Mobile Dev Memo Podcast

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Michael Komasinski, the CEO of Criteo, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of agentic commerce and the critical role of recommendation systems in the AI era. We delve into how Criteo is positioning itself as a commerce intelligence layer for AI assistants and the technical distinctions between large language models and purpose-built recommendation engines. Among other things, we discuss:
Criteo's recently announced advertising partnership with OpenAI
Whether agentic commerce will transition from assisted shopping to fully autonomous purchase decisions without human oversight
How recommendation systems based on purchase data outperform large language models in providing accurate product discovery
If retailers will eventually trust AI agents to manage complex fulfillment and brand trust in conversational environments
Why the integration of semantic language models and high-volume reward algorithms defines the future of digital commerce
Criteo GO, Criteo's automated advertising platform
How the partnership between specialized advertising technology and generative AI platforms will reshape the global discovery layer
Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:
⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.
Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.
⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming back
Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.

On this week's episode of the podcast, I am joined by Joost van Dreunen, the CEO of Aldora, an adjunct professor at NYU, and the author of the SuperJoost Playlist blog as well as the book One Up.
We dive into the profound impact of generative artificial intelligence on the video game industry, exploring the immediate market reactions to new tools and the long-term implications for creative production. Among other things, we discuss:
How generative AI models like Google's Genie will actually transform the fundamental mechanics of interactive game engines
Why public markets reacted so aggressively to experimental AI tools by devaluing established gaming and advertising stocks
Whether the reduction of production costs through AI will lead to a surplus of mediocre content for consumers
If game companies are making a mistake by prioritizing technical metrics over the cultural and creative aspects of development
What happens to the cost of gaming hardware when AI companies compete for the same high-end chipsets and resources
How a move toward smaller, local language models could eventually disrupt the institutional power of large technology corporations
When the focus will shift from simple cost efficiency to utilizing AI for creating genuinely new consumer demand
Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:
⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.
Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.
⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming back
Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.

The Prosperous Society is a podcast series by Mobile Dev Memo that articulates an AI Bull Thesis for the digital economy. It argues that the pervasive application of AI to the digital economy will be broadly economically expansionary, leading to increased individual prosperity, expanded consumer choice, and greater human agency.
In Episode 1, I argue that AI production tools will catalyze dramatic growth in output, rendering content distribution as the primary binding constraint for commercial traction. This will accelerate growth in total digital advertising spend in support of product discovery and result in a proliferation of free software, more relevant ads, and higher levels of value offered to consumers through digital experiences.
Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:
⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.
Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.
⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming back
Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.
The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:
YouTube
Apple Podcasts
Spotify

In the latest installment of the MDM Mailbag series, I speak with Matej Lancaric, a well-known mobile gaming user acquisition consultant, a co-host of the two & a half gamers podcast, and the author of the Brutally Honest blog.
As a reminder: MDM Mailbag episodes center on a guest Q&A, with questions sourced directly from the MDM community.
Matej and I discuss a wide variety of topics over the course of our conversation, including:
Creative strategy, including Matej's recent primer on integrating AI tools into the creative production process
Web onboarding and web-based user acquisition for mobile games
The analytics and reporting tools Matej sees used most commonly
Approaches to competitor analysis
The current mobile gaming conference landscape and which conferences Matej considers to be "can't miss."
Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:
⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.
Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.
⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming back
Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.
The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:
YouTube
Apple Podcasts
Spotify

In this episode of the podcast, I discuss the long-term effects of brand advertising with Carl Mela and Ross Link.
Carl Mela is the T. Austin Finch Foundation Professor of Business Administration at Duke University and one of the leading academics in the field of quantitative marketing and consumer choice. Ross Link is the CEO of Marketing Attribution, having previously served as the President of Global Marketing ROI Solutions at Nielsen. Carl and Ross provide a balanced perspective on brand marketing and measurement from both academic and industry lenses.
Among other things, our discussion covers:
What firms get wrong about brand measurement, both from an analytical and a conceptual standpoint
The most common internal political issues that Ross sees arise around marketing measurement within organizations
The non-obvious stakeholders for marketing measurement within an organization
How marketing teams can implement the two brand-performance measures that Carl introduced in his seminal Harvard Business Review piece, If Brands Are Built Over Years, Why Are They Managed Over Quarters?
The differences in approaches to marketing measurement taken across verticals for successful companies
The benefits and drawbacks of the various established methods of measuring long-term marketing effects 
The tools available to a CMO to make the case for the long-term effects of brand advertising for a nascent brand
Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:
⁠⁠INCRMNTAL⁠⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.
Xsolla⁠. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.
⁠Branch⁠. Branch is an AI-powered MMP, connecting every paid, owned, and organic touchpoint so growth teams can see exactly where to put their dollars to bring users in the door and keep them coming back
Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact Mobile Dev Memo advertising.
The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:
YouTube
Apple Podcasts
Spotify