Branded E2C Portals: the Next Phase of Branded Mobile Applications

Branded mobile applications can be much more than simple games or brand building exercises. They can truly be services, driving loyalty, customer service, and revenue.

Because you’re reading this, you probably know that branded mobile applications have exploded as an interactive marketing tool in the last 18 months. While this can be primarily attributed to the iPhone and the success brands have had in the App Store (see Kraft’s iFood Assistant and Zippo’s Zippo Lighter), other factors, such as the rise of smartphones, the growing prominence of pull marketing, and increasing consumer awareness of mobile internet services have all played a big part in branded apps’ growth. However, these entertainment-only mobile applications are only the tip of the iceberg in mobile applications for brands – smartphones are ubiquitous, always carried, internet connected computers, and they can be used for a lot more than just games.

Branded mobile applications can move beyond simple brand-building exercises in the newest of new media into customer experience facilitators, offering services of true utility to the consumer. This new breed of mobile applications includes more functionality than the previous generation of branded mobile apps.

The new breed of mobile apps will be applications that help consumers use products and services. For instance, applications from pharmaceutical companies that drive compliance, applications from retailers that function as enhanced loyalty cards, and applications from airlines and travel companies that provide mobile customer service portals. These new services will take advantage of the unique features of mobile: personalization, ubiquity, and context-awareness.

Personalization

Bill Drummy, CEO of Heartbeat Digital says here (it's all Flash but go to "Who We Are") that “there is something inherently more intimate about a digital relationship than any other media.” I agree, and I would add that mobile experiences are inherently more intimate than other digital experiences. Mobile is a uniquely personal medium – only one person uses each mobile phone. As such, mobile experiences can be uniquely personalized to the user, offering them quick access to the services that interest them the most.

Ubiquity

The mobile phone is a modern essential. Research firm StudyLogic found 84% of professionals check their smartphone before going to sleep and immediately upon waking up. The device is so essential, 87% of professionals reported bringing it into the bedroom. (Sadly, the study was lacking statistics about how professionals’ significant others felt about this.) 35% of smartphone users even picked their mobile phone over their spouse, if forced to choose. The mobile device is a perfect way to connect consumers with frequently used services like health care information. People carry their phones places that laptops or web services can never go – like directly into a store or during air travel lay-overs.

Context Aware

Today’s mobile phone is a device that can understand context. Unlike Flash sites or some of the desktop experiences marketers use, the mobile application can understand if your consumer is standing in a store, on vacation, or at home. Using this information, different messages can be delivered depending on the location of the user. For example, consumers passing by a store can receive promotions personalized to their shopping habits, or travelers in an airport can receive customer care directions specific to where they are. While so much marketing is context independent, location-based services can achieve a level of understanding intention on par with paid search.

Conclusion

Branded mobile applications are a new way for brands to directly communicate with consumers. Rather than just games or search functions, they offer a new channel to give narrowly targeted services to consumers. Brands should embrace this channel for more than just trivial apps – the right mobile application can drive sales, market share, and customer satisfaction.