Interview

Speaker Spotlight: Júlia Planas of Smadex talks gaming UA in a post IDFA world

Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki takes place on September 12 - 13. We catch up with some of the stars from the mobile industry who'll be taking part

Speaker Spotlight: Júlia Planas of Smadex talks gaming UA in a post IDFA world

Pocket Gamer Helsinki 2023 is almost upon 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 just two weeks 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 making an appearance at PGC Helsinki will be Barcelona-based Smadex’s COO, Júlia Planas who oversees the global teams that optimise user acquisition and full funnel programmatic campaigns. With eight years of experience at Smadex, Planas is heading to Helsinki to share her knowledge.


Pocketgamer.biz: Tell us more about what you'll be presenting at PCG Helsinki this year.

Júlia Planas: I'll be speaking about which channels can work for gaming UA in a post-IDFA world. With user-level targeting almost out of the picture in iOS and many challenges coming ahead with SKAN 4.0, it's essential to understand how UA can leverage contextual targeting, which channels are the best for this, and which tools we have to measure our channels' performance.

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

Start testing SKAdNetwork attribution today! This is very painful for gaming UA managers, as SKAN dramatically reduces the insight they have today with MMP data. But those who don't deny the threat that probabilistic attribution going away poses and start testing now, while we still have both MMP signals and SKAN signals available, will be able to start ahead when the time comes. Get informed, find a partner you trust and start testing.

Where are the next big opportunities for the mobile games market?

Definitely tapping into CTV as a performance channel. It can provide a trackable full-funnel strategy, you can leverage mobile UA learnings in it, and it gives you incremental growth. I find this SO big. I'm very excited to see a growing number of gaming marketers test CTV this year.

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

The fact that everything changes, and it does it fast. There are constantly new challenges companies have to adapt to, so I learn something every day, and I never get bored. This is not for everyone, but I love it.

What was your first ever mobile phone?

Unsurprisingly, a Nokia 3310! Like many, Snake was the first mobile game I played.

What topics do you want to hear more about at industry events?

Synergies between UA and Ad Monetization. It's usually two worlds that are separated from each other, but they both can help improve the performance of the game. I'd be interested in hearing about successful examples of this in 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!


Deputy Editor

Paige is the Deputy Editor on PG.biz who, in the past, has worked in games journalism covering new releases, reviews and news. Coming from a multimedia background, she has dabbled in video editing, photography, graphic and web design! If she's not writing about the games industry, she can probably be found working through her ever-growing game backlog or buried in a good book.