App-vertising

Thanks mobile behaviour for this look at the rise of the app as an ad channel. Personally i think it's just the latest bandwagon for an approach that I support but has been long touted - less advertising and more delivering services that people find useful. Mobile and online apps provide handy ways to do this, but at the end of the day it’s common sense that being useful is better way to get people to favour you than yelling at them is.


As Attention Swings Towards Mobile, The Rise of "App-vertising"

Every week we see dozens of new applications released, with a few which manage to improve our lives in some shape or form. It's clear that developers are keen on creating the next big thing and user attention is obviously on the app store. Earlier this month USA Today even declared the existence of so-called app addiction, with possible health issues tied to excessive mobile app use. While the iPhone app store is still young, many marketers have noticed the number of eyeballs checking in during this shifting attention economy. Welcome to an age of "app-vertising."

Last week Volkswagen took a unique and cost-efficient approach to advertising its new GTI using just an iPhone app. Their reasoning included a comparison between a prime-time audience for a television show like NCIS (21 million), and reported iPhone and iPod touch customers worldwide (over 50 million). With a lower cost and an additional PR value, Volkswagen took the ladder, receiving both increased engagement and more for their money.

For musicians Alice in Chains, the app store was attractive in a slightly different fashion. To push their new album they are releasing an app, with videos, photos, news, and entire audio track-list included. If brands can advertise using apps, why not musicians? No matter what the product, marketers are being drawn to where the consumer user is, the app-store. This new destination is ripe with opportunity for those who are able to create a niche utility for enhancing our daily routine.