Something clicked a few years ago in the minds of mobile users in the Middle East, and suddenly everyone has an iPhone. Why is that? What was the impetus for this sudden shift? How has the iPhone changed the way we as marketers approach the mobile screen? And why is Angry Birds the phenomenon it is? All very good questions, save for one – which has an obvious answer so let’s skip it.
Before this sudden and sweeping shift towards the iPhone in the Middle East, the handset was reserved for the select few die-hard apple users that walked amongst us unnoticed. They were either fresh off the boat from Europe or North America, where somehow connected to Apple products either at work or were one of the few who owned an Apple home computer.
Then came the wave of iPhones, where in recent months a day doesn’t go by when we aren’t confronted by them in elevators, shops, cafes, parties, you name it. Providers began battling it out with iPhone packages and the infrastructure to support the platform. So what’s the deal? This can probably be split into a few major categories:
The most obvious is the brand association that users want by owning an iPhone. As we know, brands are like badges and wearing the Apple badge says a lot about who you are, and possibly more so what you want people to think you are. Apple has done exceedingly well in this regard, though this is probably a topic best left for another time.
The second reason, and perhaps just as obvious when you pause to examine the phenomenon, is simple – it’s the user experience. The iPhone delivers one what many other brands and handsets have been trying to do for years: it delivers a user interface that allows people to access media, social networks, communication, and the web in an easy to use and customizable way. It is worth mentioning that the iPhone launched on the heel of massive growth amongst social media and user-generated content sites (YouTube and Facebook comes to mind), giving not only developers, but more importantly users, a vehicle . The anti-iPhone lobby yell wildly from the rooftops that if you take away the apps, the iPhone is just another phone with nothing particularly interesting to offer. But that’s just it, you can’t take away the apps because that is what the iPhone is all about – it’s designed for and around applications. Other handsets do offer touchscreens, media, and social networking – but they’re clumsy and aren’t integrated into the handset as a complete offering. The iPhone does this seamlessly by offering users something other manufacturers cant – iTunes.
Back to marketing – the apps provide the clear winning differentiator. Now we have a platform whereby users are opting in to download applications and interact with brands on their own terms. Whether it be an application for DEWA (Dubai’s utility supplier) so that they can pay and check their bills on the fly, or an app from Columbia (outerwear clothing) that tells you step by step how to tie a bunch of complex knots. In other words from something very useful and boring, to something completely useless and fantastic. Apps are allowing even the most staid and boring brands to venture into the realm of the entertaining, not necessarily overhauling their positioning, but certainly redefining it and making it more robust. By choosing to develop on mobile and tap into this burgeoning phenomenon brands are repositioning themselves in the customers eye. The brand is now cutting edge, industry leading, and consumer minded. Speaking of entertainment the brand extension into gaming is noteworthy: from the Audi driving game to the Yamaha guitar game, and literally 1000’s of others brands are venturing out of their categories but in a relevant way.
For the first time we have our prospects going onto the app store, and choosing not only to interact with these brands on their terms, but to allow brands to occupy a lasting presence. This key differentiator has of course effected how we as marketers position our communication on mobile devices, and that means all mobile devices not just the iPhone – the Blackberry, Android, and indeed any device with connectivity. Gone are the days of pushing users to static WAP mobile sites offering contact details and product descriptions. Interactivity and utility are king. If users feel like they are getting utility out of their interaction with the brand then they will download. And that’s the difference. Here are some free ideas: an app from a courier that lets me track my packages online and call for pickups, or how about an app for events and concert tickets, locations, timings, and reviews.
If I can get a courier company to invest in developing a mobile application that will do all those things then I’ve suddenly given 1000’s of customers a very good reason to choose to interact with my brand on a daily basis – not to mention 1000’s of new customers a reason to choose me over my competitor.
The challenge is no longer the technology, but now the content and function of our brands when we put them in the hands of our consumers. If we can find solutions for our clients that answer the consumer’s call for functionality and utility, then everybody wins. Also, download Angry Birds, it’s awesome.
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