5 Guidelines for Branded iPhone Apps
Speaking with Mike Proulx at the Social Media Breakfast on Thursday got me thinking it was time to share some of the things I’ve learned from being in the iPhone development space for a couple of months now at Brand Networks. I’m not sure anyone has written any such guide to date, so I’ll jump on this one.
It’s a completely new ballgame for brands looking to engage consumers on the iPhone. Google recently announced the ability to serve iPhone-specific versions of their AdWords, a no brainer for them — but what about companies that want a deeper engagement with their brand, beyond impressions or clicks? It’s time to start thinking about building your own branded iPhone app.
Audi launched the first high profile branded app, a driving simulator that exploits the iPhone’s internal accelerometer to control your steering. Ford was not far behind with an app promoting the new Flex. I just came across a new Mercedes application this morning. The Audi app in particular got impressive marks from CNET Reviews:
The odd thing was that in spite of the game’s flaws, I couldn’t stop playing. While it’s no Gran Turismo, Audi’s little iPhone app is a pretty fun distraction during a boring commute on the train…. Of course, at it’s core, the game is a marketing app for Audi’s vehicles, but it’s not an overt one. At no point did Audi make me sit through a commercial or a sales pitch. The link to the iPhone optimized site sits quietly on the main menu screen for you to click or ignore. I think this minor amount of advertising is well worth being able to play a cool, free game.
The first thing Audi got right, and this is absolutely crucial, is that they recognized when you build a branded iPhone app, people are using their app despite your brand’s affiliation, not because of it. This may sound off-putting, but it has implications that are extremely positive. For Audi, it meant that users invited the brand onto their iPhone, engaged with it regularly and for relatively long periods of time, and most likely talked about it with friends. Could you come up with a better definition of success for a branded iPhone application?
Although many companies will now rush out and try to build the Next Great iPhone Arcade Game in Audi’s footsteps, it’s important to reflect on the fact that a slick driving game resonated with this particular brand — the product placement (the Audi line of vehicles) fit naturally into the function of the app.
Without further ado, I bring you five guidelines for a successful branded iPhone app:
- Be cool. Not in the trendy sense, but in the laid back sense. Chill out. Build an app that people enjoy and can use, and let them engage with your brand along the way to whatever degree they choose. No pre-roll anything.
- Be true to your brand. I guarantee there are brands out there trying to repeat Audi’s recipe that have no business doing so. Some consumer packaged goods company is going to build a flight simulator. Good luck with that.
- Don’t forget it’s a phone first. Know what the iPhone is, and what it isn’t. Keep in mind why people use it in the first place — communication first, media (MP3 and video) consumption second. How can you extend one of these primary functions?
- K.I.S.S. Don’t try to do too much. Just because you can tie in to a million robust features of the iPhone through the development platform doesn’t mean you should. Apple products are synonymous with simplicity. Yours should be too.
- Generate word of mouth. People should want to blog/tweet/email about your app. But most of all, they should also want to show it off to people offline (in the “real world”). We’re still early enough in the iPhone’s product life cycle that these things still still have a ton of novelty value and people want to show them off. Create apps that your users want to show off to their friends. I’m a huge fan of the infamous I Am Rich application, if only for the incredible buzz it generated.
It’s an exciting time to be building apps for the iPhone. The development platform is unprecedentedly robust, and the App Store provides the perfect delivery channel for app-hungry users. Although the territory is relatively uncharted, many lessons have already been learned about what makes for a successful branded application.
(Photo credit: Popgadget)
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Jamie,
Its good to see someone give this corner of app development. Well done. You’re absolutely right, many companies will attempt to jump on the bandwagon and if they are too anxious or have bad advisement from their internal marketing, management, ad agency or other they will see no gravitation towards their branded app.