If you ask anyone in the games industry which studios have undeniably shaped the adventure genre—and the industry as a whole—you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t mention Revolution Software. The British video game developer has been creating iconic point-and-click adventure games since 1990, most notably, Broken Sword.

In this episode of MobileGroove, Charles Cecil—co-founder and CEO of Revolution Software—sits down with Peggy Anne Salz to share his insights on building products that stand the test of time. As one of the industry's most respected veterans, Charles has witnessed gaming’s many metamorpheses, from the shift from PC to console and now mobile, to the rise of new monetization models and cross-platform strategies.

In this show, he shares his experience updating Broken Sword to 4K, revealing what it takes to modernize a beloved classic while staying true to the original. Through this process, he offers lessons in adaptation, expert tips on future-proofing, and a strategic approach to design that extends a hit product’s lifespan, so it can continue to captivate users across generations.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:32 - The early days of gaming

03:50 - Designing to improve gameplay

11:32 - Where it went south

17:30 - Lessons in legacy

20:55 - "Change but not too much"

26:32 - Where AI can help

29:30 - Predictions for 2025

Bootstrapping a brand that markets itself requires a three-pronged strategy. First, a clear vision of your target audience. Second, a foundation built on deep empathy for their needs. And third, a fierce dedication to delivering an outstanding product shaped by real user insights. YouCanBookMe (YCBM) stands out as a brand that hits the mark on all three. Over its 13 years, the online scheduling tool—recently acquired by Capacity—has leaned on customer listening and advocacy to lead its growth strategy and reach $5 million in annual revenue without VC support. Peggy Anne Salz speaks with YCBM Founder Bridget Harris on what it takes to scale a product-led business and the rebrand that brought YCMB back to its roots while rocketing growth.

YouCanBookMe - https://youcanbook.me/

Bridget Harris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetharris

Capacity - https://capacity.com/

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:55 - Breaking down the rebrand

06:30 - The customer is always right

10:50 - A pivot toward small businesses

17:25 - Growing with empathy

21:16 - A guide to bootstrapping

23:41 - Staying connected as you grow

28:00 - Brand metrics

30:18 - Tools to being a better Bridget

32:56 - Rapid-fire Q&A

Monetization, marketing, and the ad space that can boost your revenue without sacrificing retention. InMobi Advertising's Chief Business Officer, Kunal Nagpal, breaks down the biggest ad trends of 2025 and how publishers can escape the endless churn-and-burn of user acquisition with smart platform partnerships and performance-powered branding. Kunal Nagpal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nagpalkunal/InMobi Advertising - https://advertising.inmobi.com/*** Related Videos ***👉🏻 You can watch more of our Groove Content here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXTrGPJvMlk&list=PLE8Ke9Ah2_Nk7PDT4ZIkd21abhFlNRTMz*** Subscribe for More ***👉🏻 https://www.youtube.com/c/PeggyAnneSalz?sub_confirmation=1*** Let's Connect ***👉🏻 Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/peggyanne👉🏻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/peggy.salz👉🏻 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz👉🏻 Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com*** What We Do ***Educating marketers on the latest trends in mobile marketing, helping companies navigate the complex landscape. Top 50 ranked destination providing analysis, custom research, and strategic content marketing to the global mobile industry, and mentoring and consulting to tech startups. Peggy Anne Salz is a Senior Forbes contributor and contributes to a variety of leading media outlets — including Harvard Business Review — where she shares her insights on mobile marketing, mobile apps, customer engagement, and business innovation.Named one of the Top 100 Influencer at Mobile World Congress. Podcast host on The Groove, Mobile Presence, Liftoff Mobile Heroes Uncensored, The Hive, Clevertap Engage, spotlighting the global mobile trends, tools, and tips that allow marketers to drive customer connection, dramatically grow retention, and generate new revenue streams on mobile using individualized campaigns and communications needed to harness & drive lasting loyalty.Author of hundreds of articles, dozens of white papers, and authored nine books about mobile, both as a lead author and in partnership with global companies including Gemalto, InMobi, SAP Mobile Services and the Mobile Marketing Association.Author of Apponomics: The Insider’s Guide To A Billion Dollar App Business with InMobi, which provides actionable insights into how companies can market and monetize their apps. It builds on the success of my first book on mobile apps, The Everything Guide To Mobile Apps: A Practical Guide To Affordable Mobile App Development For Your Business, a practical, crowd-sourced book providing businesses and developers with insights on how to make, monetize and market mobile apps. Also edited and produced the Mobile Operator Guide 2013: The Evolution of Mobile Services: Challenges, Strategies, Opportunities and the Mobile Commerce Guide 2013: Engage Customers & Build Loyalty In Developed And Emerging Marke

To turn a title into a breakout success, studios must think beyond traditional UA—blending marketing, product, and player experience to drive growth. In this episode of MobileGroove, powered by Verve, Peggy Anne Salz speaks with Luis de la Cámara, VP of Marketing at Rovio, about how Rovio masters this formula and the steps indie studios can take today to stand out.

An industry veteran, Luis shares his advice on diving into powerful IP and in-game collaborations, product-led growth, and engaging players across demographics. He also explains how app store algorithms amplify top-grossing games, trends to watch in 2025, and the UA channels that give studios the best chance of breaking into the market and disrupting the status quo.

