USE APPS, NOT ADS!

Most smartphone users encounter microscopic advertisements while online or using some app.

A screenshot of my own smartphone featuring an ad!

Needless to say, these itsy bitsy ads are irritating and do not serve any purpose.

Survey

Ads rock!Ads suck!

4 out of 5 people label intrusive ads “unacceptable”.

Hardly anybody clicks.

WHY?1.People don’t like them.Since smartphones are private venues, ads seem to be intrusive.

2. There is no right sideThere is no space for a right margin on a 3.5” screen, so ads pop up haphazardly.

3. The “Fat Finger” effectMany of the taps are inadvertent; causing botched up surveys of the ad’s effectiveness.

The best way for marketers to communicate through mobile will be apps. Apps trump ads because :

1. Customers value their functionality.2. Marketers find them more cost effective and

impactful.

Mobile minutes

AppsWeb browsers

Apps dominate the time users spend on phone

Social Networks•Facebook, WhatsApp•31% of smartphone time

Games and entertainment•Racing, bowling etc•42% time

DiscoveryYelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Brandseg. Nike, Red Bull, IndiGo

Utilities•Google Maps, Alarm Clock X•Maps, clocks, calendars

The 5 categories of Apps

Only a fraction of apps are for brands. To survive in this competition, instead of buying tiny banner advertisements, marketers should create apps that add value to customers’ lives and enhance long term engagement with their brands.

HOW?

1. Add convenience: Facilities like booking flights, checking scores, paying bills.

2.Offer unique value:Provide unique

benefits 3.Provide social value: Features like social gifting, e-gift cards.

4.Offer incentives: Short term promotions promising perks to the brand’s app’s users.

5.Entertain: Develop engaging games focusing on the brand.

Major Indian brands are in a race to bring out the best of their brands though apps.

For youth brands of beverages, mobile service providers, FMCG items and cosmetics, it’s a great chance to launch their apps so that brand recall remains intact and interaction on the app increases.

CASE STUDY 1

The Philips grooming app allowed users to try out all the looks and beard styles that their brand mascot John Abraham flaunted in their commercial for male grooming products.

IT WORKED!

The average person made between three to four choices within the video, and spent three minutes and 55 seconds going through the options.

Mobile users were by far the most engaged, spending a whopping 5 minutes.

It improved purchase consideration for the Click & Style by 6 percent.

And, in Germany, Philips sold 16 percent more Click & Style razors than projected.

CASE STUDY 2

My Airtel App, launched by airtel in 2012 is the simplest way to manage all your airtel services through your handset.

It includes services like:Bill paymentsRechargeBuy packsRecord a programOrder gamesView balanceData consumedCheck recharge history

A screenshot of the app.

It also offers various benefits such as :'AIRTEL SURPRISES' coupons with every recharge that you do.You can redeem these coupons across categories like shopping, food, wellness, entertainment.

SAFE & SECURED PAYMENTSRecharging your mobile or DTH and paying your postpaid or fixed line bills is made easy withPCIDSS certificationStore card details for a faster checkoutA friendly and intuitive interfaceReal time bill trackingA personalized user experience

By launching a self-help app for its users, Airtel has differentiated itself from rest of the telecom operators. This provides it a unique entity in the market and also places Airtel as a direct threat to various recharging apps such as PayTM, Freecharge etc.

APPLICATIONS OF CONCEPTS OF KOTLER’S TEXTBOOK IN THIS SCENARIO

Assessing Market Opportunities And Customer ValueKey ingredients of the marketing management process are insightful creative strategies and plans that can guide marketing activities. Developing the right marketing strategy over time requires a blend of discipline and flexibility . Firms must stick to a strategy but also constantly improve it. They must also develop strategies for a range of products and services within organization .

Therefore it is imperative that firms move beyond conventional advertisements to brand focused functional apps and keep them up-to-date.

Designing ValueAn app is not just a website on a smaller screen. A powerful app provides value to the user – it’s a tool, like a Swiss army knife.

Think about which platforms you will support.

Three types of features should be combined in your mobile marketing app: 

content, interactions and transactions.

Communicating ValueThe app should be able to communicate the

essence of the brand to its users along with the functions it offers. It must often be supplemented and carefully integrated with elements that achieve significant brand recall.

The app should be developed and marketed in such a manner that it garners maximum downloads.

Despite the ubiquity of smart phones and the hours many of us now spend each day with our heads bent over a small screen, sophisticated marketers will realize that “mobile advertising” is often a hollow phrase. People simply don’t like ads on their mobile devices.

For the time being, apps are the best way to win the hearts and minds of mobile consumers.

That’s all!

Thank you!

CREDITShttp://www.fontsquirrel.com/

https://images.google.com/

https://evernote.com/skitch/

http://www.colourlovers.com/

https://hbr.org/2013/03/for-mobile-devices-think-apps-not-ads.

Marketing Management : A South Asian Perspective 14th Edition (English)

CREATED BY Aditya Goel, IIT Roorkee, during an internship by

Prof. Sameer Mathur,

IIM Lucknow.

www.IIMInternship.com