Interesting Reads
The App Tracking Transparency recession
Eric Seufert has basically written a PhD thesis on the economic impact of ATT (I checked with him, and it's the longest article he's ever published).
Some readers — you know who you are! — will want to peruse the whole thing, but here's the [very] short version: while there may indeed be macroeconomic headwinds on the horizon, they are not the main driver behind the recent social media ad space implosion.
The iPhone Keyboard - Make It or Break It
Here is the story behind the first usable touchscreen keyboard, capable of miraculously turning Tge quixk brpwm foz jimprd ivrr rhe kaz doh into The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
We take it for granted now, but it's easy to forget how key this was to all of mobile.
Industry Buzz
The Mobile Growth Crystal Ball: Predictions for 2023
One final 2023 predictions link, just because it includes so many voices and touches on so many topics (UA, media mix modeling, UGCs, measurement models, SKAN 4.0 and more).
Privacy & Security
Apple Versus GDPR
Last week, CNIL (France’s data protection authority) fined mobile game developer VOODOO for improper consent practices related to mobile ad tracking.
Why? VOODOO used the IDFV — presumably for cross-promotion between their own apps — even after users declined Apple's AppTrackingTransparency prompt. According to Apple's policies, that should be okay…but according to CNIL, not so much.
The Venn diagram of ATT vs. actual privacy regulations continues to separate.
Tips & Techniques
365 Growth Gems
Sylvain Gauchet has probably watched more app-related webinars than any 10 average mobile marketers combined. He mines the best insights from each, and publishes them on growthgems.co.
Now, he's collected the top 365 gems of 2022…and gave me a special direct PDF download link to share with all of you (but you can still check out the full LinkedIn post here too!)
"One of Hopper's strengths is that we're able to acquire high-quality installs for less than our competitors pay for a click."
Our best performing ad in 2020 was a meme I made on a free meme generator in literally 10 minutes. Our best in 2021 was a screenshot of a tweet.
Audience targeting was so refined before ATT that it plastered over a lot of sins, but creative optimization was always the way to outsize performance.
Leverage app marketing w/ ChatGPT [50+ prompts]
ChatGPT is everywhere, and I've been waiting for someone to bring it back to mobile marketing!
In the vein of AI will give you infinite interns, not all of these ideas are obvious hits. But they're certainly worth a read for inspiration.
"Things we've learnt after 6 months of TikTok advertising"
We all keep hearing that 1) TikTok is booming, and 2) TikTok is different.
Here are 18 tips for using TikTok ads to drive app installs.
UX
The UX of Banking: 900 days of progress
Back in 2020, one of the first issues of Mobile Growth News linked to this series on the UX of challenger bank apps in the UK. At the time, I called it "one of the finest pieces of mobile-related content I’ve ever read."
Two and a half years later, the author has resurfaced with a follow-up analysis on the same apps. Fascinating to see how far (or not) things have come.
55% of customers will not return to app or mobile site delivering a poor experience
Does this number surprise you? Probably not, but now there's a 7000-person study to back it up.
Top categories of annoyance:
- Slow load times: 72%.
- Loading errors: 63%.
- Dead links or buttons: 46%.
- Broken forms: 39%.
Data
State of Subscription Apps 2023
"Data that shows how I compare with my competitors" always seems to be one of the most attractive value props in marketing analytics. If your app offers subscriptions, this is the most comprehensive benchmark dataset you're going to find.
Fewer Apps Built with React Native Shipped in 2022
I had assumed that last issue's React Native is not the future article was just an example of tilting at windmills, but it seems like the data actually shows a real trend here.
The Encore
TextingStory icon evolution
The first version was made in PowerPoint…but hey, it lasted for two years!
Podcast
Mobile Product Management Foundations
Product Lead at ZipRecruiter: Akio Bandle
In this episode of How I Grew This, Akio Bandle joins Mada Seghete to discuss ZipRecruiter's growth journey, the company's experience with user acquisition for mobile apps, transitioning to remote work and getting into product management.
Akio is currently the Product Lead at ZipRecruiter. Before joining the company, he worked in various organizations, from small startups to large enterprises. Akio is an experienced product manager, product advisor, and marketing analyst.
Events
Mobile Growth Online
When: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 — 12 PM PST to 1 PM PST.
Where: Online.
Panelists: Scene+, Jackpocket and Upwork.
Who’s Hiring?
- Major League Baseball | Manager, Club Social Sponsorship — New York, NY
- Tonsser | Global CRM Manager — Berlin, Germany
- Tonsser | Global Event Manager — Paris, France
- Tonsser | Brand Manager - England — London, UK
Do you have a mobile growth role you’d like to share with the community?
Just fill out this form — it’s free!
Are you within striking distance of London? Our team is hosting a one-day VIP event for mobile growth leaders on February 7.
It's invite-only, and we have just a few spots left. I'll be there to give the morning keynote and moderate a roundtable on privacy changes, so if rubbing elbows for a day with a couple hundred of London's finest mobile minds sounds like your thing, hit reply and I'll see about sending an invitation your way!
Alex Bauer