Michael Jessen, Senior User Acquisition Specialist @ Socialpoint | The Mapendo Talks Episode 1

A Series of Interviews with: The Mobile Masters

A New Series of Talks with Industry Experts and Insiders from the World of Mobile.

Welcome to Mapendo’s new round of exclusive interviews. We have been able to curate a very unique list of speakers that we are very excited to welcome and get the opportunity to interview as part of our ongoing series: The Mapendo Talks. We were able to put together a great list of industry experts and insiders that we will be introducing to you throughout our talks which will take place on an ongoing basis as part of our efforts to expand knowledge and insights to our network and those who find the information useful or interesting regardless of industry background!

Today we have Michael Jessen with us to help us dive into some hot topics in the world of mobile. Michael, a Dutch data-driven mobile marketing expert, has 7+ years of experience in online advertising and mobile marketing.

If you’d like to find out more about Michael, check out his Social Media Pages below:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtlj87/
https://www.twitter.com/mtlj87/

So without any further ado, let’s get cracking. Check out our exclusive interview with our friend Michael Jessen!

Michael, thank you for interviewing with us! Can you tell us how you ended up in this industry? Did you always plan on doing this job or did you “accidentally” land in this career?

MJ: I was always passionate about marketing and that’s why I did my Bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing. However, it wasn’t until my first job at Facebook that I got into advertising. After working on social media and search advertising for a few years I got into mobile marketing specifically.

How did you get into mobile marketing specifically and what is your favourite thing about this sector?

MJ: When I was laid off at Microsoft due to a restructuring I had the chance to start working for what was (back then) a new scooter sharing start-up in Barcelona. I took the chance and it was a great decision. Mobile is a space where there are a lot of things changing all the time. This makes the industry very dynamic which I really enjoy.

Did you end up doing anything odd or different during your quarantine/ during this Pandemic that you normally wouldn’t have done otherwise? Any cool new apps that you downloaded or habits that you picked up?

MJ: During this summer I changed the Spanish beaches for the mountains. It was very refreshing to get out of the city and do some outdoor activities. I would do it normally anyway, but I think due to the restrictions I went out for hikes more than I usually do.

Thank you Michael for letting us get to know you a little better! We would now like to ask you a little bit more about some specific topics, so let’s see if we can get a little deeper the world of apps…

So, for our very first topic-specific question we want to ask you — In the past year, what is one tip you can share which made the biggest performance difference with UA or re-engagement of your app?

MJ: I would say taking risks is the one tip. One thing I learned during the pandemic of 2020 is to keep on analysing your results closely and if your main KPIs are similar, keep on pushing. A lot of brands and sectors like travel pulled out their marketing budgets which made the market very attractive. We definitely took advantage of that.

What does it take to succeed in mobile marketing?

MJ: A strong collaboration between the UA, creative and product teams is a must for any success in mobile marketing. Every step of the user experience needs to be aligned from the first creative that a potential new user sees, until the in-app experience managed by the product teams.

How do you look for the next big thing in technology? Where do you take ideas and news?

MJ: Ideas can come from anywhere. We try to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and what is happening in the market. Looking at what competitors are doing is also a way of getting out of the “usual”. By involving different people from different teams into our UA and creative works we can get a different perspective on things.

What do you see as the next big thing in mobile app marketing? What about the industry as we whole?

MJ: I believe that playable ads is a format that is still not at its full potential and will grow the next year. Especially on the analytics side there can be some improvements.

What do you think is the most misunderstood or hidden drawback of Mobile User Acquisition efforts?

MJ: Automization for sure. There are a lot of articles that say UA is going to disappear, but the role itself will just change over time. With auto-bidding and more companies going into a blackbox style of campaigns (Facebook and Google), creatives are becoming more and more important. I would say the role will be less optimisation-focused and more creative-driven.

What do you think is the most preventable mistake when launching a new Campaign?

MJ: Blacklists are something that people sometimes forget when creating campaigns. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel if you already know what sources are working well for you and what does not. Make sure you always apply one (where you can) before launching.

From your perspective, what are the key differences between new vs. updated mature apps?

MJ: What are the main challenges with each? The main difference is the audience I would say. Old games have a loyal audience that find it hard to leave an app where they invested time and money into. However, new apps can deliver something completely new to the market and iterate very quickly on trends in the business.

How do you think the new iOS 14 privacy changes are going to affect the mobile industry?

MJ: The new Apple OS will definitely bring some changes to the mobile marketing industry. The biggest challenge will be the attribution and the loss of retargeting, re-engagement and contextual targeting on iOS. I think budgets will shift more towards Android and iOS LAT traffic ramping up to the release of iOS14.

Thank you very much Michael for joining us in this interview and we are extremely glad to have had you be part of the first interview of the Mapendo Talks and we look forward to continuing the conversation on these relevant topics on social media and with our networks. It has been an absolute pleasure speaking with you and your input has very much been appreciated.

To all our readers, stay tuned for the next interview! We are excited to continue the series and we are also looking for any feedback from you or suggestions on topics. You can also reach out to us if you or someone you know would be interested in joining our series of interviews (write to us at info@mapendo.me with the Subject Line “The Mapendo Talks”).

Until next time!

Mapendo is a tech platform for app user acquisition. We deliver huge volumes of CPA & CPI conversions to the best mobile apps available with A.I.

If you are looking to facilitate and automate your user acquisition process, all while getting trusted fraud protection, visit our site or get in touch with us!

• Website: https://mapendo.co/
• Email: info@mapendo.me