Nonsense, a London agency that specialises in digital engagement, points to a piece of research from Deloitte, that says most smartphone apps built by brands fail (80% getting less than 1,000 downloads).
Having digested the facts and recommendations in the report the first thing that strikes us is that many of the apps in the survey should never have been built! Or, to put it another way, a lot of failed apps would probably have been more successful as mobile versions of the brand’s website.
…brands need to think what else can they offer app users, other than straight content. Or at the very least, think about what functionality they can build around the content to improve it, as The Economist and Guardian apps do so well. So, a key question early in the app strategy process is:
Do we actually need an app? Or can this be done through our website?
The same might be said of a brand’s Facebook page. Do brands create them because they solve a marketing problem, or do brands create them because everyone else is doing it?
By the way, I was fortunately asked to write the copy for a branded app that’s big on utility.