Do I need an iPhone app?
Steve Jobs announced the iPhone in Janaury 2007, the same year that we began We Love Mobile. At first we ignored the device, but it soon became apparent that Apple had produced something that was fundamentally changing the way people looked at mobile.
One could argue that much of Apple’s success is down to clever marketing, but there is no denying the sheer innovation that went into the device. It changed the game for mobile marketing in two big ways; firstly it opened peoples’ eyes to the rich interactive possibilities on mobile, presenting it as a first class user experience, not a poor cousin to a PC. Secondly, it shook up the rest of the mobile industry, and pushed companies like Google, Microsoft and Nokia to massively up their game – albeit with varying degrees of success.
The result is that mobile web and mobile applications have now entered the common vernacular and that since the iPint and a slew of branded apps everybody in the marketing world knows all about apps and the mobile web.
What about ‘normobs’?
We (agencies) and you (clients) talk about the latest trends and tout the latest devices. And so we should. But when it comes to your average mobile user (or as some people in the telecoms industry call them, ‘normobs’) the iPhone is still an expensive and aspirational device.
This is the first question we ask clients thinking about iPhone apps. What is your target audience? If you audience has a male skew, is between 25-34, with an income of £30-45K and lives in London, then you’ve hit the jackpot, as this is the typical profile of an iPhone user. If, however, you need to reach the mass market or someone outside of this demographic, then an iPhone app alone is not necessarily your mobile route of choice.
Statistics that lie…
That said, raw demographic figures can be misleading. They mask the major iPhone phenomenon, which is that Apple Mobile device owners (iPhone, iTouch and iPad users) consume a disproportionately large amount of mobile web and application based content. So while this group represents only 8% of all UK handsets, it accounts for up to 80-90% of mobile web traffic on some sites.
Apple mobile device owners are also much more likely to make a purchase on mobile and they benefit from free data and an appetite for apps that outstrips any other platform apart from Google’s Android.
Begin at the beginning, what are your objectives?
The next stage of app awareness, and arguably the logical starting point, is to work out what your objectives are (why do you need to go mobile) and then what options you have to realise this. Targeting mobile users is not a question of iPhone App or not iPhone App, and at this stage it is best to forget all about iPhone and concentrate on your business objectives.
What is it that you are trying to achieve? What interaction and functionality is required and who are you trying to target? What mobile usage patterns are relevant to your business and users, what existing technology and channels can you leverage? Often, considering and answering these questions will point to other mobile solutions.
Mobile Web, the great leveller
One clear alternative to apps is often the mobile web. A mobile web site is fundamentally a much more inclusive solution, in that in can work across any device that has a mobile browser. If you have established that iPhone users are still a core demographic, then the mobile web solution also works for them. In fact, an iPhone or Android experience on the mobile web can be very close to an app experience in terms of look and feel, and can go some way to reproducing the functionality. In fact, HTML5 and mobile flash makes mobile web even more attractive to marketers, providing reach and rich interaction.
Decision Time
We’ve seen some great instances where the desire for an iPhone app has outweighed any proper questioning of audience and relevance. Take the Job Centre App, or the British Gas App – both examples of iPhone App as PR tool, rather than consumer facing solution. These organistions had their reasons – we’ve even heard some companies say they ‘need’ an app because the CEO has an iPhone and demands one. If our clients had endless pots of money and time, we’d always suggest an iPhone app, and then throw in apps for the other mobile devices in circulation, as well as a mobile web site. But we live in the real world, and scarcity dictates that mobile strategies must consider ROI and the most efficient use of marketing budget.
There is, of course, a place for iPhone apps, but they need to be considered as just one of the tools in the mobile box, approached in the context of scarcity and with a full understanding of audience, objectives and business and consumer relevance.
Simon Liss – Managing Director (and Android user) We Love Mobile