Kinga Kruzmanowska from Bidmachine joined Josh to chat all things ad monetization, including the ever-evolving role of Ad Mon manager, balancing IAA & IAP and working with AI in ad optimization.

Josh: Thanks for joining us Kinga! Can you briefly introduce yourself?

Hi, thanks for having me! I’m the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Bidmachine. I work closely with top gaming developers and publishers, assisting them with their monetization strategies.

Josh: How did you come to work in the mobile space?

I've always had a strong interest in the mobile space. After gaining extensive experience at various leading AdTech companies, I transitioned to pure mobile in 2017 with Tappx, where I built their direct supply team from the ground up. For the past 2.5 years at Bidmachine, I've been dedicated to maximizing monetization revenue for top-tier mobile gaming publishers.

Josh: What is your favorite mobile game?

I get very easily hooked on games like Wordle and any brain puzzle, that kind of challenge keeps me entertained, I just can’t put them down!

Josh: Let’s talk about the state of IAA. What are some of the greatest challenges facing your publishing partners in 2024?

In 2024, mobile gaming publishers face several significant challenges. One major challenge is the need for greater adaptability. Publishers must adopt more hybrid monetization strategies, diversifying their revenue streams through ads, in-app purchases (IAP), and subscriptions to maintain revenue.
Additionally, tougher and more competitive user acquisition (UA) is causing a decrease in the number of users for many games, making it difficult to grow revenue with a shrinking user base.
Another crucial aspect is the need for developers and publishers to be more flexible and responsive to player needs and community feedback when introducing monetization models and ad frequency. I’m seeing a more player-centric approach being implemented.

Josh: How do you see the role of an ad monetization manager has changed in the last year? How is the role encompassing more functions?

The role of an ad monetization manager has evolved significantly. Historically, it involved managing the waterfall and experimenting with various demand partners and CPMs. However, with bidding now responsible for the majority of revenue, the role has become more multifaceted. Managers are leveraging sophisticated analytics platforms to gain deeper insights into user behavior and ad performance, using this data to optimize ad placements, formats, and targeting. Additionally, there is a stronger emphasis on working closely with product development teams to ensure ads are seamlessly integrated into the gaming experience without disrupting gameplay. As mobile gaming continues to evolve, the responsibilities of ad monetization managers will likely expand even further.

Josh: How can fraud and ad quality tools help publishers maximize revenue goals?

Fraud and ad quality tools are essential for maximizing revenue goals. They help prevent ad fraud, such as click or install fraud and bot detection, which directly translates to preventing revenue loss. These tools also enhance ad quality by eliminating malicious or intrusive ads and ensuring high-quality, safe ads. Compliance monitoring is another critical aspect, as adherence to regulations such as GDPR and CCPA is crucial to avoid legal penalties.

Josh: AI is a hot topic, both at events and on webinars. Can you share some use cases for working with AI in optimizing Ad Ops?

AI is fundamentally about reducing costs, improving efficiency, and enhancing optimization. While we see more AI implementation on the UA side, it's still relatively new in IAA. However, for larger publishers and ad exchanges, AI will be critical. The more AI is implemented to address time-consuming processes, the better the ad quality, efficiency, and effectiveness in ad ops. AI can be applied in various areas: ad fraud prevention, handling customer queries, providing customer insights and analytics, improving processes, predictive revenue forecasting, and even recommending revenue growth strategies based on missing placements.

Josh: Thank you for joining us Kinga, and for your insights on ad monetization.