The recent proverbial iCan assertion of “let’s make an iPhone app” never ceases to amaze me. More and more, anyone armed with an idea and a Mac can build an app for the iPhone; how apps like “The Stupid Test”, fart simulators, and breasts of the day top the charts while ultimate combo apps and super-productivity apps lay toward the bottom of the rankings delivers one important message- the seemingly best ideas in the world may end up being utter disasters in the digital scene if significant effort is not expended on analyzing the demographics and utilization of the targeted product. Just because you have a known brand doesn’t mean that recognition will carry over on to mainstream and emerging digital platforms.
Case in point- I was working with a large pharma company that wanted to create hype around a new product (not exactly an exciting product). They were so bent on busting into the iPhone terrain and creating an “engaging” app that they lost sight of what really mattered: brand recognition and increased product awareness. They had us deliberate for hours to jostle up an app concept that served the core business agenda, and yet wheedled away at the features until only the “engaging” factor remained. By succumbing to the iPhone craze and pushing the “number of downloads” KPI to the top of list over “mobile website tap rate”, they dis-serviced themselves by stripping away the elements that would ultimately lead to brand awareness and support the product launch. Sadly, analytics revealed that while the app had over 1000 downloads per month in the months following the release, less than 2% actually tapped on the link that bridged the app to the brand & product. Essentially, entertainment was delivered, but the core business driver was lost and the objective of the iPhone app was never realized. Many tens of thousands of dollars later, a key lesson was learned: build apps that fortify your brand and are aligned with your business agenda and objectives. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of an emerging, dominating digital trend, but it takes discipline to step back and make sure the business objectives don’t take the backseat over the more glamorous push.