With the Apple appstore rumoured to be close to 1 million downloads since its launch last July, the other mobile players are getting in on the act - RIM have just launched the Blackberry app store, Nokia launches their version - called Ovi - next month and Microsoft have announced some of the apps they will feature when they launch towards the end of the year.
Most of the apps that have done well are either functional (Krafts iFood recipe tool, North Face ski weather guide and LiveStrongs calorie counter) or games (including the addictive Drop7 from the smart people at AreaCode). The games sector is really interesting as we are seeing evidence that the iphone (and the similarly functioning ipod touch) are emerging as a serious gaming platforms.
But much as we love branded utility, few apps are what you might call creative - whilst we like the ipint we have yet to see this new tool used for really innovative thinking.
It looks like Nokia are excited about the opportunity to create addictive content that builds loyalty to their products. Having made a big push with music they have now partnered with Heroes creator Tim Kring to launch TEVA - something he describes as a Mobile Immersive Experience - through their app store Ovi. The concept seems vague - variously described as a cross between user generated content and a ARG, and a multiplatform interactive storytelling project.
"It's a very real-world idea," said Kring. "We are trying to invent a new genre here."
The beta version allowed people to bring up info when their phone camera was pointed at say a movie poster - maybe the trailer or directions to the nearest cinema. This combination of mobile with the real world will be a major theme in mobile marketing - and validates the decision to buy a Nokia proprietary
"That's why we spent $8 billion on Navteq," said Anssi Vanjaki, executive VP of markets, at a roundtable discussion. "It wasn't just to provide maps or directions. Imagine 1 billion mobile phones contributing their location, and then what types of databases and services can be derived from that."
We're long on mobile - and remain convinced it will be a major marketing medium. And with the distribution inherent in the app stores making it relatively easy to get content and applications onto smart phones, we think the key mobile marketing elements will be app related. But as TEVA suggests, this doesn't has to be just about branded utility - the topic of conversation can also be about entertainment.
As brands recognise that interruption is much less effective than involvement, we believe smart marketers will look at mobile apps as a fantastic way of building a dialogue with people. And the really clever ones will use that dialogue to make their brand more important to these people – and make the people more important to their brand.
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