By : Ellis Watts and Matt Rainone, Managers, Strategic Marketing Group
One of our favorite events from this year’s CES was the Mobile Apps Showdown. This event gave ten app developers four minutes to pitch their app concept to the audience and conduct a quick on-stage demo for the chance to win CES glory. Today, we take a quick look at five finalists that inspired our imaginations.
By : Matt Rainone, Manager, Strategic Marketing Group
What’s your favorite experience on your tablet? Is it reading, playing apps, or watching movies? What if I said that some day in the not too distant future, you’ll have a hard time differentiating those experiences because you’ll be doing all three at the same time? And this isn’t a post about some new tablet that allows for multitasking. I’m talking about tablets redefining our media experience and storytelling as a whole.
By : Michael Costa, Intern, Search Services
I recently had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Qi Lu, President of Microsoft’s Online Services Division and got to hear his views on what the future holds for the web and search. The presentation was really interesting and actually put me in awe of how much possibility there is.
By : Ellis Watts, Manager, Strategic Marketing Group
On the business development front, we’ve noticed a handful of clients and prospects that have expressed interest in developing a downloadable application for their brands. Who can blame them? I personally get giddy every time I fire up the Urbanspoon app on my iPhone. "Where should I eat tonight?? The possibilities are ENDLESS!" And we’ve all killed an hour or 70 playing Angry Birds. But is this the right solution for your brand / product / service / Russian mob scam? Let’s examine a few questions that you should ask yourself to see if it makes sense.
By : Victoria Fyrberg, Group Account Director,
Last week, the 10 billionth app was downloaded from the Apple store. Remarkable really. If brands were not racing to develop an app before, the race is officially on as this news is sure to push any brands that have been holding off over the mobile edge. Before your brand dips its toe into the app waters, a few questions to check off the list for marketers and developers...
By : Jess Lee, Account Coordinator, Digital Marketing
There’s no question that integrated social media programs generate awareness and buzz, give you a say in the existing conversations about your brand, and allow you to provide immediate customer service. The next step is to not only be social, but mobile as well. Encouraging mobile interaction at the point of purchase with mobile couponing/QR codes and giving users a reason to come back for more with a branded mobile application is key. Integration is crucial – Brands should leverage their Facebook page, Twitter handle, and existing website to promote/drive mobile initiatives.
By : Samantha Dwyer, Strategist, Digital Measurement
There seem to be a million definitions of “digital marketing” floating around, but at the core, this term simply means the use of technology in marketing. Contemporarily, this refers to applications that exist on our laptops, tablets, desktops, televisions, or mobile devices. However, the breadth of technology that this term, “digital marketing”, applies to has started to drastically expand. By the year 2020, forecasters expect there to be 22 billion Internet-connect devices. Here’s a list of my favorite applications and concepts that are being developed.
By : Ellen Ferzoco, Account Coordinator, Account Management
A recent Adweek article, “Do Mobile Users Prefer Browsers Over Apps?” piqued my interest about the pros and cons of viewing different media on mobile browsers vs. viewing the same media on specific apps on their mobile phones. I began evaluating my own mobile phone behavior - do I prefer a mobile browser to an app? When do I decide to download an app instead of view the website on a mobile browser? Are there sites that I view on both my mobile browser and in an app format?
