Marketers, Apply Yourself

Lately, several of us at the office have been thinking and talking about how digital applications are a missed opportunity for marketing. Someone heard a factoid that “50% of consumer ad impressions lie in email applications,” which makes you wonder what you could do with the next killer app. Of course, we’re not here to just put a banner ad next to Yahoo! Mail, but we might strike gold by actually creating applications that consumers find valuable and that fulfill the larger brand mission.

Take PickupPal, for example. It’s self-described as a “global eco-friendly transportation revolution that connects drivers, passengers, and packages with the places they need to go.” As Adrants puts it, this is basically the digital equivalent of the college bulletin board. PickupPal is an interesting Web 2.0 that I believe has a shot at catching hold.

But why didn’t a big brand marketer pick up on this idea first? This is a pretty universal need and not a bad service. I could see the oil companies such as ExxonMobil or BP launching a tool like this to actually help their customers save some gas while doing something for the environment. On the other hand, I could see an automobile brand such as Mini exploiting the chance to build some more buzz and spread word-of-mouth in a unique way. All it takes to think this way is a broader understanding of your customers’ needs.

Another application with meaning is a site I love called Who is Sick? This is a kind of social network application where people upload information on colds, flus, and other illnesses, and you can get a kind of zip-code level report of what ailment is going around. The site looks horrible, but imagine if a brand with a budget and reach took hold of it. Such an application would be a great fit for cold medicine brands, for example.

The beauty of applications is that they drive traffic because consumers find them useful, and they allow for real engagement with the brand. The best branded applications elevate from a product into a service or experience. My last post about our Pringles Mobile Shopping list is a good example, and I’ll list more in this space in the posts ahead.

If you’ve got a great branded application to share, please let me know in the comments.