Luis de la Cámara - https://www.linkedin.com/in/luiscamaraking/

Rovio -https://www.rovio.com/

Verve - https://verve.com/

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:30 - Product-led marketing

08:40 - The "Snowball Effect" in mobile gaming

11:48 - Hybridcasual trends

13:42 - Promising alternative targeting techniques

17:02 - Most effective UA channels

20:09 - How demographics shape gaming genres

25:07 - Building publisher-side audiences

26:20 - Bringing brands into games

30:02 - Monetization trends in 2025

Smart. Scalable. Viral. Three words to sum up what3words’ smart marketing strategy that excels on three fronts: an in-house programmatic team that moves fast and optimizes faster, a word-of-mouth flywheel that gets customers to spread the message for them, and big-league brand partnerships that rocket revenue and reach. In this episode of MobileGroove, our host, Peggy Anne Salz, chats with Jane Stephenson, Marketing Director at what3words, and Michelle Dunn, Head of Consumer Marketing, about how they’ve turned a simple but powerful idea—dividing the world into 3x3 meter squares with unique three-word addresses—into an international success. With millions of users across 193 countries, partnerships with brands like Lamborghini, Land Rover, and DHL, and real-world impact through collaborations with emergency services like the LA Fire Department, what3words is more than just another app—it’s a case study in strategic marketing, organic growth, and brand storytelling done right. From TV shows casually featuring them in plotlines to real-life rescue stories that fuel social media buzz, they’ve mastered the art of making their audience do the talking. If you’re into creative, high-impact marketing that gets results (without breaking the bank), you won’t want to miss this one!

00:00 - Intro

02:16 - What is what3words?

04:35 - Making functional feel personal

06:23 - Successful brand partnerships

09:58 - The wild use cases

11:40 - Measuring what works

15:10 - In-house performance marketing

18:58 - Building beyond the app

23:48 - Media equity and alternative ads

29:50 - How what3words makes money

32:32 - A pivotal moment

Marked by a crazy dynamic of fewer downloads and stronger player spending, mobile gaming is gearing up for its climactic finale against the industry's biggest boss in what Gonçalo Martins, VP of Marketing at BoomBit, calls the "mobile gaming trilogy." In this episode of MobileGroove, powered by Verve, Gonçalo releases his director's cut, complete with strategies BoomBit is using to adapt and thrive in 2025. From cross-promotion to get more value out of interested players to new ad mon approaches that make more out of first-party data, he candidly shares the strategies BoomBit will follow to make sure 2025 is a blockbuster success for your studio—so tune in for tips and trend data you can harness to make this a banner year for your game.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:38 - Mobile gaming as a movie genre

03:39 - Spending trends (hypercasual trends)

05:43 - What different demographics want

08:00 - Leveraging cross-promo

13:00 - Alternative targeting strategies

16:16 - First-party data strategies

21:52 - Brand advertising in games

23;52 - Monetization trends

26:08 - BI as a service

27:57 - SSP and DSP partnerships

31:05 - Predictions for 2025

35:00 - 2025 as a movie

Monetization in mobile gaming is a lot like composing a hit song—it’s all about finding the perfect balance between melody (user experience) and rhythm (ad revenue). In this episode of Mobile Groove, powered by Verve, we jam with Andrew Seow, Director of Monetization at Tripledot Studios and music aficionado, to uncover how his studio fine-tunes its monetization strategy to hit all the right notes—without compromising the user experience. Andrew dives into the first-party data dilemma, the balancing act between ad frequency and CPMs, and the shift from waterfalls to bidding—and what it all means for publishers. Whether you’re a monetization maestro or just tuning into ad strategies, this episode will help you keep your 2025 game plan in perfect harmony, from ID-less solutions and new ad formats to evolving monetization models.

00:00 - Intro

02:10 - Why ad monetization feels like a broken record

06:00 - The music genres of mobile gaming: Groundhog Day vs. Firebird Suite

10:45 - Google’s bidding changes + a new rhythm for publishers

15:30 - How has Tripledot adapted its tune after IDFA

20:55 - Is first-party data a chart-topping hit or a one-hit wonder?

26:20 - Striking the right chord between ad quality and revenue

30:10 - Remixing ad formats

34:50 - Andrew’s wishlist for networks and the industry in 2025

39:20 - Ad monetization in music

Winning in performance marketing in 2025 will require a big step back from the “numbers for numbers’ sake” mindset and force companies to finally embrace smarter, more meaningful strategies that drive sustainable growth. This is the view of Megan Price, Programmatic Supervisor, and Michael Hew, Associate Director of Data & Reporting Ops at M&C Saatchi Performance, who joined Peggy Anne Salz on this episode of In The Groove.

Megan reveals opportunities to diversify your media spend and adopt an audience-first approach that breaks through the silos that keep valuable customer and contextual data from becoming actionable. At the same time, Michael shares M&C Saatchi's measurement trifecta—an essential toolkit that combines attribution, incremental testing, and marketing mix modeling for marketers looking to balance real-time insights with a long-term vision. Join us as Megan, Michael, and Peggy Anne Salz bust popular programmatic myths and prep your data for success in 2025.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:57 - Most pressing challenges of 2025

05:04 - Practical steps to use data effectively

13:06 - Something surprising

15:50 - The exciting part of old tools

17:51 - Diversification

21:19 - Performance can serve brand marketing too

26:17 - The right metrics to follow

29:50 - 2025 cheatsheet for brands

35:58 - The top industry trends

38:34 - Privacy-focused challenges in 2025

40:48 - Rapid-fire insights