Flixr has quickly become a key player in performance-driven advertising, producing high-impact video creatives for both gaming and non-gaming apps. With a focus on influencer-style content, AI video, and UGC, the studio helps partners unlock growth in a landscape where platform targeting is no longer the main lever.
In this interview, COO Tim Bendt discusses the evolution of ad creatives, how the company works with partners to build standout campaigns, and why Istanbul has become Flixr’s most vital client hub.
What led to the decision to buy and rebrand the business as Flixr? How did you land on influencer-style ad creatives as your focus?
Chris (Chris Brownridge – Co-Founder at Flixr) and I were both early employees at Vungle. Back then, UA was all about targeting. Now, targeting has been automated by platforms, so the biggest lever UA teams have is creative, so it’s a huge opportunity to run a whole business centered around creative!
The most popular type of creative has changed a lot for us over the years. Early on, a lot of greenscreen influencer style creative was popular, then we did a lot of TikTok trend-based creatives later on.
Since then, we’ve really broadened our offering and become a full creative partner, so we can do all different kinds of creative, from AI to UGC to CTV and 3D, we do it all!
What does a typical project with a studio look like, from the first brief to the final video?
Aligning creatively is super important for us with our partners; we have to understand our partners’ vision and then deliver upon it. Sometimes, someone has a really clear understanding of what they want in a video, so we have to deliver upon that.
In other cases, they may only have a vague idea, or not even that. If this is the case, we will work with them on concepting, scripting, actor selection, filming, editing, etc. The first cut we send is rarely the perfect cut; everyone will have some feedback, which we work to implement fast during editing rounds after the first cut!
You work with both games and apps. What are the biggest differences when it comes to making ads for each?
As a general rule of thumb, gaming companies have long been very analytical and ROI-driven in their UA spend. This means that most gaming companies (with the slight exception of IP-based titles) don’t have a branding team, but instead, try things out and see what performs.
A lot of app companies have more of a branding team, with branding guidelines that they must stick to. Sometimes, this leads to a more artistic approach, rather than an analytical approach.
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong here, they’re just two different ways of doing things!
What ad trends are you seeing right now in mobile marketing, and how is Flixr responding to them?
The big topic right now is, of course, AI. AI video generation has become really impressive, and the possibilities seem endless.
As soon as Google released Veo3, we invested heavily in a team to spend all their time practising and using the tool (and later on, other tools). The tools are amazing, but they do take some knowledge and skill to use, so people don’t always get the result that they hope for from them!
We’ve done a ton of AI videos already and are in the process of making many more! Some companies still prefer not to use AI, so of course, we still have our core business that dominates the video production side from a human perspective.
What’s the biggest creative or performance challenge you consistently see with mobile ads, and how do you overcome it?
It’s a black, unknown, and mysterious box!
People can spend $100k and 6 months on creating what they think is the perfect ad. Someone else can record a video in literally 2 minutes, and that can outperform the big one.
Someone can create a top performer, but if someone else uses the same kind of video, it doesn’t work. The initial top performer can even become a bottom performer when the exact same video is re-uploaded!!
This unpredictability means that it’s really difficult to find top performers! The best thing you can do, in our experience, is to test lots. It’s a well-known fact that only 5-10% of creatives will perform, so you have to test a lot of different concepts, styles, hooks, actors, scripts, etc., to find your winners!
How does Turkiye’s growth in the industry shape the kind of creative work you do, and where do you see the market heading next?
Istanbul is our biggest client hub. Nowhere else has anywhere near as many of our clients in one place as Istanbul. It’s amazing to visit and get face time with all our partners, and being able to see so many in one place is fantastic!
I think Istanbul will remain our biggest hub for a long time!
What’s next for Flixr? Where do you want to take the company in the next few years?
We have many more clients to work with, both for gaming and non-gaming. We’re honoured to work with a lot of huge names in gaming and lucky that as a result, we often start working with more when we have conversations in the space.
Recently, we’ve had Guillaume Lelait (former MD at M&C Saatchi Performance US) join us as a Chief Growth Officer. We’re hoping to make more waves in the agency and non-gaming world with him onboard!
COO at Flixr
