Etienne de Guébriant

Q&A with Etienne

This Q&A reflects Etienne's time as UA Team Lead at Etermax. Currently, Etienne is Chief Marketing Officer at Gazeus Games.

From professional Gamer in World of Warcraft to developing his own app, then moving into AdColony and formerly working at Etermax - Etienne’s career has always been driven by his gaming passion. From monetization to user acquisition, Etienne tries to get the best results possible for the company. His work ethic is based on three foundational pillars: 1) extensive information input, 2) detailed analysis processes, and 3) raw creativity output. He also considers teamwork the cornerstone to any objective imaginable.

In your own words, tell us about the app that you manage?

I help manage all the apps developed by Etermax including the viral phenomenon Trivia Crack, Trivia Crack 2, Aworded Crack and Pictionary, to name a few of the most popular ones.

How did you get started in mobile marketing?

In 2014 I decided to join a project that was developing an app to help Argentinians with financial struggles. By the end of 2014, I was given the opportunity to mix two of my passions: business and gaming. I joined Opera Mediaworks/AdColony.

What do you like most about mobile marketing?

More than anything, I love the challenge of keeping up with all the new technologies, companies, competitors, games, and developments in the industry. It really keeps my day-to-day interesting. I also enjoy people in the industry, attending events, and getting to know other mobile marketers from all over the world.

What does it take to succeed in mobile marketing?

Teamwork, hard work, and an open mind. Teamwork is the cornerstone of every success, hard work ensures what you're doing is the right option, and always using data to guide you and not just personal preferences. Keeping an open mind to try new things is also crucial. You just don't know how disruptive new technologies and services can be in this industry.

What does a quality mobile user look like to you?

To me, a quality user is the one who enjoys the game, plays it regularly and gets their friends to join in too.

What strategies work best to convert installs into engaged users?

I personally try to show as much of the app as possible. Of course now that playable ads are on the rise, that makes it easier since the user knows exactly what they will get when they download the app. But it really comes down to being as honest as possible within the ads, and listening to user suggestions to improve the app experience. Etermax does a great job at that.

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?

Granularity has a huge impact. When optimizing campaigns you want to go as deep and as precise as possible. Don't just look at basic metrics like retention, CPI, ECPM, CR, etc. Try to follow user behavior inside the app.

How do you stay ahead of changes in technology?

With a lot of networking. The mobile industry changes on a daily basis (new partnerships, new products, new platforms, etc.), so definitely talking to other people from the mobile ecosystem helps a lot.

What do you see as the next big thing in mobile app marketing?

I think 5G networking technology is going to be disruptive for the mobile ecosystem. Streaming video apps will be a huge success in the upcoming months and years as they will benefit the most from even faster internet access. Looking more specifically at mobile gaming, it will be interesting to see how games adopt this new technology and take advantage of it.

What advice can you offer to help marketers combat mobile ad fraud?

Fraud is the number one enemy for anyone doing mobile UA. My advice is to be strict, and don't let any partner get away with suspicious things. If something doesn't look right, point it out, investigate, and ask a lot of questions. Ask partners to provide as much information as possible and to be fully transparent. The more information, the better.