Diego Garaialde, currently a postdoctoral research fellow at University College Dublin. In this 36-minute interview, we chatted about how digital platforms can persuade and dissuade users to complete certain actions, and how publishers and developers should be thinking about how people are using their apps and websites. 

Top Tips from Dr. Diego Garaialde 

Here’s a small snippet of what research completed by him and others has uncovered: 

• Many users would rather see their name on a leaderboard than receive a small monetary award. 
• It’s important for apps to promote snacking behavior – if a game or app is too addicting, someone will be in the platform for a long time and then become habituated to it and not want to open it again for a long time afterwards. 
• The closer someone is to the end of a task or game, the more motivated they are to complete it. 
• Providing training on app usage is crucial at the beginning right after it is downloaded. Users want to have agency, and they will like an app if they understand how it works and what they can do to make it successful. 
• Rewards need to be offered very soon after an action is completed. If someone receives a reward many minutes after the rewarded action is finished, the reward won’t seem as valuable or as worthwhile to the user. 
• Having ads appear as soon as someone logs in is more likely to discourage app users from logging in. Instead, educate users on the benefits of ads (specifically rewarded ads) before introducing them. 
• For ads in particular, the reward offered (like extra lives, in-game currency, etc.) should be seen as more valuable than what the user is giving up in exchange for watching the ads, namely time. 
• Rewards are generally most valuable early on in an interaction/login. 
• It’s key to be transparent with users and to let them know what’s happening in the app or platform. When users understand how the app is working holistically, they’re more likely to buy in and be a happy user in the long run. On the flip side, if they later on feel like they were lied to or that key details were not made clear at the beginning, they are likely to become angry and churn. 

Top Quotes 

About The Interviewer 

Matthew Kaplan has over a decade of digital marketing experience, working to support the content goals of the world’s biggest B2B and B2C brands. He is a passionate app user and evangelist, working to support diverse marketing campaigns across devices. 

MFine partnered with InMobi and leveraged our performance marketing solutions to identify, engage, and acquire mobile app users across India. The right culmination of the audiences, messaging, and retargeting ensured maximum efficiency in driving conversions while consistently reducing the cost per the first consultation.  

Learn more about the impactful campaign from our Illustrated by InMobi infographic. 
 

Interested in knowing how the brand achieved impeccable results on mobile? Read the full success story here. 

Write to us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com to learn how you too can partner with us and drive true consumer connections in 2022. 

Vasuta also plays the role of the executive sponsor in the APAC region for Winspire, InMobi’s employee resource group for women. In this conversation at Winspire’s Spotlight event, she opens up about her career journey and shares insightful advice for women in the workforce.

Here are the key takeaways from Vasuta’s Winspire Spotlight session:

Her journey at InMobi

Vasuta Agarwal: “As non-traditional as my move from McKinsey to InMobi was back in 2012, I am glad that it happened. InMobi was in its early days back then and the first few months were a fun ride. We were working at break-neck speed – it was exhilarating. Initially, I moved from Product to Strategy and Operations. But in 2013 I decided to move to the business side of things. I am very glad I took that leap of faith.”

Managing connections during the pandemic

“When you work from home, it is easy to just go back into your introverted shell and relax. But the role of a leader does not allow us to do that. Leaders need to make sure that we connect with our internal teams as well as clients constantly through calls during such a time. Planning and calendar-ing is the best effort we can take in these situations.”

Allies and mentors in the workplace

“It is very important to have allies and mentors in the workplace - not just from a growth perspective but from a day-to-day standpoint too. It is extremely helpful for guidance and for getting things done. Since we work in such a decentralized system these days, where we need to influence without authority, it is essential to build trust, credibility and equity with everyone across teams and departments. It happens very organically mostly.”

What motivates Vasuta

“To be very honest, sleeping early helps me a lot. But other than that, I think it is more of a personal drive I have. I have this internal need to get things done and keep doing more. What also really helps is that InMobi has been such a fun workplace for the past 10 years. It has become such an integral part of life that it doesn’t feel like work. It doesn’t exhaust me.

Sharing your goals and aspirations at work

“I think it is essential to do that. No one – your colleagues, or your managers – will know what you want, or which direction you want to grow in if you don’t let them know. I had to do that too when I wanted a bigger role and I had to do it whenever I switched roles. Fortunately, InMobi respects this and marries your aspirational goals with the right opportunities.”

Opinions on asking for a pay raise at work

“As I said previously, we need to ask for what we want. When it comes to a pay raise, I believe more importantly that we need to ask for what we deserve. This happens more frequently with women. Unfortunately, sometimes not asking maintains the status quo. That being said, as much as it is an individual’s responsibility, the organization should also ensure equitable distribution when it comes to compensation.”

