The mobile industry is full of challenges, especially in monetization. At Casual Connect Europe, Itay Rokni, CMO of StartApp, gave a presentation called Advertising Strategies and Trends for 2015. Itay conveyed, “Art and science has to go together. You can’t have one without the other in order to succeed in the mobile games and mobile advertizing”. He shared insights on combining business models, building and maintaining sustainable mobile businesses, utilizing and maximizing value while keeping user experience intact and app performance optimization.
Itay Rokni is the CMO of StartApp, where he manages the Business Development, Advertisers and Publishers departments. His responsibilities include bringing in key publishers and advertisers and ensuring that all departments are synchronized in order to provide the best solutions for each client.
Embracing Innovation
He brings to this position experience that has taught him how dynamic the mobile advertising world can be and the ability to embrace innovation while adjusting to very frequent changes.
Prior to coming to StartApp, Itay worked with StartApp CEO, Gil Dudkiewicz, in their previous company, SweetIM. Dudkiewicz offered him a new opportunity with StartApp, and because Itay could see a lot of potential and vision, he decided to participate. Something that brings him great pride is his involvement in the company from its beginning as a fluid idea to what it has become today.
Itay asserts, “The best thing about this company is the unique DNA that has been created by the people who work here. There’s a very special group of talented people who give the best they can and, at the same time, know how to enjoy what they are doing.” He has discovered the best way to keep this unique DNA is by encouraging a Refer a Friend policy and recruiting the people most likely to fit the company spirit.
A Dynamic Industry
Working with people is the inspiration for Itay’s career; he says this is what makes it worthwhile to wake up in the morning. He is constantly learning new things about the people he manages and works with, so his work is never boring. He particularly enjoys the versatility and dynamic nature of the industry, saying, “I find it exciting every time we reinvent ourselves.”
A substantial share of the business at StartApp consists of game apps, and Itay has found the games industry to be the most creative among the apps categories. He especially appreciates the opportunity to explore new levels of design and sophistication in the games industry. It is particularly intriguing to witness the rising stars in the games industry, those who don’t have the means to promote themselves but still manage to succeed.
The Challenge of Global Growth
StartApps global growth has become the major challenge the company faces. This company of only one hundred has five offices around the world. Keeping all these offices working together as a unit where every employee has a sense of belonging is essential. To achieve this, they incorporate face-to-face interaction with their employees around the world through having the employees visit different offices or meet each other at conferences. And twice a year they have off-site meetups for their sales team, as well as company events where everyone gathers at one place.
For members of his team, Itay looks for integrity and perseverance. He believes they value his ability to remain calm in every situation, whether he is meeting with clients or having discussions within the company.
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