Pocket Gamer Helsinki 2023 is almost up on us.

Set in the picturesque and thriving city of Helsinki, Finland - the spiritual home of mobile games - our conference is attracting an all-star cast of speakers, panelists and attendees, all set to learn what’s hot, discover the latest tech and techniques and engage in two days of networking opportunities all through September 12 and 13. Clear your calendars - that’s under a week away!

Network with top-notch industry experts and thought leaders, and gain valuable insights into the rapidly evolving gaming landscape. Pitch your game to our experts and meet the pros that can take your business to the next level. Immerse yourself in over 200 speaker sessions, engaging talks, panel discussions, and unparalleled networking opportunities. And stay ahead of the curve with the latest trends and connect with potential partners and investors in the games industry!

Find out more about the event and get your tickets here.

One such expert appearing at PGC Helsinki is analytics professional Hadar Telem who is currently the director of business operations at measurement platform INCRMNTAL. In this role, Hadar manages customer success, business analytics teams and operations. Hadar has vast experience in leading marketing analytics department and strategy from previous roles as director of marketing analytics at Huuuge Games and an analyst at Playtika.

Pocketgamer.biz: Can you summarise what you are speaking about and why it’s important?

Hadar Telem: I am speaking about different approaches to measurement in the post-ATT/privacy era - last click (classical) attribution, MMM (Media Mix Modeling) and Incrementality approach.

I'll cover the history of the privacy changes, present each measurement approach, its benefits and downsides, and address use cases for each one. I believe it is important as those subjects are usually being addressed as buzzwords (i.e. "attribution is dead, use MMM") without adequately explaining why and for which cases each approach makes sense (and for which doesn't).

I will also discuss the benefits of using incrementality as a complementary approach to marketing decision making.

What is the most common mistake you see being made in the games sector?

Using last-click attribution as the only source for decision making in privacy-centric era seems very outdated to me, as there are so many factors that have changed - i.e. attribution vs. SKAN, no IDFA without consent, Facebook working only with SKAN regardless of consent, Google soon to release Privacy Sandbox.

All of those changes have made advertisers have lesser targeting abilities, which resulted in the increase of going back to more classical, broader audiences marketing channels such as TV and out of home, but without adjusting the measurement methods to these targeting preferences, these channels may appear inefficient, when in fact, they may be very beneficial, just not measured properly.

If you could give one piece of advice to other mobile games companies, what would it be?

I would advise the realisation that classic attribution approach (last click) is no longer sufficient for marketing optimisation and budgeting decision making.

With the lack of clarity and visibility of iOS campaigns, the over-attribution of some networks, and lack of attribution for others, as well as uprising usage of non-performance marketing channels such as TV and out of home - new measurement methods and approaches are required, such as incrementality - which enables understanding a lift to your overall performance, including the organic traffic, without requiring any user-level data or identifiers.

What is the most overhyped trend over the past 12 months and why?

MMM / Media Mix Modeling. I believe it's being used as a buzzword for a measurement solution. Most advertisers do not fully understand its benefits and limitations - such as its reliance on priors and the lack of its ability to deal with organic traffic. Many are trying to develop this in house or use external tools, but it should be used cautiously and with full awareness of its benefits and what it is good for.

What do you enjoy most about working in the mobile games industry?

I really enjoy the collaboration and mutual support. Even though it is vast and global, the mobile games industry always feels very small to me. I love that a person who worked with me seven years ago may now appear again as a colleague or a customer and that everyone is super supportive and willing to share knowledge and give advice when needed.

Can people get in touch with you at the event? What sort of people are you looking to connect with?

I am happy to talk to anyone, and I'm especially happy to discuss measurement tools and analytical challenges of the industry.

Find out more about PGC Helsinki

Check out the event's website here to get your tickets and find out what's on, what's where, where to stay and everything you need to know.

See you at the show!