The Groove

As humans, we are hard-wired to tell and share stories. We also gravitate to brands that tell a compelling story that connects with us on an emotional level. So, how do marketers shape narratives that resonate with their audiences? In this episode, our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Byron Reese , author of the upcoming book Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think . He shares insight into how stories...

While gamers spent $21.4 billion in their favorite games in Q2, the question remains: how do you persuade players to keep investing in your game? In this episode, our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Hunter Bulkeley , Senior Product Manager at Tilting Point , an award-winning free-to-play games publisher that empowers indie developers to grow and accelerate. He shares a blueprint you can follow to...

Apple restricts identifiers, Google continues to phase out third-party cookies, and everyday marketers awaken to new challenges as they seek to address users that offer value for money. Some are calling it the end for audience targeting. Bango , a company whose technology and platform enables online payments for merchants and app developers, calls it the App-ocalypse! How can marketers survive in...

With 500+ million people using Instagram Stories and 50+ million using TikTok daily, it’s clear storytelling is a powerful way to connect people. And Storyly has found a niche helping brands tell their stories. In this episode, our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with İrem Işık , Head of Marketing at Storyly , a company that uses an SDK so companies can share stories directly into their apps and build...

Consumers trust content created by people, not just brands. But where do you source user-generated content (UGC), and how do you harness the power of user-generated video to build brand and grow your reach? In this episode, our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Mike Christensen , CEO & Founder of Stitcht , an engagement platform helping brands create video threads and encouraging consumers to jo...

With 6.8 million adults in the U.S. suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, and only 43.2% receiving treatment, there’s a huge opportunity for tech to step in. This is precisely what Rootd did — they now help 1.7 million users and are a shining example of how you can bootstrap your app to have reach and impact. In this episode, our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Ania Wysocka , Founder of Roo...

Think TikTok for sports, and then add LinkedIn to help athletes and coaches connect. It’s the winning recipe that has allowed Press Sports to build a committed community of over 250,000 users across 70 countries. In this episode, part of the special retention marketing series sponsored by CleverTap , our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Drew Williams , Co-Founder & CMO at Press Sports . He shar...

Finding the best signal strength can be a challenge, but Network Cell Info, one of a portfolio of apps from M2Catalyst, is helping users monitor, measure, and share cell network coverage data. The crowdsourcing approach doesn’t just enable users to have a voice in cell coverage; it also drives engagement and participation by simply being part of the network of users. It’s a winning combination tha...

When Grow.co started its MAU annual conference for mobile acquisition nearly a decade ago, it helped pave the way for “growth marketing” to become a staple in tech jargon. And with MAU’s bold return to Las Vegas as an in-person event after two years of virtual conferences, the focus is now solidly on retention. In this episode, our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Adam Lovallo , Cofounder of Grow.c...

When you’re a financial super app with the largest peer-to-peer lending platform in your country and you’re serving the underbanked and unbanked sectors by making it easy for their SME’s to get a loan, you’re going to run into some challenges. In this episode, part of the special retention marketing series sponsored by CleverTap , we hear how Koinworks came out fighting fit thanks to a human appro...

Marketing can never be one-size-fits-all, and that goes double if you have a subscription app. To reach potential subscribers in the right context and reinforce the decision to commit to recurring costs requires new thinking, flexible pricing and a fresh approach to subscription billing models. In this episode, our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Jean-François (Jeff) Grang , Co-founder & Chief...

Falling is a serious problem for senior adults, but one app takes on the challenge. Nymbl Science, a top-ranked app in the health and fitness category, harnesses hyper-personalization and a novel approach to training to help users improve their lives. The app pairs simple physical exercise with cognitive brain puzzles to drive a 35% decrease in calls to emergency services for falls and fall-relate...

Consumer expectations of personalization are at an all-time high. Recent McKinsey research shows that 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized experiences. But is it enough to meet consumer needs and clinch the deal based on a knowledge of past behavior and purchases? Or should companies be bolder and adapt marketing, messaging, and communications to the unique needs of individual...

