High Five: The Tools Industry Leaders Leverage to Drive Long-Term Retention

Welcome back, App Growth Community, to High Five, a five-part mini-series where we spotlight five of the biggest minds driving the biggest bottom-line results in mobile today.

In this episode, we zoom in on Cameron Thom, Chief Revenue Officer of the Americas at Adikteev, a global leader in mobile app re-engagement and retention. Under Cameron’s leadership, Adikteev has shifted its focus to adaptive strategies, including a bold expansion into APAC with a new office in South Korea.

He joins our host, Peggy Anne Salz, to share how prioritizing retention over traditional UA drives sustainable, long-term growth for mobile apps. Drawing insights from Adikteev’s survey of 120 marketers, Cameron reveals the tools and tactics industry heavyweights are leveraging to predict churn, improve monetization, and minimize in-app friction.

He dives into key findings from the report, like how over 58% of respondents have implemented personalized privacy prompts that not only improve opt-in rates but also present a unique opportunity to engage users in a brand’s voice. Plus, hear how retention strategies—like Duolingo’s predictive segmentation—can boost weekly active users by up to 70%.

It’s a data-dominated episode. Listen in as Peggy and Cameron unpack the common mistakes marketers make when measuring long-term retention and actionable solutions to fix them.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:03 - Eastern vs Western growth

04:00 - Before sustainable growth was trendy

05:41 - Rule-based approaches

07:30 - 2024 Retention Survey

12:51 - A cross-team approach

15:49 - Privacy and retention

21:40 - A shared love for data

23:17 - Cameron's personal inspiration

24:30 - What's next?