TECH CRUNCH – Dec 27 - The app ecosystem is strong and growing. By 2020, App Store consumer spend is supposed to exceed $100B (App Annie). Mobile now represents 65% of digital media time; 86% of this time on phones is spent in apps (AdWeek).
Q: How did you start Tinder?
A: With Tinder, we fundamentally solved a basic human need that had been ignored. Dating apps specifically had a stigma, and were focused exclusively on paid acquisition which didn't really create the same community an organic user base provides.
Q: How'd you get the right users, organically?
A: We went after the hardest users; users that seem like they don't have a need for the product. These can either be your worst critics or your greatest evangelists. For us, that was college students.
Q: How about paid ads?
A: Paid ads can be worth it, but your ads have to be subtle, unintrusive and organic: Your eyes are trained to ignore banner ads. They feel impersonal and coercive. Nobody likes to be forced to do anything.
Final lesson from the Q&A with Justin, was just how important retention is. "No amount of growth can replace solid retention. You're shooting yourself in the foot if you're focusing too much on growth when you should be focusing on product."
by Jesse Michels & Sunil Rayan
See full article at Tech Crunch
Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team