Picdmo sustainably grew new users by 7X with Moloco Ads

About Picdmo

Turning a challenge into an opportunity is exactly how Picdmo's co-founders developed their popular picture management app. It all began when Alex Alexander struggled to find a photo of a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon on his iPhone. Rather than getting frustrated, he saw an opportunity. He turned to Gerry Speranza and said, "I think we have a business idea."

Over the next three years, the duo developed, tested, and refined an AI engine that empowers users to locate photos on their phones through detailed text-based queries. By 2023, their vision became a reality with the launch of Picdmo on iOS and Google Play. Today, the app boasts over 100,000 users and continues to grow in popularity worldwide.

Challenge: Growing their user base amidst rising CPA using walled gardens 

After launching in mid-2023, Picdmo initially leveraged walled gardens like TikTok and Meta for user acquisition. However, their performance soon plateaued as cost-per-acquisition (CPA) steadily climbed. Seeking sustainable growth, the co-founders attended a Mobile Apps Unlocked (MAU) conference in 2024, where a Moloco presentation caught their attention. The presentation highlighted the opportunities of acquiring users across mobile apps and connected devices outside of walled gardens. Inspired by the insights and growth potential of the open internet, the co-founders decided to explore and test Moloco’s programmatic advertising solution to unlock new opportunities.

Solution: Taking a data-driven approach to advertising across mobile apps

Moloco began by counseling Picdmo on strategic approaches to engage high-value users while gathering actionable insights to fuel growth. Within a week of launching their first ad campaign, Moloco achieved lower CPAs than Picdmo had experienced with advertising within walled gardens. Encouraged by this success, the co-founders scaled their budgets and saw sustained growth, with campaigns consistently delivering strong results.

"We had some poor experiences when onboarding with advertising providers, so when the Moloco team proposed an acquisition strategy and explained the data-driven approach to optimizing the campaign, we were impressed. We trusted the team, and I'm glad we did." — Alex Alexander, Co-founder, Picdmo

Building on this trust, Moloco worked closely with the co-founders over the following weeks to refine campaigns, recommending optimizations for creative assets and measurement. By leveraging their Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP), AppsFlyer, Moloco identified that Picdmo’s most valuable users were those who engaged with the app's "Snapshot" feature to upload their photo libraries to Picdmo's cloud. With this insight, Picdmo shifted its focus to attracting and engaging Snapshot users, driving greater impact across iOS and Android platforms.

By optimizing for the deeper funnel event, SnapShot Started, as recommended by Moloco, Picdmo successfully acquired users who were likely to install the app and engage with it long-term.

Results: Increasing app downloads by 7x YoY and improving user engagement on iOS and Android

Since partnering with Moloco in May 2024, the results are clear. With a focus on engaging Snapshot users, the Picdmo team saw compounding success.

• Increased total downloads by 7X year-over-year compared to advertising in walled gardens
• Achieved a CPA of $10-$12, which is 20-33% better than the target KPI of $15
• Increased the volume of “Snapshot” users by 20 percentage points across iOS and Android

"Moloco has remained a valuable strategic partner throughout ideation and execution. They've taken the time to understand our challenges, provide solutions, and work side-by-side with us as we've optimized our approach. We continue to leverage their expertise to scale our success and are excited by the opportunities ahead."

— Alex Alexander, Co-founder, Picdmo

If you're interested in learning more about Moloco, reach out to us today.