Message for young women professionals

“When you’re young and just starting your career, there is a lot of uncertainty because you’re trying to determine what your strengths are. But I would urge young women to take a bet on themselves at that stage – because you are where you are because you are good at something. Believe in that. You have to be your biggest cheerleader.”

A piece of advice for everyone

“Do what you enjoy. We need to remember that work will always be work and it won’t be fun all the time. So when we do something that brings us joy, it becomes easier. Then everything else follows.”

To work with leaders like Vasuta, explore opportunities at https://www.inmobi.com/company/careers/.

This year, InMobi bagged 6 prestigious DIGIXX awards in partnership with brands across different industries. Read on to learn all about the show-stopping campaigns that won over both consumers and the distinguished jury. 
 

Campaign #1: Digital Transformation – The Godrej Way 

Brand Name: Godrej Consumer Products Limited 

Winning Categories:  

1. Programmatic and Performance Marketing (CPG) - Gold
2. Insight and Research (CPG) - Silver
3. Data, Analytics, and Optimization (CPG) - Silver

As the world came to a standstill in 2020, in the face of COVID-19, staying home and staying safe became imperative for citizens across the globe. This dramatic lifestyle change led to two major shifts in the behavior of Indian women: they felt an increased responsibility for the health and wellness of their families, and, owing to the increased time spent at home and the penetration of various OTT platforms, they moved from TV to on-demand video consumption and casual mobile gaming.  

For GCPL, women were the predominant influencers and decision-makers in the extremely low involvement home-insecticide segment. As a leading player in this segment - with powerhouse brands such as Good Knight and Hit – GCPL's key objective was to reinforce the need to maintain clean and insect-free homes (to avoid vector-borne diseases) and ensure that nothing escapes their consumer's radar while battling the virus. GCPL launched a three-fold mobile-first strategy to execute this objective: 

1. By leveraging over 2000 high-value data attributes on InMobi Audiences, the brand accurately identified Indian women from NCCS-A category households in the hyperconnected world. 
2. The brand then delivered personalized, tailor-made communication to the audience via vernacular video content across five diverse Indian languages. 
3. Finally, by marrying the brand's first-party data and InMobi's data signals, GCPL built custom audiences and phased out a sequential targeting strategy to drive action among users with a high brand affinity and intent.  

While GCPL successfully leveraged programmatic to drive awareness, engagement, and consideration, the brand also intended to validate the success of its campaign by conducting a brand lift survey to measure the impact of the campaign. By leveraging InMobi Pulse, GCPL captured qualitative feedback around the perceptions and preferences of their consumers with an accurate mobile survey. 

As a result of the campaign, users viewed over 91.2 million personalized videos, leading to 380,506 hours of content consumption. The campaign delivered an incremental reach of 25% with a whopping 50% increase in effectiveness with personalized video and a massive 2.48X increase in engagement rate. The home insecticide category saw a promising 15% growth in the last fiscal year*, driving a massive success for GCPL.   

Learn more about the award-winning campaign here. 

Campaign #2: PharmEasy Makes it Easy for Online Medicine Repurchasers 

 
Brand Name: PharmEasy 

Winning Categories: 

1. Mobile and Apps Marketing (Healthcare / Pharma) - Gold
2. Promotional/Shopper Marketing - Bronze 

 
Launched in 2015, PharmEasy is India's leading online pharmacy aggregator and the highest-rated online pharmacy app delivering healthcare products, medicines and providing diagnostic services right at the user's doorstep. With the onset of the pandemic, PharmEasy encouraged consumers to stay safe by purchasing medicines online and opting for healthcare services at home.  The brand aimed to encourage its users to upload prescriptions on the app - since those who did, had a higher tendency to make repeat purchases.      

To achieve its objectives, PharmEasy partnered with InMobi and created a mobile-first strategy to reach the right audiences with the right messaging. First, the brand leveraged InMobi Audiences to reach millions of target users, including regular medicine purchasers and, hospital or local pharmacy visitors. To drive installs at scale, the brand launched immersive creatives on Glance, thereby gaining high visibility. To further enhance conversions, PharmEasy provided users with promotional codes to avail diagnostic services and medicine delivery at discounted prices. And finally, the brand re-engaged its new registrants and dormant users with offers and discount codes for repeat orders.   

InMobi's solutions helped PharmEasy increase its month-on-month purchases on its app by 92%, with a whopping 12.5% increase in first purchases. Prescription uploads saw an 11.6% increase overall, and remarketing saw a 7x the increase compared to the user acquisition campaign. The campaign also led to 2.7 times more user prescription uploads.  

Learn more about the award-winning campaign here. 
 

