iOS 14.5: Thoughts from Jayne Peressini @ Electronic Arts

As the release of Apple’s long-awaited iOS 14.5 update nears, we catch up with Mobile Heroes to learn how they are preparing for the post-IDFA world. Today we talk with Jayne Peressini, Senior Director of Mobile Marketing and Growth at Electronic Arts (EA).

How are you feeling about iOS 14.5?

I’m feeling good. Feeling ready to take on the challenge and adapt.

What are your biggest concerns?

My biggest concern is industry readiness across the board. The advertiser/brand side might be ready, but in order for this thing to really work, the rest of the industry has to be prepared too, including supply.

What have you done to prepare?

At EA, we’ve collaborated with our partners, cross-functionally with our internal teams, even with UA teams of other gaming apps. It’s actually been a very rewarding exercise to align with our competitors or frenemies in the market to lift us all up together. We’ve partnered well with our studios to prepare and ensure we’re compliant with the latest and greatest for SKAdNetwork (SKAN) and to ensure that our ATT prompts are ready.

Are you planning to re-allocate your mobile budget? If so, how?

No. iOS users aren’t leaving. I think advertisers who shift spend to Android are thinking shortsightedly. We’ll reap the benefits of the lower eCPMs. 

What is your ad creative strategy for iOS 14.5 and beyond?

The lack of a creative ID will make us focus on testing on Android, sadly. We’d love to bring innovative creatives and cool stuff to our users on iOS, but it may have to wait until SKAN gets updated with creative signals.

How will you evaluate performance?

I like to remind everyone that I started my career in mobile games before the app stores existed. So applying methods that were innovative back then, to these post-IDFA days is a bit of a full circle for me. Methodologies like Media Mix Modeling (MMM) and Incrementality. I think it will only help UA teams find better inventory and justify more ‘brandy’ executions.

How do you plan to optimize for user LTV?

When have we not? Yes, user LTV has always been a pillar for what we do and how we do it.

How are you mapping conversion values and what is the thinking behind your plan?

We have a plan. The table stakes I see are advertisers who divide revenue across everyone using conversion value. Revenue-driven methodology is the most talked about methodology I’ve heard about in the industry to date.

Are you testing a user consent pop-up? If so, what opt-in rate are you seeing?

We are. It’s way too early to tell. It’s also a bit all over the place when I ask my colleagues in the industry. When comparing notes, our methodology for how we report on opt-in rates is totally different. It doesn’t help establish a credible benchmark.