At Advertising Week in New York City, Facebook’s VP of Global Marketing Solutions, Carolyn Everson, discussed with The Wall Street Journal’s reporter Lara O’Reilly a wide range of topics including privacy and security, the growth of Stories, and WhatsApp monetization. The conversation highlighted Facebook's advertising strategies and future developments, emphasizing the importance of user privacy and the shift towards ephemeral content. Everson also touched on how Facebook is adapting to regulatory changes and consumer expectations.
User testing reveals the gap between designer intent and user experience, uncovering silent churn causes like unclear onboarding or passive ad chains. Analytics show what happens; user testing explains why. Small tests (5-8 participants) can identify friction points, and improving retention by 10% can significantly boost revenue without changing monetization. For ad ops, this means better user engagement reduces wasted ad spend and increases lifetime value.
Short drama apps are reshaping mobile entertainment, surpassing 850M downloads in Q1 2026 (up 140% YoY) with IAP revenue reaching $750M. Growth is concentrated in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and India, where these apps outpace traditional OTT in user acquisition. Engagement is surging: daily time spent grew 85% to 25 minutes globally, nearing OTT levels in Southeast Asia. For ad ops, the shift toward ad monetization in addition to IAP opens new inventory opportunities. Key players like FreeReels, NetShort, and Melolo are scaling via localized content and paid acquisition, creating competitive ad markets.
Marketing attribution is critical for connecting spend to revenue, but platform self-reporting and last-click bias distort budget decisions. Single-touch models (first/last-click) are simple but miss the full journey; multi-touch models (position-based, data-driven) are more accurate but require robust data. Mobile attribution is particularly challenging due to ATT, SKAdNetwork, and cross-platform gaps, necessitating a mobile measurement partner (MMP) for independent, deduplicated measurement. Clean attribution data is essential for AI-driven optimization—bad signals lead to bad decisions. Starting with position-based attribution and incrementality testing provides a practical foundation.
Cross-platform measurement resolves the common problem of fragmented, device-level reporting that inflates ROAS and misallocates budgets. By unifying customer identity across web, mobile, CTV, and other surfaces, marketers gain a single view of LTV and attribution. AppsFlyer provides this via CUID stitching and Product Line grouping, enabling real-time, deduplicated insights without manual BI work. Key benefits include accurate cross-platform ROAS, elimination of duplicate attribution, and reliable data for AI-driven optimization.
One person built, shipped, and marketed a mobile game in 14 days using AI tools, achieving 5,563 installs at $0.39 eCPI on $2,200 spend. MCPs (Model Context Protocol) were critical for agentic workflows. The AI agent CLAW managed ad campaigns via AppsFlyer MCP and BigQuery. Data Locker streamed raw data for analysis. Key takeaway: vendors must offer MCPs for fast, agentic data access; measurement stack (Data Locker, ROI 360, Creative Optimization) is essential for solo teams; human+AI beats AI alone.
Global eCommerce web traffic hit record highs in Q4 2025, with visits up 9% YoY and unique visitors up 21%. Mobile growth stabilizes, making web a critical acquisition channel. India leads with 58B visits (+28% YoY). Temu ranks #2 cross-platform; SHEIN's web visitors surged 70% YoY. Fashion eCommerce web visits rose 54% YoY. Nykaa's net profit surged 183% as it shifts ad spend from Tier-1 to Tier-2/3 cities and leverages content-driven referrals. Ad ops should prioritize web channel optimization and emerging market expansion.
Short drama apps are booming, with installs growing 238% YoY in Q1 2026 and global downloads reaching 2.3 billion in 2025. The format is expanding beyond China, with LATAM showing 913% YoY install growth. Revenue per MAU in APAC is $1.45, and sessions per user increase over the first 30 days. 67% of marketers are already advertising in or testing these apps, making them a high-growth channel for mobile ad campaigns.
Adjust Ignite 2026 returns as a global conference series for app marketers, covering mobile measurement, attribution, deep linking, AI, and evolving user behavior. Partnering with Sensor Tower, the first event is in San Francisco on July 9, followed by Tokyo, São Paulo, Istanbul, Guangzhou, and Cyprus. Sessions focus on practical, real-world experiences rather than theory, addressing privacy-first measurement, AI integration in marketing workflows, and strategies for acquisition, engagement, and long-term value. Attendees gain actionable insights and networking opportunities with industry peers.
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