Campaign #3: SplashLearn expands reach & drives engagement with Microsoft Advertising

Brand Name: SplashLearn 
Winning Category: Best in Education - Gold 

Over the last few years, Edutech players such as SplashLearn have disrupted the education space by enabling online learning, with an extensive focus on each child's different learning needs. With the vision of building an immersive learning experience that transforms children into lifelong learners, Splashlearn is loved by over 33 million students across 150 countries and is trusted by over 440,000 teachers across 77,000 schools. 

In the wake of the pandemic in 2020, when schools were closed, parents were concerned about their children's education. SplashLearn proactively rose to the challenge and offered online courses to children which not only educated but also engaged them. This early adoption was made possible by the Microsoft Advertising platform, through which the brand delivered the right message at the right time, to parents seeking quality education for their children. To enhance the efficiency of the campaign, the brand optimized regular keyword checks and eliminated negative keywords. The best performing campaigns were promoted through automated bidding to rake in incremental results. Low-performing ads were eliminated, and the overall campaign hygiene was streamlined.  

The campaign resulted in a 182% increase in reach, a 267% increase in leads, and a phenomenal 24% growth in the overall conversion rate, in just one month. 

Learn more about the award-winning campaign here. 
 

Curious about how InMobi has helped deliver high-impact mobile campaigns for brands across industries? Explore our case studies page for more success stories.  

Write to us at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com to learn how you too can partner with us and drive true consumer connections in 2022. 

* With the combined efforts from the integrated digital marketing campaigns 

With tools, platforms and digital sandboxes such as Minecraft, Steam, Roblox and now the Metaverse, it is now more than ever possible to ideate, design and publish a game as a solo act, especially for mobile and computer-based games.  

This is a positive, hopeful outcome of increased accessibility in game-development and game development/coding becoming increasingly a part of curriculums in classrooms, afterschool programs and camps.  

Or take Scratch for an even better example. With high use among educators and a target audience of 8- to 16-year-olds, the free program introduces novices to interactive storytelling, gaming and animation via its visual programming language. Even Harvard uses Scratch as part of its Introduction to Computer Science course.  

Between Roblox and programs like Scratch, there’s bound to be an influx of successful young game developers who got their start in the digital sandbox. 

With the growing number of self-taught game developers and indie distribution platforms, more and more people are choosing the solo route when it comes to game development. And as fun as it can be to wear multiple hats, going solo can also mean being a few people short when it comes to testing out your game and creative ideas.  

But have no fear! There are a few things you can do to still create a collaborative process and environment around your game.  

Crowdsourcing Creative Ideas For Your Game 

So let’s talk about the power of creative crowdsourcing when it comes to your projects. Creative crowdsourcing is a fun, exciting way to bring people into the fold of your development process while getting a healthy level of feedback when it comes to game mechanics, creative assets, and more. And with the combined power of social media, creative crowdsourcing is also another good way to bring an audience to your game in its early stages. 

Please note: this isn’t about exploiting people’s free labor to do the would-be jobs of a team. Creative crowdsourcing is ultimately about building a community of invested stakeholders among the people who have opted to join you for the ride in creating your project.  

And for a solo developer that may not have access to robust (and costly) marketing tools, it is essential and valuable to have as many eyes on your product as possible. So, it makes sense to turn to social media to offer a transparent, inside-look at your process, from ideation to distribution.  

And it’ll be amongst these audience members/co-collaborators that you’ll find those more likely to pay for your game, sit through your game’s ads, donate funds, etc., because of their personal stakes in your project. They want to see you win.  

Crowdsourcing Pros and Cons 

And let’s be real: staring at a screen all day can put a strain on the design process. Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to uncover hidden design flaws/biases, come up with creative solutions and best optimize the gaming experience.  

There are some other upsides and downsides to social media creative crowdsourcing. It is no secret that the Google Play and Apple App stores are packed with copycat games. This is the unfortunate reality of game development.  

For a solo game developer, you may be cautious about turning to message boards, forums and Discord channels in search of feedback on game mechanics or creatives. But by getting on a social media platform like Instagram or TikTok to discuss your game, you are creating a living archive of your process that can help discourage copycats from running away with your ideas without accountability.  

However, it’s naïve to say that this method we’re suggesting is 100% fool-proof, and you should know that there are other tools available to test out your games. A good place to start is PlaytestCloud, “your one-stop solution for playtesting mobile games during prototyping, development, soft launch, and after release.”  

Nonetheless it is important to remember that even for single-developer games, it takes a village. And while success may very well look and mean something different to a solo indie developer, having a strong community of support behind you increases your chances of striking gold and strengthening your portfolio.  

After Ideation Comes Monetization 

So if any of this resonates with you, let us know! InMobi has launched our very own Discord meant to connect developers, gamers and publishers directly with our team.  

And if you’re especially looking for best monetization practices for your game, please reach out! Join us online or via our various social media channels, and be sure to check out our page.  

