Crackle Technologies

15/01/2026

The future belongs to publishers who:

1️⃣ Connect product, data, and monetization.
2️⃣ Build trust as a revenue driver.
3️⃣ Know their audience beyond impressions.

To explore what this really means in practice, we sat down with Alessandro De Zanche.

The conversation went far beyond CPMs, fill rates, and shiny tools, into the fundamentals the industry keeps avoiding.

Alessandro brings decades of experience across Yahoo, News Corp, Telefónica, GfK - An NIQ Company, and dentsu, and now advises publishers, platforms, and institutions across Europe as an independent consultant through not just ADZ.

We discussed:
• Strategy: Audience centricity vs. short-term gains
• Privacy: Revenue opportunity vs. compliance tax
• Consent: Earning trust vs. forcing clicks
• Programmatic: Open standards vs. opaque supply chains
• Structure: Integrated teams vs. organizational silos
• AI: Practical tool vs. strategic savior

This isn’t a conversation about ad-monetization hacks.
It’s about building a quality ecosystem where audiences, advertisers, and media owners actually win, together.

A deep dive into adtech with Alessandro De Zanche, covering audience trust, privacy-led monetization, and the future of programmatic.

24/12/2025

What does it take to crown the "Emerging Word Puzzle Game of the Year"?

It takes a jury that lives and breathes category-defining experience.
We are thrilled to introduce the panel entrusted with this difficult decision:

Santiago Pérez - Senior Product Manager, Tiny Bytes
Nhat Ling Ha - Head of Ad Monetization, Mirai Studio
Alain Xalabarde - Studio Lead, Gimica Games
Allwin Navamani - Executive Producer, Moonfrog Labs

With five incredible contenders and only one title to award, the decision is anything but easy.

Read more about them in our latest blog https://crackle.tech/blog/rising-stars-awards-word-puzzle-game-meet-the-jury/

The evaluation is now underway. Stay tuned for our next update announcing the word puzzle game winning the Rising Stars Awards.

Meet the Rising Stars Awards jury deciding the Emerging Word Puzzle Game, judging them on creativity, scale, monetization, & gameplay excellence

11/12/2025

What do Classics – Word Search (by Lotum), Bible Crossword, Word Revel, Word Search Master, and Crossword Challenge (by Nocturnal Games) have in common?

After evaluating over 200 emerging publishers in the word puzzle categories on game mechanics, design, player engagement and other parameters, we are excited to share the 5 Finalists for the title of Emerging Word Puzzle Game of the Year, in the first edition of Rising Stars Awards.

These titles have stood out not just for their gameplay, but for the unique experiences they offer and despite an intensely competitive market, their ambitious teams continue to push the boundaries of what a simple word game can be.

More details about the titles can be found here
https://crackle.tech/blog/rising-stars-awards-finalists-word-puzzle-game/

Who will take the crown? Stay tuned as we will shortly announce the Jury of industry experts who will decide the winner.

Word Puzzle finalists revealed! We announce the Rising Stars Awards contenders. Who will win? Explore the games redefining the genre.

28/11/2025

What is the biggest revenue leak in ad monetization?

Our team has worked with hundreds of publishers and here is the brutal truth. Most publishers apply floor pricing at segment level.

The result: High-value impressions are UNDERPRICED which leads to revenue loss. Low-value impressions are OVERPRICED which impacts fill rates.

DSPs bid at user-level precision, but when publishers price inventory at segment level, the resulting inefficiency isn't just a mismatch, it's a direct compromise of your revenue potential.

With machine learning, it is now possible for publishers to price their inventory at the user level.

We just broke down this monetization challenge and explained the power of User-Level Pricing in our latest blog 👇
https://crackle.tech/blog/user-level-pricing-strategies-vs-segment-level-floor-pricing/

Learn how user-level pricing strategies outperform segment floors by using AI to boost eCPMs, improve fill rates, and maximize ad revenue.

10/11/2025

Publishers, this one’s for you. 🚀

We’re launching Adtech Conversations—a new series designed to bring you closer to the experts who are shaping the future of monetization.

Kicking things off, we’re joined by Atul Tyagi (AVP – Head Audience, Adtech & Analytics Hub at Jagran New Media). With 13 years of experience across Jagran, Times Internet, and Tribal Fusion, Atul decodes a key question: What exactly are advertisers looking for in 2025?