If it seems like every brand is marketing on TikTok these days, that’s because it works. But more interest, massive returns, and eye-popping virality have created a complex and crowded space. Fierce competition calls for brave measures and that is where Yoke Network has made its mark with an easy way to connect the right influencers with the right app. The outcome is a robust ecosystem that links...

If you’ve ever ordered food delivery or hailed a ride in Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, or Panama, then you know how ubiquitous Yummy is. They boast a 2,860% year-over-year growth in completed orders. It’s quick and quality service that keeps customers loyal and caught the attention of fast food chain KFC, which has negotiated an exclusive deal with Yummy in Venezuela. What are their se...

After being driven to build a great app, how do you know it’s a commercial success? And if it is, when and how do you make the call to exit? BlueThrone has a valuable checklist and calculator to help you quantify the value of your app, so you can be ready to sell it off should you decide to cash in and move on. In this episode, our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Idan Waller , the Co–founder and C...

Can an app that emphasizes authenticity and being straightforward actually succeed in such a crowded space as online dating? Apparently, when you focus on creating a safe experience for women, success comes flying at you. In this episode, part of our Reimagine Growth series sponsored by CleverTap , our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Edward Chen , Founder & CEO at HUD , a dating app that’s bee...

What does it take to design a user experience that captures the attention of gamers and keeps them coming back? And how does one pivot from a design and UI background to building the complete user experience in a game? In this episode, our host Peggy Anne Salz catches up with Jasmin Dahncke , Senior UX Designer at Mainframe Industries , an independent, venture-backed game developer with studios in...

The obstacles that marketers now face in a privacy-first world are tremendous. But forcing marketers to get back to the basics of customer-centricity in both product and communication is a great thing. In this episode, part of our Reimagine Growth series sponsored by CleverTap , our host Peggy Anne Salz catches up with Adam Broitman , Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company , the global manage...

The race is one for fitness companies to become next-gen personal wellness providers. But teaching this goal demands marketers harness personalization, recommendations and well-timed notifications to build audience and drive loyalty. In this episode, part of the Reimagine Growth series sponsored by CleverTap , our host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Kim Adams,   Director of Marketing, Client Mana...

Social apps and platforms thrive and grow when the communities they power are enabled to create and share. But how can marketers encourage creators to create? What are the incentives that trigger action, drive loyalty and fuel the fandom that brings creators and audiences close together? In this episode, part of our Reimagine Growth series sponsored by CleverTap , our host Peggy Anne Salz talks wi...

The gender gap can't be solved at the corporate level alone. Research suggests that when young girls are able to see themselves in women who rise to the top of their fields, or understand that no career path or topic of study is off-limits, it can have a ripple effect that shapes the rest of their lives. Maya Sharma, a high school student from Washington State, is already paying it forward to the...

The demise of identifiers such as third-party cookies presents both challenges and opportunities for publishers. Neither diversifying revenue nor maintaining a healthy ad business will prove to be easy tasks in the years ahead. In this episode, Peggy Anne Salz talks to Sheri Bachstein, global head of   IBM Watson Advertising and GM of The Weather Company. Bachstein has overseen...

The record number of newsroom closures in 2020 offered unsettling evidence of how difficult it is to maintain a local news outlet in the digital age. In this episode, Peggy Anne Salz talks to Millie Tran, chief product officer at The Texas Tribune, which has built a sustainable online local news business that employs more than 60 journalists through a range of revenue sour...

The shift to on-demand services has undeniably become one of the major stories of media consumption over the last several years. But far too many outlets are missing out on a major opportunity by failing to cater to underserved audiences, such as Spanish speakers who make up an ever-growing share of the U.S. population. In this episode, Peggy Anne Salz talks to Rich Hull, chief strategy officer at...