A Strong Contender to Banner and Interstitial  

While the nature of the app will highly influence the appropriate placement strategy, the adoption of high-impact formats among app developers has been undeniable. Rewarded video ads have become of the strongest monetization opportunities for publishers, which can generate high eCPMs and engagement.  

Where banners are highly scalable and interstitials take the share of voice on the screen, the magic of rewarded video lies in its positive reward experience. A recent report showed that banners represent up to 80% or more of iOS ad impressions in the U.S. but only 17% of the revenue share, compared with interstitial (71%) and rewarded video (13%).   

At InMobi, we are working with an increasing number of leading app developers who are trusting us with their monetization strategy. Similarly, we have also been strengthening our relationships with premium advertisers around the world that are looking for engaging inventory and audiences to deliver their advertising campaigns.  

Let’s take a look at the evolution of rewarded video with InMobi, and how eCPMs have evolved across our key markets and the two operating systems. 

Publishers See the Returns 

Rewarded videos ads not only command higher eCPMs, but they also help publishers to contribute to positive user engagement and can lead to in-app purchases (IAP), therefore increasing the APRDAU (average revenue per daily active user).

Take TapNation for example, who has seen their APRDAU and revenue increasing by 104% through opening rewarded video placements.  

Over the past couple of years, we have introduced Rewarded Display and Rewarded Playables ad formats with close delay timer, which improved the fill rates on rewarded ad slots by almost 30% and average eCPMs by 40%. Our eCPMs in the top APAC markets we are operating in have been rising by an average 180% year-on-year between Q4 2020 and Q4 2021.  

Although they are more prevalent to gaming apps, rewarded ads can be implemented across different categories and be as effective, they are not exclusive to gaming environments. Some non-gaming apps from all categories have adopted rewarded video ads. Nebula, a leading astrology app that delivers horoscope insights to its users, and Duolingo, a leading app which helps users to learn new languages, are good examples. 

Monetizing through highly engaging ad formats like rewarded video ads is even more important in today’s privacy-focused world and maximize ad revenue for non-addressable audiences. Through UnifID, our identity management solution, we have observed that ad units like rewarded video ads have seen their fil l rate increase by 18% and eCPMs by 17% when passing universal IDs through the bid stream.  

As privacy initiatives are increasing and access to mobile advertising IDs being restricted, marketers are adapting their targeting strategies towards alternative identifiers to reach addressable audiences. Highly sought-after, mobile addressable audiences combined with rewarded video ads can generate great returns for publishers. 

The Investments We Have Made on Ad Format Experiences 

At InMobi, we have invested significantly, and still are, in building ad formats that both respect the user experience and serve the modern monetization needs of our publisher partners. With this perspective in mind, we’ve incorporated advanced ad experience templates that are highly customizable in our new customer interface, which publishers can take advantage of today.  

Publishers’ preferences have taken the priority within our ad experience roadmap. Publishers are able to customize almost everything on their rewarded ad experience template on the InMobi Publisher Customer Interface, including the ad formats, experiences, close delays and the maximum ad duration. 

Beyond rewarded video, we are also working on enhancing our wider ad templates through regular customer feedback and innovation. Some of the initiatives we are working on include mixed ad pods, where publishers can serve several ads in a unique ad slot, along with enhancements to our video features such as the ability to set up flexible duration or dynamic video orientation. 

In a world where user retention and engagement are key metrics for publishers to measure success, we believe in building advanced tools that can help our customers achieve high results. The reward is a happy user and a happy publisher!  

Interested in learning more?

As retail media continue to evolve, InMobi Commerce’s goal is to provide retailers and advertisers with the information they need to thrive and understand today’s retail media ecosystem. That includes talking with industry experts about emerging trends in retail media, tips on how brands and retailers can collaborate more efficiently, and more.  

In this edition of “Take Five,” Sarah Hughes, Head of Marketing at InMobi Commerce, spoke with ADSTA’s Al Jones and Shawn Tuckett to learn more about how independent grocers are approaching retail media and how advertisers can make the biggest impact with their retail media budgets.  

You can listen to the full interview below:  

Question 1: Why Do You Think Retail Media Has Become Such a Hot Topic? 

Shawn Tuckett: Retail media just offers such an efficient way for retailers to optimize their revenue and find new revenue streams. It can be difficult to find new ways to make money at the store, especially with the small margins, and just the challenges that grocery stores have always faced. So, retail media opens a channel that has a huge growth opportunity, and it’s an extremely valuable initiative for retailers to be prioritizing at this point.  

Al Jones: As we see a lot of things move from print to digital, it’s a real opportunity for independent retailers to add some very valuable digital content to their sites. Whether it be awareness-type campaigns, promotions campaigns, digital couponing, etc. There’s just lots and lots of opportunities that exist out there.