Comments on: Is Marketing Key to Mobile App Store Sales? http://pro.gigaom.com/2009/06/is-marketing-key-to-mobile-app-store-sales/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:59:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Colin Gibbs http://pro.gigaom.com/2009/06/is-marketing-key-to-mobile-app-store-sales/comment-page-1/#comment-267 Colin Gibbs Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:04:51 +0000 http://pro.gigaom.com/?p=6432#comment-267 Thanks for the comments, Sal. Two responses: 1) By branding the app wisely, I mean that developers/publishers should try to give users an indication of what the app does, especially when the app addresses a specific use case. Bento, for instance, appears to be a solid productivity app (I haven't tried it), but the name doesn't give me a clue what it does or who it's designed for. Bond YTM, on the other hand, explicitly informs its target audience (financial types) of its purpose. (The fact that the name means nothing to me is OK, because I can't balance a checkbook, much less calculate bond yield to maturity. YTM. Who knew?) 2) Every time I talk to one of my contacts in mobile advertising, I'm more amazed at how effectively they can target ads to very narrow segments of the population. I know that developers usually aren't marketing wizards (those seem like very different skill sets to me), but I think it's important to identify the audience specific apps are built for. A first-person shooter, then, could be advertised on a mobile site for hardcore gamers who own a handset that supports the game, while Bond YTM ads could be delivered to users with high-end, business-type handsets visiting Bloomberg.com. Thanks for the comments, Sal. Two responses:

1) By branding the app wisely, I mean that developers/publishers should try to give users an indication of what the app does, especially when the app addresses a specific use case. Bento, for instance, appears to be a solid productivity app (I haven’t tried it), but the name doesn’t give me a clue what it does or who it’s designed for. Bond YTM, on the other hand, explicitly informs its target audience (financial types) of its purpose. (The fact that the name means nothing to me is OK, because I can’t balance a checkbook, much less calculate bond yield to maturity. YTM. Who knew?)

2) Every time I talk to one of my contacts in mobile advertising, I’m more amazed at how effectively they can target ads to very narrow segments of the population. I know that developers usually aren’t marketing wizards (those seem like very different skill sets to me), but I think it’s important to identify the audience specific apps are built for. A first-person shooter, then, could be advertised on a mobile site for hardcore gamers who own a handset that supports the game, while Bond YTM ads could be delivered to users with high-end, business-type handsets visiting Bloomberg.com.

]]> By: sal http://pro.gigaom.com/2009/06/is-marketing-key-to-mobile-app-store-sales/comment-page-1/#comment-265 sal Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:07:57 +0000 http://pro.gigaom.com/?p=6432#comment-265 Colin, very good points. Discoverability is key and getting harder. Seems like the top 25 apps list is fairly static with perhaps a few new break-ins mainly in games, etc. for non-game apps its hard to break in. BTW what did you mean by "Brand the app wisely and back it with targeted advertising" Colin, very good points. Discoverability is key and getting harder. Seems like the top 25 apps list is fairly static with perhaps a few new break-ins mainly in games, etc. for non-game apps its hard to break in.

BTW what did you mean by “Brand the app wisely and back it with targeted advertising”

]]> By: Colin Gibbs http://pro.gigaom.com/2009/06/is-marketing-key-to-mobile-app-store-sales/comment-page-1/#comment-219 Colin Gibbs Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:42:19 +0000 http://pro.gigaom.com/?p=6432#comment-219 I agree that this is the biggest challenge for Apple, Michael, and for all the other app stores coming to market. The first to effectively address the discoverability problem will have a substantial edge on the competition -- and will likely be copied by the others post haste. I agree that this is the biggest challenge for Apple, Michael, and for all the other app stores coming to market. The first to effectively address the discoverability problem will have a substantial edge on the competition — and will likely be copied by the others post haste.

]]> By: Michael Wolf http://pro.gigaom.com/2009/06/is-marketing-key-to-mobile-app-store-sales/comment-page-1/#comment-218 Michael Wolf Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:17:44 +0000 http://pro.gigaom.com/?p=6432#comment-218 I would guess most people are like me and simply look at top 25 lists to see what apps are being adopted before downloading. I think the long-tail is great in theory, but there needs to be a better way to sort through the clutter. I think this will be Apple's biggest challenge going forward, trying to figure out how to keep developers interested in a market where the vast majority aren't really recouping the costs to make a app. I would guess most people are like me and simply look at top 25 lists to see what apps are being adopted before downloading. I think the long-tail is great in theory, but there needs to be a better way to sort through the clutter. I think this will be Apple’s biggest challenge going forward, trying to figure out how to keep developers interested in a market where the vast majority aren’t really recouping the costs to make a app.

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