Success Story

When the campaign was first launched on SKAdNetwork without previous insights, the CPI was well over the target goal. Flexible Mapping was key to faster identification of what combination of variables achieved the best performance and shortening the learning curve.

• 1st test campaign on SKAdNetwork for SoundCloud
• 7 days to reach the target CPI
• 50% of target CPI

SKAdNetwork is Apple’s privacy-centric alternative to attribute impressions and clicks to app installs on iOS app traffic. In short, it shares conversion data with advertisers without revealing any user-level or device-level data, aka, what we used to know as IDFA. This post-IDFA scenario brought a new challenge for SoundCloud. Like most advertisers, they needed to re-learn how to run campaigns and achieve results on iOS without utilizing the device ID. As past benchmarks weren’t helpful anymore, Fynd Media reached out to Smadex to explore new UA strategies from scratch.

All in all, SKAdNetwork put in motion a new mobile programmatic framework marked by data receipt delays, loss of user-level data, and reduced visibility of post-install events.

In this context, there’s one key area advertisers like SoundCloud need to master: the 100 values available for campaign_ID. The challenge lies in how to wisely map these campaign_ids to the data points you need to properly optimize your campaign. Smadex’s Flexible Mapping tool makes it easier to map each campaign line to identify which combinations of variables achieve the best performance while complying with Apple privacy rules.

The Strategy: Exploring SKAdNetwork

For SoundCloud’s UA campaign, the team mapped both exchanges and ad sizes to gain more visibility for these key dimensions. After a short learning period, Flexible Mapping allowed us to narrow down to three exchanges with the best performance and allocate more resources for small formats.

In just seven days after implementing Flexible Mapping, the campaign reached SoundCloud’s CPI Goal. From that point on, the team took on the fine-tune optimization, achieving an average CPI under 50% of the target for the rest of the campaign.

“Smadex is a key strategic partner for our global mobile performance marketing clients. We’ve collaborated closely to navigate the complex intricacies of SKAd Network tracking in the new privacy-first world, resulting in positive outcomes for our clients’ iOS investments. Smadex, a market-leading mobile specialist, is innovative in driving data-driven solutions that assisted Soundcloud in exceedingitsr marketing and business objectives.”

Dhiyay Chohan | Global Head of Programmatic – FYND Media