This is just the beginning. Expect actionable insights, real-world strategies, and fresh perspectives from the top minds in adtech.

Watch the video now and tell us—what’s the one monetization question you’d like us to ask next?

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28/07/2025

Vietnam is not redefining, but creating the future of mobile gaming. 🇻🇳🎮

That energy was on full display at Vietnam Game Connect 2025. From bold ideas to thoughtful ex*****on, the ecosystem here is moving with clarity and ambition.

As Shashank Dudeja (Co-founder, Crackle Technologies) shared:
“What stood out most at the event was the fusion of strategic mindset with Vietnamese culture. Teams here are driven by long-term thinking and a strong global outlook, with a sharpness in how problems are solved, all while bringing humility and warmth to every interaction.”

Hanoi is clearly emerging as a high-density hub for gaming talent. Revenue growth is accelerating, and studios are entering a defining phase, pushing boundaries and refining their craft as they prepare to top the global charts.

Outside the business halls, Vietnam's deep sense of community was unmistakable. Conversations felt collaborative, not transactional.

A big thank you to the Gamegeek Asia team, especially Minh Hạnh and Nguyễn Phuong Anh, for hosting an incredibly well-run and purposeful event.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by our booth or joined our discussions! We had some really interesting conversations with you all.

If we missed you at the event, let’s still connect, drop us a message at [email protected]. We’re always up for a chat on how to integrate AI to unlock more ad revenue with your existing mediation.

Sharing a few glimpses from the experience at 📸

15/07/2025

What if the biggest publishers have an ad monetization secret?

They do. While most of the industry relies on the standard optimization from their SSPs, a select few are deploying a sophisticated AI layer on top—and seeing incredible results.

It challenges the popular belief that the ad stack is a "set it and forget it" black box managed entirely by SSPs. The reality is that 'Black box' can be optimized. The game is moving from automated management to predictive optimization.

For our fellow ad monetization specialists: Have you started exploring AI-driven optimization beyond what your core SSP provides?

Curious to learn more: We broke down exactly how AI achieves this in our latest blog post.

Read the full article here:

Discover how AI-powered adtech is transforming in-app monetization—automating optimization, higher yield, and personalized ad experiences

13/07/2025

It’s not about Bidding vs. Waterfall. That's the old debate. The real shift happening in ad monetization is a philosophical clash: Simplicity vs. Control.

On one side: The Path to Simplicity. AppLovin MAX is leading this charge, moving towards a bidding-only world. Their bet is that you, the publisher, want to eliminate complexity.
Pros: Fast, scalable, and frees up your team from endless waterfall tuning.
Cons: You hand over the keys. Less visibility, fewer levers for custom optimization.

On the other side: The Path of Control. Unity and Google AdMob are keeping hybrid models alive. Their bet is that publishers want to remain in command
Pros: Deep control to fine-tune, experiment, and build a competitive edge
Cons: Requires more resources, expertise, and hands-on effort..

This isn't just about tech stacks. It's about your operational strategy.

Are you a team that believes your unique insights and manual control will outperform a black box?

Or is the efficiency gained from automation more valuable?

Which philosophy does your team subscribe to, and what results have you seen?

07/07/2025

Chat apps are no longer safe zones from ads.

Discord announced mobile ads and in-game “Quests”, at the start of this year and WhatsApp, just announced that it is experimenting with ads in its Status/ Updates tab (but not chats—yet). Two platforms that once thrived on ad-free model are now walking into the ad monetization territory—carefully, but deliberately.

There is a shift in mindset: ads are becoming native, contextual, and behavior-driven. Discord is tapping into moments of intent (like gameplay). WhatsApp is monetizing discovery, not intimacy. The message is loud and clear: Even the most “private” platforms are entering the ad economy—but on their own terms.

And that’s the wake-up call for publishers. If you're still running basic monetization setups with standard formats—you’re not just behind. You’re misaligned with where the industry is headed.

Tomorrow’s ad stack won’t be just about volume. It’ll be about data intelligence, smarter mediation, real-time optimization and above all user-level monetization strategies. The platforms are evolving. Advertisers are adapting. Publishers? Time to catch up.

- Jaivir Nagi
(Cofounder, Crackle)