We recently spoke with Jami Lawrence, associate director of mobile marketing at Publicis Modem & Dialog. Here’s a clip from the full interview on eMarketer Total Access, in which Lawrence discusses best practices for developing a mobile application strategy that can strengthen the relationship between brands and target consumers. (Read more…)

Boston-based company uLocate unveiled what looks to be the next logical step in the location-based marketing puzzle today with the debut of WHERE ads, a “hyper-local ad network” that aims to serve consumers with more geographically and contextually relevant ads than those provided by standard third-party ad networks. uLocate will make WHERE Ads available to other publishing platforms as well. (Read more…)

We recently spoke with Chris Epple, senior manager of media strategy at PepsiCo, about the company’s Propel brand of low-calorie flavored water. Here’s a clip from the full interview about the brand’s new mobile app, and how along with product enhancements and various promotions, Pepsi is working to streamline the lives of busy female shoppers (and sell more Propel). (Read more…)

As more consumers opt for smartphones, it’s becoming progressively harder for brand marketers to ignore the call for an app-based mobile experience, especially when comScore’s latest figures show that app usage now rivals, if not exceeds, browser-based Web access among iPhone and Android device owners.

It’s tough to turn your back on this kind of evident consumer demand. Fortunately, most marketers appear to be heeding the call: 65% of marketers and publishers responding to a December 2009 survey from DM2PRO and Quattro Wireless reported that they plan to invest in mobile apps this year.

Of course, where there is app-ortunity, there are also challenges. There is growing competition for mobile users’ attention, not only among app stores (which number more than 30 worldwide at this point) but also within each storefront.  According to recent analysis by Distimo, a Dutch app store analytics firm, there are nearly 200,000 apps in the six largest mobile device manufacturer/OS app stores alone.

What’s a marketer to do? In my latest column for iMediaConnection, I go into detail on some key steps marketers should take to make the most of the mobile
“app-opportunity.” Here’s a brief summary of the main points:

1) Ensure your app satisfies a consumer need, but does so in a way that also reinforces (and stays true to) your brand’s values. Ideally, strive to combine entertainment, social communication and utility into a single experience.

2) Promote your app like you would any other product using all available media, but pay especially close attention to social discovery. In other words, include apps in your brand’s social media strategy and include social media in your brand’s app strategy.

3) Keep your users engaged by keeping things fresh. Make an update schedule an integral part of your app strategy, much as it would be with any other product.

Getting consumers’ attention is increasingly challenging, but branded app experiences still have room to grow. According to Razorfish’s November 2009 “FEED: Digital Brand Experience Study,” only 24% US Internet users had downloaded a branded application. The right kinds of apps, backed by the right level of marketing support, can help drive those figures up.

The Mobile World Congress wrapped up this week in Barcelona. As expected, it saw a flurry of new device launches and a big focus on mobile applications, despite no official presence from Apple, whose App Store is the market heavyweight. For those of us who couldn’t make the trip to Spain (where, as many observers have noted, it was cold and rainy), PCWorld and mocoNews both have good slideshows of the festivities.

Among the many announcements made at the show, a few are worth highlighting: (Read more…)