Meet a Creative Services Specialist: Juan

Second in our Meet Kaden interview series is Creative Services Specialist Juan Martinez. He contributes amazing playable creative to your mobile programmatic campaigns.

Could you tell me what a day in the life of someone in your role looks like? 

I spend most of my time each day creating assets for and putting together playable ad units. This usually means operating an advertiser’s app, playing with the interface to get screenshots and understand the way the app works for the ad creation process, followed by actual creative development. I use industry standard creative software, which is very helpful! 

How do you work with Account Data Managers to ensure the best quality creative? 

Account Data Managers help me find ways to improve creative – they look at the numbers every day and are often the first to review my work. As they lead client communication, the main way we work together is to optimize and iterate on creative per the client’s wishes and the data extrapolated from campaign as they scale. 

Can you describe a time when your knowledge of playable ads contributed to a new iteration strategy? 

I would say the main way I contribute to iteration strategies is not specific to my knowledge of playable ads in particular, but to my understanding of each individual app I investigate when building the ads. While many playable strategies focus on an initial, single category of targeting options such as gender, we’ve expanded to cover age, ethnicity, interest, and even more areas depending on the app. For example, we had a recent client in the entertainment vertical, for whom we developed iterations for short and medium lengths of playables, then gender of the user, then age of the user, and then the user’s ethnicity. I contributed to the iteration strategy by informing the Account Data Manager about the implied demographics of the app, which I learned by using it! 

Can you talk about a time when data has encouraged a creative direction for a playable iteration that you weren’t expecting? 

Data is very important because it indicates where there is room to expand and iterate. If a creative set is showing improved CTRs on ethnicity-agnostic playables, we know to narrow down by other details, such as age. Contrarily, if one gender shows outstanding performance, we can break down other aspects of that demographic, or appeal to images of men or women as indicated. 

What do you believe is the strongest selling point of playable ads? 

The top selling point of playable ads is how they can effectively showcase the most interesting parts of apps to entice the user. In a playable for a gaming app for example, we can help the user feel like they have reached an achievement that is normally very difficult. This makes users interested in reaching that same goal when they install the app. 

Have you seen any ads lately that were really effective? What made them stand out to you? 

I interacted with a playable ad for a popular branded gaming app, where there were only a few opportunities to move in a battle sequence before the ad ended. What really grabbed my attention was the CTA: “Continue the battle?” I wanted to learn what happened after my last move, so of course, I installed the game. I’m the perfect example of why CTAs are really important to test in an iteration strategy. 

Do you have any tips for advertisers interested in exploring playable ads? 

Playable ads allow for interaction: they give users the ability to experience what your app is actually like. It’s more immersive than video. The way we create playables at Kaden allows you to showcase real achievements and steps in your app, in a way that feels more organic and hands-on than say, a tutorial video. And they can be short and eye catching as well! 

Could you talk about how you came to be in a unique career at the intersection of design, advertising, and gaming? 

I was actually approached during my senior art show when I was graduating from college, with my Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Media: Motion Graphics. A small start-up asked me to create playable ads for their mobile games, and it snowballed from there. This job feels like a great fit for me because it allows me to use my creative skills and support technology I love! 

Playable ads are very popular in the gaming vertical. What kind of mobile games do you like to play? 

I’m a big fan of first-person shooter games, endless running games, and civilization simulators. Playable ads are really effective in helping me find new games to play. They aren’t just for gaming though – we can showcase all kinds of apps. 

What other interesting hobbies keep you busy when you’re not working on Kaden creative? 

I’m a certified personal trainer! In my free time I run a fitness Instagram account @JuanMoreRepFitness, combining my animation and illustration skills with fitness demonstrations. I also love to cook and like to experiment with healthy food.