Neoco

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Have you seen the special feature in the September issue of Revolution? It talks about iPhone apps for the major movie studios and looks at their future. Our director Benn Achilleas has a great quote in there explaining Universal and Warner Bros’ potential plan and roadmap for iPhone app investment. Check it out on p51-53… we’ll try an get a scan up shortly (when slightly less busy!)

Here’s some more insight based on his response to other questions:

-How successful are branded apps when it comes to engaging users?
The question is more about how engaging the app itself is. Branded apps are viewed by many users as a way to push out a substandard product, but there are also many successful branded apps out there. Organisations need to understand that the quality of the product reflects on the brand and they need to focus on what they can offer, in terms of engagement , to a user.

-What are the challenges brands face when using branded apps?
Producing something that is relevant to the audience and the brand. The best apps are the ones that engage and very importantly enable the user. Neoco is working with English National Opera to deliver an iPhone version of its opera guide, with rich video and audio content. This is a branded app that works well in delivering engaging content to users in a relevant way. It also helps promote the brand to a new audience.

-Why are brands such as Universal and Warner Bros investing so heavily in the medium?
Because it’s a media channel that has a revenue model, high PR value and exposure with a very low relative cost. . The market is maturing very fast and their investment is not just in iPhone apps, it’s in mobile apps. Their learnings will enable them to expand across Blackberry, Android and all the other platforms as and when they pick up momentum.

-What will the future hold for the market for branded apps?
There will be greater integration with overall marketing communications and digital infrastructure – keeping users in the brand ‘loop’ for longer, building data and loyalty.
I think brands will concentrate less on fun and more on function.  There will be fewer brands producing gimmicky content such as the iPint as the key factors will be long term usage and engagment.

Tags  Apps Benn Achilleas iPhone magazine Quote Revolution Universal Warner Bros