Shai Karmi

In your own words, what’s your role in the app business right now?

Given my marketing experience and role at yellowHEAD, I see my role as someone who can help apps adjust to the new reality of the app world. This includes lowering spending and increasing ROI and acting quickly to shift to revenue growth/profit instead of just user growth. yellowHEAD’s marketing tech can really help our clients accomplish this, and I want to be out there helping them all scale.

How did you end up working in apps? / get started?

I started working as an IT project manager at a small, creative company. I then left to work at 888, starting in the marketing division and working on SEO. I eventually started working on affiliate marketing and then went on to manage all the online casino marketing. I worked there together with Gal Bar, and we eventually decided to go out on our own and started yellowHEAD. With my marketing background and experience, we were able to quickly expand in the app space and show great results.

What are you most excited about in apps right now? (tech, trends, people, verticals)

I am really excited about the use of video in app marketing. Video is here to stay, for marketing, content consumption, app marketing and in-app use. The trends we are seeing for UGC and influencer marketing and the rise of platforms like TikTok are making it more important than ever to create short, engaging, and authentic videos.  Having an influencer post videos and drive amazing results from a single post is incredible and unchartered. But there is still a lot of noise and with our tech, we are working to make sure we break through it and focus on performance. We are trying to stay at the forefront of this and have invested in our creative team to provide these options for our clients.

What other companies in the app space do you rate/ inspire you and why?

Companies that came in and changed their verticals and our way of life are the ones that inspire me the most. Companies like Uber, which change the way we travel, are a big inspiration. Uber has become synonymous with calling a cab. Zelle, which changed how people send each other money in real time, is another example. Apps that provide telemedicine and improve our lives on a daily basis inspire me, and I want to work with companies like those to help make the world a better place.

What do you like most about working in apps?

Being able to create opportunities to reach people in real time with relevant information that can help them in their everyday lives. Whether it’s coupons for restaurants you happen to walk past, apps that connect you with a doctor when you are searching for symptoms, or apps that connect you with others during pandemics, apps have the ability to transform lives and be more than just an app.

What one thing would you change about the app industry / market?

Apps’ ability to reach masses with a minimal budget. We are starting to see a change in influencer marketing where a great app doesn’t need to spend millions to reach millions of people. The ability to showcase your app and show its relevance to people will change the way apps are marketed. We need to give the power back to the people to decide what apps are the most popular, not just the companies with the biggest budgets.

Where do you think there’s an opportunity for apps / or unmet needs?

Definitely a more personalized experience. It is essential for the growth of the industry that apps know what you need and when you need it. If you check the market and 5 specific stocks every morning at 8am, there is no reason why an app can’t push you that information at 8am every day. We need to get smarter and think about how to create apps that enhance our current lives, and we are starting to see it, but everyone was so focused on the Metaverse that we lost track. I think that is the path app developers need to get back on.

If you weren’t working in apps what would you be doing?

I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else. I would be focused on marketing, just in a different vertical. If it had to be something completely different, I would probably be a doctor.

iOS or Android?

Android

What app(s) have been most useful to you over the last year?

Spotify (music keeps me sane!), Just Eat (a man has gotta eat!), and TikTok

What’s on your Spotify / Music party playlist?

Various podcasts and Israeli music

Any Netflix/ TV show recommendations?

14 Peaks and Eruption New Zealand

Is there anything else we should know about you?

I love off-roading in old Jeeps or on a dirt bike when I am not working.

Do you know someone driving change and growth in the app industry? Nominate an app leader here.