It has taken me a while to download any games to my iPod touch, but “SpaceX” and Audi’s “Truth in 24″ now sit alongside Facebook and Brushes.
I could have sworn I knew how to drive until I set off in my Audi R10 on the Le Mans track. Two seconds after starting, I bounced off the barrier. Days later, I have not yet graduated beyond the practice mode. Last week, however, I downloaded an app that is much easier to use: BrandZ 100.
Powered by Iconmobile, the BrandZ Top 100 App is simplicity itself. One you click past the splash screen, you get the index. You can choose from Top 100, Region, Category, Top Risers, Newcomers and, of course, Methodology. Too boring for you? Shake your iPod and a category is selected at random. The bigger the brand name, the higher its brand value. Tap the brand name to see information specific to that brand. It may lack the sizzle of Truth in 24, but it is a heck of a lot easier to steer!
Advergaming is now hitting the big time thanks to the iPhone Apps store. By launching its own app, Millward Brown has joined the likes of Kraft, Target, and Coca-Cola as they explore the next marketing frontier.
I think the iPhone app is a critical development for marketing because it has made gaming far more accessible and engaging. Jeri B. Ward, general manager of marketing and strategy for Audi summed it up very nicely in this quote on Mobile Marketer: “Our strategy is to reach new consumers via a device they enjoy, and an app that is also fun and engaging [and] provides an excellent branding opportunity for Audi.”
However, not every brand is suited for the genre, and there are quite a few analysts out there sounding a note of caution about jumping on the app bandwagon. (For a balanced view on the topic, read this article.)
In an AdAge article, Rita Chang cautions that only 1 percent of downloads translate to long-term use. But that is missing the point. By downloading an app, people are signaling that they have found value in it. And that is what brand building is all about—creating value over and above the functional benefits of the product. If iPhone apps really do average 20 uses, 9.6 minutes per play (as reported in Mobile Marketer) then they are delivering a lot of brand building for a relatively small cost.
For brands with needs that can be met by a mobile application, the key to success is to provide something useful, fun or entertaining, whether the app is a game or something else. However, making sure that people know about an app may be a bigger challenge than creating one. As an Audi fan, I was bound to take notice when I saw a review of “Truth in 24.” But there are more than 25,000 apps out there, and the only reason I found this game (see below) for the new BMW Z4 (which is good fun and does a great job of highlighting the looks of the new car) was because in the process of writing this post, I searched the App store by brand name.
So what do you think? Once apps like these are found on every smart phone, will they become the marketing channel of the future or will they become passé? And what do you think of the BrandZ Top 100 app? Give it a shake and let us know.
(1 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
Loading ...
Email This Post
May 11th, 2009 at 4:38 am
“…they are delivering a lot of brand building for a relatively small cost”
I question how many are brand building as much as reinforcing brand awareness. I would think brand building is only possible when you experience the actual brand and perhaps live through a Moment of Truth.
Once one excludes all the kids/unqualifieds, how many of the Z4 targetmarket downloaders are going to move onto deeper levels of the brand decision/conversion process as a result?
No doubt, this is a fun way of promoting your brand, but like any product placement strategy - it has to make sence and be inextricably linked.
Miro
May 11th, 2009 at 9:06 am
I just have a complain, the app does not work on the first generation of ipod touch
May 11th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Miro, my experience suggests that apps can deliver more than awareness. I would never have paid as much attention to the Z4 without the app. It did a good job of focusing on the design and specific features, e.g. folding roof and start button. It certainly made me want to test one out.
Jorge, sorry, I will pass on your complaint. Unfortunately, I guess that is what happens when you are an early adopter! Maybe you need the latest version of the iPod software to run it?
July 28th, 2009 at 10:57 am
[...] This post was Twitted by DaedalusMB [...]