Where Do We Go From Here? At MAMA San Francisco 2026, Mobile & App Marketing Leaders Navigated What Comes Next

MAMA SF 2025's theme "Where Do We Go From Here?" addressed AI's disruption of consumer discovery and purchase. Keynote speaker Brian Quinn (AppsFlyer) framed apps as owned infrastructure with rich first-party data, making measurement integrity existential as AI agents autonomously reallocate budgets. Snap's Sam Mulinder introduced the Three E's (Execution, Experimentation, Evaluation), noting that teams combining multiple methodologies make smarter decisions.

AppsFlyer data shows 30% of campaigns undervalued by last-touch models, sometimes by 10x. KFC's Stephane Godoy demonstrated that total app value includes direct revenue, influenced revenue (2-4x direct), operational savings, and LTV lift. Moloco/BCG research revealed that a third of US adults discover brands via AI agents, 80% of AI-powered searches end without clicks, and 45% trust AI for purchases.

Bobby Sayers built a mobile game to ROI-positive in 14 days using AI tools, exemplifying friction removal. Atif Rafiq urged marketers to own end-to-end recommendations. Takeaways: apps are economic infrastructure (5-6x ROI when fully measured), measurement is competitive advantage, AI eliminates knowing-doing gaps, and marketers must design their career trajectory.