Ad Age on iPhone Apps

This article in Ad Age  is getting a lot of pickup this morning, and rightfully so. There are some excellent points here.

With the launch of app stores for RIM and Nokia now imminent, it’s probably time to start thinking a little smarter about apps. The nascent market is already getting pretty crowded, so one can’t reasonably expect to just build an app and expect every smartphone user to gasp at its novelty and download away. 

As the article points out, the battle for the top of the page in the app store is increasingly heated. There’s a lot of competition there now. And the likelihood that the app will be used for more than a month are also slim.

The average shelf life of an app is limited, with usage declining by almost a third in the first month after use, according to Pinch Media, which has studied iPhone-app usage based on 30 million downloads. By the company’s estimate, only about 1% of downloads translate to long-term use…

…Getting a top ranking requires a lot of downloads in a narrow window that can be anywhere from 24 hours to five days, according to Pinch Media. Six months ago, 10,000 downloads earned a top-25 ranking; today it takes twice as many.

Actually, what I take from that is that your app needs to be (apart from relevant to your brand)  a) useful or highly entertaining - so that people will access it on a regular basis. (Like “Flixter” which I use often since all my local theatres refuse to update their marquees anymore, vs. “Atomic Fart,” which was funny for about 5 seconds.) and b) well-marketed and tied into a broader campaign. Not that American Idol can do any wrong in the market, but creating an iPhone app that’s publicized on the show and on the site, and ties in perfectly with the show — that’s a home run. 

And apps like Shazam, which ar leverages mobile technology in a unique, entertaining and useful way? Well, that’s kind of the goal, right there.

Not every brand or every product is right for an app. As with any trend in marketing, we all really need to stay technology and channel agnostic.  Don’t add an app to your marketing plan unless you’re 100% certain that that is the best way to tell your brand’s story. Sometimes it won’t be:

… some are asking whether the functions of an app can’t be provided by the mobile web instead, particularly if the app doesn’t leverage the iPhone’s native capabilities. “It just depends on the brand objective. If you don’t need the shake and tilt experience, maybe you can have an optimized web experience,” said Jon Vlassopulos, CEO of Moderati, the branded-entertainment shop behind the Zippo-lighter app.

In the end, just keep your head. Don’t be seduced by the lure of the sexy app and the coolness of the channel.  Look at your brand, your campaign. Determine the best course to extend into the mobile space based on your brand’s personality, the goals of your campaign and the needs and habits of your audience.

And of course, don’t hesitate to ask us for  help!