In this episode, Peggy speaks with Hope Barrett, Director of Product Management for MarTech at SoundCloud, and Simon Thillay, Head of ASO Strategy & Market Insights at AppTweak, about their joint effort to answer the question teams avoid: why should you pay for users who are already searching for your app?

SoundCloud turned off brand spend to find out.

As Hope tells us, the goal was to understand what was incremental and challenge the assumption that brand spend is a must to drive growth. Simon breaks down the data to show when and where brand spend really makes a difference.

The experiment also challenged another assumption. Teams often treat the App Store as top-of-funnel and manage ASO as a separate channel. In practice, ASO is essential across the entire user journey.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How brand spend influences performance across paid and organic
• Why delivering the same results without this approach could require up to 49% more budget
• Why treating the App Store as top of funnel leads to the wrong conclusions
• How ASO signals connect to paid UA and user intent
• Why growth decisions need to be based on incrementality, not assumptions

It’s just one of the conversations shaping the 2026 Full Funnel Growth Playbook, powered by RZR (formerly Aarki), available soon.

Chapters

00:00 – Exploring Reviews for User Insights

00:43 – Introducing SoundCloud and AppTweak Experts

01:40 – Reframing the App Store’s Role in the Funnel

03:15 – Shifting from Lifecycle Marketing to ASO

05:43 – Using Headlines to Capture User Attention

07:05 – The Bold Decision to Turn Off Brand Spend

09:56 – Modeling Incremental Gains and Efficiency

16:24 – Connecting Search Intent to Subscription Value

29:00 – Mining User Reviews to Power UA Strategy

31:34 – Leveraging Social Proof in Custom Product Pages

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⚡On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824

⚡Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm

⚡Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-groove/id1585861460

Let's Connect

⚡ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz

⚡ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz

⚡Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com

MAU is having a moment, and Angela Harar is a big reason why.

It’s also an amazing and increasingly massive event, which is exactly why this conversation matters. If you’re heading to MAU, or even thinking about it, this is the podcast to help you understand what’s changing, where the energy is and how to get the most out of the week.

In this episode of MobileGroove, I speak with Angela Harar, VP of Strategy & Growth at MAU Vegas, about what it really takes to build an event that does more than attract a crowd. It has to create momentum, spark real conversations and keep evolving with the industry it serves.

And right now, that momentum is impossible to miss. Angela shares that MAU was up 30% last year and is already tracking 34% ahead again this year, with investor attendance climbing from 47 to 72. That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from listening closely, moving fast and designing an experience that gives people a reason to show up, connect and come back.

What I like about this conversation is that it isn’t just about event logistics. It’s about Angela’s instinct for where mobile is heading and how to build around what people actually need, not what organizers assume they want.

In this conversation, we get into:

• Why MAU has become more than a UA event and now reflects the full mobile ecosystem
• What Angela is seeing across founders, product teams, CRM leaders, creatives, developers and investors
• Why she believes the best events create the conditions for organic conversations instead of overprogramming every minute
• How BrainDates, Mic Drops, meetups and kickoff summits are helping people shape the experience for themselves
• Why MAU is leaning into “mobile audiences unlocked,” not just apps or channels
• What it means to build a serious learning event that still feels energetic, open and human
• How Angela thinks about community, growth and the details that turn a good event into a category-defining one

Angela also talks candidly about the pressure, the curiosity and the constant push behind the scenes, including the moment last year when she realized MAU had become something people didn’t want to leave.

As someone on the advisory board, I can say this conversation captures what makes Angela so effective. She’s strategic, restless, thoughtful and deeply tuned in to what this industry is worried about, building toward and excited to explore next.

If MAU is on your calendar, this will get you even more ready for the week ahead. And if it isn’t, this episode makes a strong case for why it should be.

Subscribe to MobileGroove for conversations with the people shaping what comes next in marketing, growth and mobile.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Vision for MAU Vegas

01:17 - Explosive Growth and Record Engagement

06:43 - Attendee Profiles and Influence

09:36 - Expanded Tuesday Kickoff and Orientation

11:51 - High-Energy Side Events and Networking

13:55 - Specialized App Growth and Gaming Summits

17:04 - Brain Dates: Flipping the Stage for Peer Content

20:48 - Fast-Paced Mic Drops and Themed Meetups

26:30 - Evolving the Conference Format for Connection

31:22 - Celebrating 10 Years and Announcing the Future

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⚡On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824

⚡Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm

⚡Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-groove/id1585861460

Let's Connect

⚡ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz

⚡ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz

⚡Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com

What if your favorite gaming companion wasn’t human, but knew you better than any player ever could? What if the characters you grew up with could talk to you, remember you, and even build a relationship with you?

That future isn’t far off. It’s already starting to take shape.

In this episode, we explore the future of gaming and brand engagement through the emergence of Character AI Agents. Guest Rebecca Liao, Co-Founder & CEO at Saga, joins the podcast to explain how these AI-driven characters are moving beyond static IP to become living social presences capable of fostering deep, synthetic relationships with users.

This is Part 1 of our in-depth conversation. Stay tuned for Part 2, where we will dive even deeper into the technological evolution and future applications of these agents.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Concept of Character AI Agents: Characters from gaming, film, and TV brought to life as interactive AI trained on specific lore and stories.
• Revolutionizing User Acquisition (UA): How Saga is addressing the $200 billion UA problem in gaming by using agents for high-conversion organic acquisition.
• Case Study: Willie from Trivia Crack: A look at Saga's first launched agent, which achieved a 90% engagement rate on social media.
• The Power of Synthetic Relationships: Moving from traditional "brute force" advertising to meaningful, high-touch conversations.
• Cross-Platform Memory: The technical challenge and importance of an AI agent remembering user interactions across different social media channels.
• The Future of NPCs and In-Game Companions: How these agents will eventually move from social media marketing into the actual gaming experience.

Chapters

00:00 The 13 to 18-month path to free cash flow in gaming.

00:45 Introduction to Character AI agents with Rebecca Liao

01:30 Defining the category: Bringing IP to life through text and voice.

03:09 The philosophy of nailing the "synthetic relationship".

04:05 How AI agents function as performance marketing.

05:06 Why users refuse to believe these agents aren't real people.

07:54 Navigating social platform guardrails and link-sharing bans.

11:33 Comparing AI agent conversion rates vs. traditional ad networks.

13:47 The potential for high-touch engagement with gaming "whales".

16:06 Ensuring transparency: Labeling AI content on social channels.

Subscribe for More

⚡On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824

⚡Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm

⚡Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-groove/id1585861460

Let's Connect

⚡ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz

⚡ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz

⚡Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com