RIP waterfalls: who wins when bidding is the only game in town

The waterfall is dead, long live the waterfall. On July 16, MAX will eliminate waterfall placements. Everything will be bidding. What does that mean? Is that a good thing? Bad thing? What are the impacts? In this episode of Growth Masterminds, host John Koetsier chats with Josh Chandley, co-founder and COO of Wild Card Games. They discuss the major shift in mobile ad monetization from the traditional waterfall method to real-time bidding, effective July 16th. They dive into the complexities of ad mediation, the influence of major players (or ... THE major player) like AppLovin, and the potential revenue implications for game publishers. They also explore the future of ad monetization strategies, the challenges in maintaining transparency, and the potential for integration of broader advertiser audiences in mobile games. Tune in to gain insights into how these changes are reshaping the landscape of mobile ad monetization and what it means for growth marketers. 00:00 Introduction to App Monetization 00:53 Understanding Waterfall and Real-Time Bidding 05:59 Challenges and Changes in Ad Mediation 13:15 Impact of Bidding on Revenue and CPMs 14:50 The Impact of Performance and Revenue Distribution 15:17 Transparency in Ad Auctions 15:56 AppLovin's Dominance and Mediation 16:30 The Shift from Ad Monetization to User Acquisition 20:32 Segmentation and Ad Experience 23:15 Expanding Ad Audiences in Mobile Games 26:19 The Future of E-commerce Ads in Gaming 29:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts