🎯 20 years' experience: Luis de la Camara on WHY the networks know your users better than YOU!
two & a half gamers · 2026-10-15
💡 Quick Take
1. Rely on top ad networks and DSP algorithms for user acquisition, as they inherently know more about your target users than you ever will.
2. Avoid broad mid-funnel awareness campaigns without patience, as they inflate CPIs and target many uninterested users before eventually converting.
3. Try using ad revenue (admon) data as a quality signal for in-app purchase (IAP) segmentation by tracking eCPM drop-off curves across impressions.
4. Avoid treating all users the same—if players come from rewarded networks, shorten their ad cooldowns compared to pure organic or IAP cohorts.
5. Try setting up incrementality tests using simple setups, sizeable cohorts, and sufficient test duration to accurately measure channel performance.
📊 Detailed Explanation
A core strategic realization in mobile user acquisition is that major ad networks and multi-billion-dollar algorithms from platforms like Meta, Google, and top DSPs understand user behavior and intent far better than game developers do. Instead of fighting these recommendation engines, studios should leverage this deep algorithmic segmentation to their tactical advantage. The modern reality of mobile gaming is that players want to jump straight into a specific type of game instantly, making high-performing DSPs exceptionally efficient at finding users who are already primed and ready to play.
While some publishers attempt to expand reach via broad, top-of-funnel brand or awareness campaigns, the speaker advises caution. Broad campaigns often cause cost per install (CPI) to spike because they expose ads to a massive audience of non-players who might only convert much later. If a company runs broad awareness campaigns, it requires long-term patience and an "always-on" priming strategy, otherwise the immediate return on investment falters compared to direct-response performance UA.
Advanced product-side and data tactics can significantly improve retention and monetization. For example, developers can analyze average revenue per user by tracking how quickly eCPMs decrease across impression counts. Because ad-monetized campaigns show much steeper eCPM drop-offs between impressions compared to IAP-targeted campaigns, studios can estimate past purchasing behavior and segment users accordingly. Furthermore, player journeys should reflect acquisition sources: users acquired through rewarded networks should see ad prompts or reward milestones much earlier in their gameplay lifecycle—such as within the first 30 seconds—rather than adhering to deep-level ad suppression used for pristine IAP acquisition channels.
Measuring marketing incrementality and managing retargeting effectively remain complex operational hurdles. While retargeting has historically relied on push notifications, in-app messages, and email, modern performance marketers are shifting budget toward paid retargeting formats and connected TV (CTV). However, executing reliable incrementality tests requires running sizable cohorts over sustained periods without prematurely killing tests due to short-term cost fears. Because pulling spend on a well-performing campaign introduces opportunity costs and keeping unverified campaigns live drains budget, teams should keep test parameters simple and focus on statistical significance.
🎯 Gaming Expert Opinion
Luis de la Camara’s perspective, forged over two decades across AAA and mobile freemium giants like King, Scopely, and Rovio, offers an invaluable masterclass in modern user acquisition economics. His core thesis—that developers must surrender the illusion of controlling user data better than programmatic networks—is a vital paradigm shift. Too many studios waste precious runway trying to reinvent deterministic targeting wheels instead of treating major DSP algorithms as black-box partners that excel at intent matching. His transition from the client-side executive chair to the B2B network side underscores a broader industry truth: the real growth leverage in a mature market lies in algorithmic scale and white-glove platform partnerships.
The strategic warnings regarding top-of-funnel brand marketing versus direct-response performance are particularly sharp. While mega-IPs like Angry Birds or Candy Crush benefit from brand awareness that depresses baseline CPIs, mid-sized or indie developers lack the financial cushion to absorb the inflated acquisition costs of broad, untargeted awareness campaigns. Studios must heed his advice on cohort-based segmentation: treating a rewarded-video installer the same as an organic app-store browser is a critical design error that leaves retention and ad-monetization revenue on the table. Aligning product-level pacing, like ad frequency and milestone visibility, with the exact origin channel of the player cohort is no longer optional for competitive mobile titles.
Ultimately, UA and product teams must abandon knee-jerk, reactive optimization cycles—such as frantically scaling up or turning off spend based on a single day's performance dip. Sustainable growth requires treating DSP relationships as collaborative roadmaps, pairing disciplined simplicity in AB and incrementality testing with long-term capital efficiency. Developers who embrace structural alignment between monetization data, segmentation, and partner-driven UA networks will survive market maturation, while those stuck in legacy, direct-control mindsets will continue to burn budget on inefficient campaigns.
Kanal: two & a half gamers