Brands moving away from novelty apps into usability now embracing travel/location as a new trojan horse.
With most iPhone apps only being used a couple of times and retention rates at best around 3 months. It is important for any brand coming into the market to have content with a legacy factor. Giving value in the ‘travel/where is?’ category looks like being an interesting development for 2010.
Nike have launched a taste makers based series of city guides. Wallpaper* have updated there beautifully looking (but very out of date) print guides onto the iPhone. City guides are so well suited to smart phone tech, almost a genius must have, However currently there are niggles in all this. While your web use maybe free in your home country, overseas charges (where you might actually want to use the thing) can be ludicrously high. I recently have used both UnLikes Paris guide and BeeLoops Lisboa guides insitu. Both were unaccountable excellent. doing away with paper maps and confusion. Both found hip and fun places to see/do. But wow what a hike in your monthly bill when you get home. This has got to get sorted out. Brands can achieve an excellent feel good factor from a clever guide working. The tech is also an ideal way of introducing augmented reality into everyday use. Its just most airtime price plans are not taking into account these developments.
The clever brand would reward consumers for loyalty in one country with subsidised use of there branded city guide when overseas.
All images from the excellent Beau Bo D'Or http://www.bbdo.co.uk/blog
I really am looking forward to 2010. The coming election should, all being well, display a watershed of creativity from the various parties. What the Obama campaign proved was that the past formula ‘Poster + TV + friendly press rumours’ where no longer enough to combat clever SEO and social network posting. While the UK does not have the same fund raising issues, all of the parties should make a fairly decent use of online communications. I say should. Because if there is one thing Gordan Browns PR machine has shown us. Logic and common sense is deserting Whitehall.
Last autumns party conferences were a case in point. Labour’s stage set was tired but worthy. The Tories had colour and movement. The web sites are a bit of the same. But it was simple clear graphics, subtly amended for each cause or audience sub group.(HERE) and (HERE) and also (HERE) that really caught the eye with the Obama campaign. All three main UK parties lack this warmth and sense of community online that permeated Obama’s presence.
When it comes to the bloggers its a bit more even. Boris being a bit of a gift for all THIS. Mind you so is John Prescott. Icons of the campaign so far? we’ve only really had the airbrushed Cameron. here’s hoping for a better effort by close of polls in June.
This looks very interesting. Pepsi (in the US) have given up their prime opening slot at the Super bowl for a $20 Million+ social media campaign. Refresh Everything. The aim to get consumers nominating ideas to ‘refresh’ their environments. The public vote on the best ideas. With Pepsi stumping up the cash to make the most popular happen. The whole thing would have been unthinkable a year ago. But post Obama campaign fund raising it does all kind of fit. Voting kicks off on Feb 1st, we’ll be watching how it gets on. On the Digital Buzz blog is a comment pointing out that what would have been really brave would have been a global launch. Rather than just doing the folksy American version. Trying to span Pepsi’s global audience with an overarching theme, customised by location and culture. Now that would have been a biggie. Either way as Mashable have pointed out, this could be the point social media really did come of age.
This is very neat. Trendwatching.com have tracked how their December 2009 predication briefing for 2010 has been picked up and spread around the world. Following the ripples bended or morphed by global cultural and social conventions. This is a great illustration of the power of good content. I am amazed at how many brand owners still don’t see the opportunity this presents. The letting go of your stuff. Allowing it to be past on, customised and reapplied. More importantly is the creation of content specifically designed to be passed on. Content that has an open end, that demands comment or addition. It is the Lego theory of marketing.
Closed worlds are becoming fewer and fewer. Thinking that your new campaign is just a Lego starter set with the customer in charge of a huge box of extra bricks should be the 2010 attitude
Everything aimed via mobile devices needs to have this element built in. The Apple iPhone App store would be nothing without this type of thinking. Toady’s launch of the Nexus One from Google should herald a widening of the idea of endless stories. Everything a brand puts out is just a stage in that products narrative, if it has value users will take it on. The obvious flaw being thin or dull content that sits motionless. Be interesting and your customers will be interested.
Brands moving away from novelty apps into usability now embracing travel/location as a new trojan horse.
