These days, most brands still haven’t even touched mobile, but there are always those brands who do keep up with the latest developments in media usage and take every chance to communicate with their target audience in new and innovative ways. Many of them have launched a mobile marketing campaign or created a mobile website, but very very few of them have done what I would consider the best thing: getting on people’s phone. There aren’t many more engaging things a brand can do to establish a relation with its customers than releasing a (good) mobile application. And making beautiful and helpful applications is just what Apple has made much easier with the iPhone (Google is doing a great job with Android too, but their Android Market is far from mature and reach through Android-enabled handsets is still too low).
Although it may sound easy, releasing a mobile application isn’t anything like putting a banner on a popular site. The marketing department has to realise that the application has to be downloaded and used by people to make it truly succesful. So how do you do that? Well, you have to think of the different needs people have while using their mobile phone as opposed to surfing online on their PC. People use their mobile for two reasons (besides calls and texts).
- They are looking for a quick and practical solution, so they don’t have to turn to their PC when it’s not around, turned off or simply ‘all the way in the study room’.
- They are looking for a boredom killer to get them through moments of waiting or commuting when there’s no PC around.
Below I’ve listed a top five of brands who have done a great job and definitely raised the bar in consumer interaction.
5. Audi
To promote their new an redesigned A4, Audi released Audi A4 Driving Challenge, a mobile gimmick that gives potential buyers a chance to get behind the wheel of the A4. Done racing? The iPhone app gives users the option to go online to book a real test drive or download a brochure.
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4. Coca Cola
Coca Cola has always been on the forefront when it comes to new media developments, and they proved this again by developing two iPhone applications. The Spin the Coke and Magic Bottle apps aren’t the most useful ones but definitely provide their target audience with some entertainment while playing Truth or Dare or having relationship issues.
3. Paramount
To give both the cinema and DVD release of their picture Iron Man an extra push, Paramount released an Iron Man iPhone game to invite users to get in the famous iron suit of weapon scientist Tony Stark and start shooting some airplanes. In most cases these sort of games aren’t a joy to watch or play, but Paramount made an effort and the Iron Man game actually looks great and is very addictive, which makes the fact that you have to pay a small fee to download the game a lot easier to digest.
2. Carling
A lot has been said and written about Carling’s infamous iPint application. If you have an iPhone you have probably downloaded it and if you don’t own an iPhone one of your mates has defintely shown you how he was drinking his digital pint. The amount of positive publicity Carling received with this app has been enormous. It’s probably the best decision of their marketing department since sponsoring the Carling Cup.
1. Nike
The absolute number one in this top five is the marketing department of Nike. They have developed two apps which are both very useful and entertaining. Nike Women released Nike Training Club, an application with preloaded clips of all sorts of aerobic training exercises that can be ticked off on a daily basis, which generates a nice overview of how well you’re training. The other one is Nike Goal, a release by Nike Italy. This app gives an overview of the latest news and football scores from the Serie A, and whenever someone scores with a Nike boot (they obviously have this data), there’s a link displayed next to the goal and the player’s picture, which sends the user to a commercial of the particular shoe. And the commercials are beatiful and entertaining as we are used to. If (or when?) Nike integrates all the big football leagues they would have instant global success. Hats off to Nike.
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That’s all, want more like this?
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Peter Evers is currently employed as Business Development Manager at yoMedia, where he is responsible for conceptualizing mobile applications and sales. He has extensive experience in the mobile advertising market, having worked at the mobile advertising department of leading Dutch ad network WebAds, as well as having led on mobile sales at the leading UK ad network Unanimis. |
Tags: advergaming, Android, Apple, Apps, Audi, Carling, Coca Cola, iPhone, iPint, mobile marketing, Nike, Paramount
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Carling was one of my very first apps, and it has always remained my favorite branded app. Works surprisingly well on parties…
The Nike one looks a bit complicated, but I’m sure there’s a market for it
Yeah, the Carling one is great, the real typical wow-effect! I still got it on my phone for those people who still haven’t seen it. Nike actually released two apps, so might look complicated but apart from each other they’re pretty simple and straight forward