Creatives: The Last Frontier of UA
TL;DR: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Future - Episode 1
In this episode, Amit Carmi and Yoni Blumenfeld discuss how user acquisition has transformed from a manual, targeting-focused discipline to an automated system where creative is the last frontier of control.
Key Takeaways:
• UA professionals are the goalkeepers of gaming - They're always blamed when things go wrong, even though most optimization is now automated by ad platforms
• Creative is king by default - With platforms automating targeting and optimization, creative assets are the only meaningful variable advertisers still control
• The platform control concern - Meta and other ad channels are moving toward end-to-end solutions, potentially becoming the "big brother" that controls who wins and loses in the ecosystem
• Product still matters - Even perfect user acquisition can't save a game that doesn't know how to monetize its players properly
• AI's creative challenge - While AI can optimize data and targeting effectively, it may struggle to capture those unique, exciting moments that genuinely attract players to games like UFC 5
• The automation endgame - Whether it's Meta, Google, or companies like Sett, someone will eventually automate the entire creative process to optimize performance
• The barber shop dilemma - As platforms provide automated solutions for everyone, how do they help competing businesses (like two barber shops on the same street) without picking winners?
Watch the full episode to hear Amit and Yoni's unfiltered take on where UA is heading and why the industry needs to rethink its approach to creative and automation.
