Does Think Global Work For Mobile Apps? Is your app going global? What are your chances to succeed on places as different as Eastern Europe and Latin America? Should you evaluate localization strategies? Based on LATAM and Brazilian market hits and misfires, this presentation will provide an overview of the opportunities available for app on local LATAM markets. Terence Reis, Partner- Grupo.Mobi

1. Should I stay or should I go?
When going global means going local.

2. Some quick notes about myself
• I work with mobile since 2004
• I’m on my 3rd start-up - so far, it’s a tie: a draw, a
failure, and now, it seems, a hit
• I set-up the MMA LATAM Chapter, as their Managing
Director
• I change my mobile each 6 months
• And I don’t use the beard anymore - at my
daughter’s request

3. And about Grupo.Mobi
• Founded in 2007
• Brazil’s largest mobile marketing and advertising group
• 190 employees, 5 offices in Brazil, 1 in London, upcoming:
Buenos Aires and Miami (or New York, we’re still not sure)
• What we do:
• Mobile web and apps - Fingertips (http://ftips.com.br)
• Mobile advertising network - Hands (http://hands.com.br)
• Mobile games - Monster Juice (http://monsterjuice.com.br)
• Mobile marketing platforms - Aorta (http://aorta.com.br)

4. Mobile Inventory

5. Mobile Inventory
Amount of advertising impressions available

6. Mobile Inventory
Admob used to tell us how much each month

7. Mobile Inventory
Now they just couldn’t care less

8. Well, I care.

9. Mobile inventory = Local + Originated at

10. Can you guess the ratio of gringo/local in Brazil?

11. As my daughter would say...

12. It’s infinite times!

13. Now, why is that?
• Angry Birds?
• Cut the Rope?
• Echofon?
• Oh, I know, (insert big app here)!

14. Now, why is that?
• No, no, no and no.
• Well, they do help.
• But it’s the long tail and the not so long tail
• e-Buddy, Nimbuzz, Echofon, AntSmasher, and
most of what’s free and fun. And helpful.

15. And then
Apps I never heard of started talking to us
about their local inventory (Brazil/LATAM)

17. • Do these guys had a global strategy?
• Did they had a global/local strategy?
• Were they doing the right stuff?

18. • Should you have a global strategy?
• Should you have a global/local strategy?
• I hope you’ll do the right stuff.

19. Customizing or localizing content for
specific markets and cultures will multiply
the desired effect

20. It’s about familiarity

21. • EA localized car racing games in Russia:
• 600% ROI over the English version
• LUG (online games distributor in BR):
• A game localized in Portuguese yielded 15X
more revenue
Source: http://lingoport.com

22. Should every app have a localization strategy?

23. Are you any of these?

24. A global app

25. A localized app

26. A local app

27. Meanwhile, at the App Store
• Games are king
• But less so, when it comes to free apps
• Free:
• Entertain
• Help
• Search
• Boost

28. Meanwhile, at the App Store
• US App Store:
• Paid Apps:
• Games are 75-80% of top 300
• Free Apps:
• Games are 35-40% of top 300
• More apps to compete (social apps)

29. Meanwhile, at the App Store
• LATAM App Stores (BR/MX/AR):
• Paid and Free Apps:
• Games are ~30% of top 300

30. How many of them are local/localized?
• LATAM App Stores BR/MX/AR:
• Local: ~12% of apps (excluding games)
• Localized: ~25% of apps (excluding games)

31. Those numbers, I calculated them myself.

33. Feeling local makes a difference
• Sky Night X Star Walk: Sky Night (localized)
• Outfit 7: apps in local language get more downloads
• Weather: local apps are more downloaded (even though they
might not be as good or complete)
• Flight tracker apps: local or localized got more downloads
• Medical apps: local or localized apps
• Tools in general: localized apps
• And even games - Gameloft and Disney localize their games

34. What does it mean going local?
You have the local apps: you have to be
local...

35. What does it mean going local?
• You have the partially localized apps:
• That’s easy - translate your presentation
texts at the App Stores
• And that’s it. Just doing this will get you
more downloads

36. What does it mean going local?
• And you have fully localized apps:
• That’s hard - you need everything
translated. And it needs to be right
• But you will make yourself a local!
• (People don’t know who’s local. They
just assume.)

37. Paid or Free?
• LATAM: people don’t like to pay. They do.
But it’s harder. A partially localized version
should be a 1st choice.
• Advertising: you will need a local partner
and a lot of impressions - a fully localized
app is the best option.

38. Which platform?
• Apple outnumbers all others in terms of
downloads
• You need to check each market for other
options (Blackberry still rules in Colombia
and Venezuela, for instance)

39. And how should I do some noise?
Total downloads over time
Mobile Media
Earned Media
Paid Media
Own Media
Time

40. That chart, I calculated it myself too.

41. A few more “rules”

42. Universal Rules
• The MVA (Minimum Viable App)

43. Deciding
• Check your numbers
• Check the app stores (there are a lot of
apps for that)
• Research the market when you find one

44. Preparing
• Run tests to identify localization readiness
• Real estate limitations: languages different
than English may break the layout
• A style guide and a glossary will help

45. Go for it
• Translate
• Find local partners for localization,
distribution and monetization
• Have someone in charge

46. Thank you.
Terence Reis
terence@grupo.mobi