By Leslie Amadio and Jani Gonzalez
Inspiring the Industry Toward Flourishing, Growth, and Resilience
The 2021 Kochava Summit came and went with the click of a mouse with our first virtual two-day event. While we were not physically able to bring everyone together to the top of our favorite mountain this year (Schweitzer!), it was a remarkable few days of discussion, debate, and a whole lot of fun at the 8th annual Kochava Summit.
In a year that’s been, well, let’s call it interesting because who isn’t over the term “normal”? A lot has changed, but one thing remains the same—we are all in this together because teamwork makes the dream work. And, as our Founder and CEO, Charles Manning, said in his keynote: “We are here because of you. Our focus is to make you successful.” So let’s do this!
In case you missed any part of the discussions, below are some of the highlights from the Kochava Summit.
Let’s talk about AD FRAUD…
Ad fraud remains rampant in the industry, our resident fraud expert, Grant Simmons, VP Foundry, Kochava, commented: “Do you completely trust your ad signal? If you don’t, there are ways to investigate and mediate.” Sage advice. You can learn more here about our new strategic services division, Kochava Foundry™, on how this specialized team of data analysts who execute custom research and strategies for enterprise brands can help you.
Silver lining to lockdown? SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
According to a report from market intelligence firm SensorTower, “Consumer spending on in-app purchases, subscriptions, and premium apps climbed 31 percent to $19 billion globally on Apple’s App Store in 3Q20 with spending on Google Play experiencing even more substantial growth, increasing 33.8 percent Y/Y to $10.3 billion from $7.7 billion in the year-ago quarter.”
At Kochava, subscription services continue to be an important strategy to gaining more insights into user behavior and building lifetime value for marketers especially as the ecosystem evolves. And we are well poised and excited to share more on this with you so…wait for it because it’s coming very soon!
Testing…is this thing on? INCREMENTALITY TESTING AND MEASUREMENT
Privatization and anonymization will continue to be more important than ever moving forward as will the measurement story with the many changes in the ecosystem. The measurement is anonymized by design.
As part of Kochava Foundry strategic services, we recognized and launched MediaLift™, which leverages an identity graph to curate a modeled forensic control–removing unwanted bias between your test and control groups and ensuring accurate incremental analysis. Address 100% of your reach without holding back your own control group.
The only constant in life is change: The AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) framework and SKAdNetwork
To say the least, Apple’s ATT and SKAdNetwork (SKAN) are going to change everything. The high-level explanation—app developers must prompt users to consent to tracking according to the ATT, and user adoption is expected to be low. SKAN is how advertisers will measure iOS 14 campaigns, and they’ll have to work with ad partners who know how to handle signal from it (find them via our Media Index). Next, let us help you choose the best conversion model to make the most of your SKAN data. And in preparation, test, test, test, but also be patient with yourself and others. With this colossal change, one thing is certain, we are all in this together as an industry!
Contactless frictionless commerce FTW. QR CODES
QR codes made a comeback last year with their enhanced flexibility to adapt to any environment. Now, marketers can take advantage of the second screen trend by adding QR codes to television so that their audience can engage in-app. With QR codes and SmartLinksTM technology for television, consumers have instant access. There’s no friction and the consumer gets what they want, providing a win-win situation for the marketer driving engagement and consumer interest in specific content.
Unlocking growth with OTT/CTV
Remember when mobile was described as the Wild West of digital advertising ten years ago? That’s where we’re at with OTT and CTV (over the top devices and connected TV). While the space had been increasing in popularity, the pandemic catapulted it beyond what had been expected. While traditionally difficult to measure, we’ve been adapting our tech and working with our partners to provide the insights they seek. We now have true cross-platform measurement and attribution where we can tie ad displays on a streaming platform with in-app conversions on mobile. Another bonus is that the space operates without the IDFA, so it’s a great investment.
P.S. We heard WandaVision, The Mandalorian, and kids’ shows 24/7 are crushing it. What’s in your queue? Maybe our WFH music video by our very own band, Crooked Tooth? Enjoy!
Well, that’s all folks. For now anyway. Thanks again to everyone who joined us this year! We are already looking forward to next year with you.
