Democratizing AI for business growth: A conversation with Beth Berger, VP & GM Americas at Moloco

In an exclusive interview with Beth Berger, VP & GM Americas at Moloco, and Jamie Maw, Programming Director at Advertising Week, Beth discussed her journey from launching Google’s Universal App Campaigns to leading Moloco’s mission to democratize AI, helping businesses of all sizes unlock growth through mobile apps.

Beth’s extensive background in mobile growth led her to Moloco, where her former Google colleagues built cutting-edge AI technology designed to scale. At Moloco, she is now driving efforts to make powerful machine-learning solutions accessible to mobile app marketers everywhere. Moloco is pushing beyond the confines of walled gardens, leveraging AI to help brands reach high-value users and optimize business outcomes on the open internet.

In this session, Beth highlights the role of AI in shaping the future of mobile app growth, addressing concerns around trust and fraud, and offering practical advice for marketers looking to navigate this evolving landscape.

1. Why do mobile apps remain a key growth driver for brands?

"Growing your mobile app is a strategic decision that drives both top-line revenue and fosters loyalty among your most dedicated customers. Mobile has become the foundation for any brand aiming for sustainable growth offering a massive growth opportunity. Consumers spend 88% of their mobile time on apps compared to mobile web, and brands can see up to 3x higher conversion rates. It's not just about acquiring new users — apps also drive deep engagement and loyalty, creating long-term growth through personalized experiences and valuable insights."

2. Why do marketers need to look beyond walled gardens for mobile user acquisition? 

"For those of us with careers in advertising and mobile marketing, we've all hit a point where finding incremental growth feels like a challenge: where do I find incremental growth, right? The competition is tougher, the app stores have gotten more challenging to be discovered in, and AI and regulatory changes are shifting the landscape. 

At Moloco,we harness the power of AI and machine learning to help marketers find incremental growth opportunities across the vast scale of the open internet. We combine that technology with consulting, data science, and personalized service to guide our clients through finding high-value users outside walled gardens. It’s about marrying the power of reach with the ability to maintain control and precision in targeting."

3. How to navigate discovering high-value users for sustainable long term growth? 

"I joined Moloco because I saw the opportunity to apply Google and Meta-level machine learning to channels outside big tech, making it accessible to more marketers and unlocking immense growth potential. Initially, I too shared the common skepticism of venturing beyond walled gardens, but at Moloco, we've been focused on addressing concerns like low user quality and fraud and guiding advertisers toward success in these emerging channels.

For those of us who think deeply about digital marketing, one of the biggest challenges is finding the people who matter most to our business. The real question is: how do you do that at scale, especially across the open internet, where you're constantly navigating in real-time to capture that perfect moment with your ideal audience?

It’s important to understand that exceptional machine learning and targeting allow us to leverage this technology at scale across the open internet, while still giving you control.

We achieve this by partnering with leading third-party measurement platforms, ensuring we’re deeply integrated with the systems that matter most to you. Additionally, our real-time machine learning helps identify the right user at the right moment for your business, while giving you control over shedding inventory that might not be a good fit. Whether through blocking certain placements or using proactive publisher lists we curate for you, we ensure you avoid low-quality inventory.”

4. How does the human element still play a key role for marketers in the age of AI?

"While automation drives today’s user acquisition campaigns and enables marketers at scale, human strategy is still imperative to success. At Moloco, in addition to our ML technology, we partner with our clients on elevating their approach to a holistic user acquisition strategy, emphasizing creative production, geographic expansion, deep user insights from transparent reporting, and a comprehensive measurement framework that impacts channels with both attribution and incrementality solutions."

Beth’s tips for mobile marketers

As the conversation wrapped up, Beth offered some actionable tips for mobile marketers looking to succeed in an AI-driven landscape:

• Enable personalization with AI: "Understand what makes your business unique, then tailor your messaging and strategies to connect cohesively with your audience. The promise of AI is to enable this personalization journey amid today’s complex, multi-channel landscape."
• Embrace AI, but maintain control: "Leverage AI to drive scale and efficiency, but don't be afraid to maintain control through smart data sharing and transparent measurement frameworks."
• Optimize for deeper funnel metrics: "Don’t just focus on installs; align your campaigns with key revenue-driving actions like in-app purchases or subscriptions."
• Invest in the right partnerships: "Partner with platforms and teams that are deeply invested in helping you grow, not just through technology but through hands-on strategic guidance and support."

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