Interview with Íñigo Lopetegui, Regional Manager Middle East at Addict Mobile

Meet Iñigo Lopetegui, Regional Manager Middle East at Addict Mobile. Since joining in 2022, he initially oversaw Southern Europe before shifting his focus to the rapidly growing Middle Eastern market. Learn how he’s helping strengthen Addict Mobile’s presence in this high-potential region. 

Can you explain your main responsibilities at Addict Mobile? 

My role is to support app developers in their growth, particularly in areas like mobile user acquisition, growth strategies, performance marketing, and more. 

I primarily focus on prospecting new clients, presenting our services, and guiding clients through the setup of their acquisition campaigns. I also regularly collaborate with our partners to stay on top of market trends and identify growth opportunities together. 

For prospecting, we use tools like Data.ai/Sensor Tower, which help us better understand market dynamics and key players in each vertical. We also maintain strong relationships with partners like Adjust and AppsFlyer, which keeps us informed about new apps and allows us to quickly seize business opportunities. 

What are the specific characteristics, challenges, and key issues in the Middle Eastern market? 

Unlike Europe or other more mature markets, many agencies in the Middle East are still focused on branding. This leads us to adapt our approach to clearly differentiate what we do. We don’t engage in traditional advertising; we specialize in performance marketing, and it’s crucial to explain this distinction so that they fully understand our approach. 

When it comes to the app market specifically, highlighting the importance of tracking tools and data analysis is key, especially in light of iOS restrictions, which have a significant impact on this region where iOS dominates. There’s also a need for a comprehensive strategy using multiple channels. The goal is to help developers move from a simple advertising approach to a true performance-driven mindset, with concrete objectives in terms of volume, traffic, and ultimately, revenue. 

Local businesses are ambitious and understand these challenges when we discuss them. So, it’s important to adjust our messaging, which is typically centered around efficiency in Europe, to one that’s more ambition-focused, helping them achieve their digitalization and growth objectives. 

What are Addict Mobile’s strengths that enable you to approach this rapidly growing market effectively? 

• Our experience in mobile user acquisition is a clear advantage. We’ve managed over 600 apps, giving us unmatched expertise, particularly in data analysis, an essential component for making informed strategic decisions. 

• Another strength in this region is our all-in-one model. It covers every aspect of the strategy: campaign management, creative production, performance analysis, reporting, and more. This perfectly aligns with the needs of local businesses. They’re often used to working with multiple partners (e.g., one for branding, another for creative). Since mobile acquisition is still relatively new in the region, we provide comprehensive support by centralizing everything with one partner. This allows developers to make faster decisions and optimize their budget more efficiently. With over 10 years of expertise, Addict Mobile also benefits from recognized legitimacy in a growing market. 

• We’ve also developed proprietary creative technologies that allow us to produce content at scale. We can automate the adaptation of each element of a visual, making it easier to manage global strategies while creating content tailored to each market and language. In addition to our creative technologies, we’ve developed the Addict Mobile Hub, a unique innovation in the market that centralizes all campaign data, including creative performance and forecasting tools. This offers our clients optimal and transparent insights into their campaigns. 

• Finally, our local presence in Dubai and the creation of an entity in Saudi Arabia demonstrate our long-term commitment to the region, which builds trust. 

How has targeting this market changed your approach to prospecting, and who do you collaborate with on a daily basis? 

Prospecting here is very different from in Europe. Face-to-face meetings are crucial. While they may seem informal, these interactions help establish a genuine dialogue and provide a deep understanding of clients’ needs. They’re very curious, especially when it comes to performance and campaign management, which requires us to be clear and educational in explaining our approach and services. After these initial meetings, we move on to more formal discussions in professional settings to cover more concrete topics. 

Another significant difference is that we often engage directly with CEOs or digital marketing directors, as dedicated user acquisition roles are still quite rare in the region. 

In terms of collaboration, being present on-site allows me to actively participate in events and strengthen our relationships with key partners like TikTok and Apple. We’ve also co-organized events with our partners, such as a recent VIP dinner with AppsFlyer and Avow, and we have an upcoming event planned with Adjust. 

What do you enjoy most about living in Dubai? Have you picked up any new habits since you arrived? 

I actually lived in Dubai five years ago, so coming back wasn’t a big change for me. What I really enjoy is the cosmopolitan atmosphere and the strong culture of networking. It’s a city where people are constantly connecting, and you meet people from all over the world. 

As for habits, with the heat and humidity, I spend most of my free time indoors, either in malls or at friends’ places. Outdoor activities are quite limited because of the climate.