• Home
• About Us
• Our Work
• Blog
• Talk To Us

Our jacAPPS division has grown by leaps and bounds in the past three years, thanks largely to robust interest in the mobile space and a strong staff of hard-working Michiganders who are great at what they do.

We get asked a lot about what makes a great app, the questions that brands need to ask about mobile, and why a solid mobile strategy is one of the most important things a station can develop. And now that we’re on the precipice of building our 500th app, a look back on what has happened in the mobile space is of value because it speaks volumes about just how fast-moving it is.

The first thing we’ve learned is that nearly 100% of our jacAPPS customers have never bought an app before. That may not strike you as all that meaningful until you think about what it would be like to buy or lease a car when you’ve never ever set foot in a dealership. As you know, there’s a lot more going on than pointing to a hot new model in the showroom, and declaring, “That’s the one I want.”

But that’s essentially what happens when most companies call us to look into getting involved in the mobile space. Oftentimes, we hear this: “I want an iPhone app.” Or “What does it take to get into the iTunes Store?” Or “So besides streaming, what else do I really need in the app?”

Now while these are valid inquiries or requests, they merely skim the surface of what it means to put together a successful mobile program. Back in the early part of 2011, Google’s Eric Schmidt revealed his three-word mantra that defines how his company approaches new ventures and initiatives:

Do mobile first.

That’s because the mobile space is the be-all-and-end-all – the destination – the Holy Grail of new media platforms. And at Google, they consider mobile in every innovation and initiative they launch.

So if you buy his logic – and you should – what are some of the requirements that go into building a viable mobile strategy?

Well, a lesson in improving your “app-titude” was recently given by Adam Brotman, Starbucks’ VP/GM of Digital Ventures. In January of this year, the coffee giant launched its first mobile app that allowed users to pay for coffee (and everything else) on their smartphones, reload their cards, find nearby stores, and perform other tasks.

The Starbucks app’s features and functionality have been driven by research – not by gut. As Brotman points out, “Innovation, responding to customer feedback and enhancing the customer experience are at the core of Starbucks’ mission.”

These are good goals, and they are well within the reach of any brand looking to succeed in mobile.

It starts with research. How do you assess the optimal features in an app? Simple. Because a large percentage of the population carries a smartphone and the majority of them download apps, we’re dealing with a discriminating customer base that understands what they want – and what they don’t – from branded apps.

If you have a database, you have a powerful research tool to determine the best components of a mobile strategy. This includes determining the types of devices your customers own all the way down to the specific features, bells, and whistles they would treasure in an app.

Of course, it’s always fun to build in a cool surprise or two that will get them talking. Our KISW app, for example, features a 9-Ball feature that the customer can shake to get different messages. The KISW team regularly re-programs their 9-Ball questions depending on who’s touring, what’s happening, and what strikes them as funny.

What about revenue? There are lots of ways to make money in mobile, but it starts with a financial plan and an understanding with your sales department. Ad insertion, ad networks, rotating panels, pop-up ads, and sponsorships are all part of the mix. What’s right for your station or brand is something that is smart to discuss before the app is designed and launch. Many brands are making money with mobile, but few are profiting without a game plan that started this process.

Once the app is built, it has to be marketed. We are often surprised by how few companies and brands consider this all-important next step in the planning process. Radio (and media companies) have an advantage because they often have a large, attentive audience. Well-crafted promos and live reads will drive downloads. But that doesn’t always happen because oftentimes, radio clients excitedly promote their new app for a few weeks, until the next big thing comes along. Then the mobile program gets “back-burnered,” despite the fact that hundreds, if not thousands, of listeners get their new smartphone each week. And here comes iPhone 5.

But what if you don’t have a built-in listening audience, viewership, or readership? You need to consider a marketing program that can be assessed and measured. And it may be a good idea to work with media partners in this pursuit, too. (Attention radio and TV stations: you could market “app exposure packages” to businesses.)

Of course, the next step is usability. You can design a perfectly wonderful app with all the best features, but until you watch smartphone owners using it, you may be missing a big piece of the app pie. That’s where usability studies come into play.

These simple 1-on-1 exercises are a great way to instantly get the feel for how easy (or difficult) it is to find and use features on the app. Because the consumer’s tolerance for things that don’t work the first time is diminishing, it is essential for apps to work well when they’re downloaded. Nothing’s perfect with apps, but the goal is to make them as seamless and elegant as possible.

Then there’s analytics – Determining the features that consumers actually use the most in an app. We use a company called Localytics, but there are several services that can tell you the same essential story. And of course, there’s the matter of tracking app downloads and comments – two essential pieces of feedback that are common to the mobile space.

We hope your brand has gotten the message from Eric Schmidt about the need to “go mobile.”

For more information about developing a sound mobile strategy, contact Paul Jacobs at jacAPPS.

Welcome to the rest of the year. If we’ve learned anything these past few years, it is the omnipresent need to create content and gadgets that are great – that provide value to your customers and your clients. And that leads us into a conversation that starts with the smartphone experience.

If you have an iPhone, you know all about the black jiggly X. It’s a symbol of obsolescence and it’s what you see when you want to rid yourself of an app you don’t like or don’t value anymore. One punch of that black X and the app is gone, finis, done for, see ya.

And as I’ve lived with apps as a user and as the head of a company that builds them, it has occurred to me that the consumer tolerance for things that don’t work perfectly the first time you try them has gone WAY down.

Blame Steve Jobs. As we discussed in this space when he stepped down from the head office at Apple, the guy has spoiled us. Apple’s gadgets are brilliant – not just in their design and elegance – but because they always function beautifully, intuitively, and simply the first time you try them.

As a result, the window for creating a product that isn’t quite ready for opening night may be rapidly closing. I feel this intensely when I try out a new restaurant for the first time. If that initial experience is not right – the food, the service, the wait, the experience – I may never go back. Second chances are eroding rapidly because there are so many other places where I can spend my money on food.

I also feel this when I download an app. If it doesn’t work just right the first time I try it, if I have to wait too long for it to kick on, or if it just isn’t clear or user-friendly, it’s so easy to press down, see the black jiggly X, give it a push, say “No Thanks” on rating the app, and it’s gone. Out of my life. Forever.

So what does this mean for the rest of you who aren’t creating apps and software? Or even starting restaurants, manufacturing cars, or shoe stores?

Well, if you’re in radio, I’m thinking that the day is coming to an end when you could sign on a “beta station” that wasn’t really ready for market. If your new format or new jock lineup or new music position or new production isn’t clean, shiny, researched, and ready for prime time, your target audience may just push your black jiggly X.

First impressions matter, perhaps more than ever. Because with all the new products and innovations that come at us on a daily basis, the pressure is on media and entertainment outlets because of the many options available to the consuming public.

New TV shows are cancelled after one week. HP terminated its TouchPad tablet just a couple of months after it debuted. Microsoft killed its Kin line of cell phones just weeks after it was first released.

The bar’s been raised. Permanently. Consumers are angsty, and they don’t have to put up with things that weren’t very good in the first place. In fact, they are insulted by hardware, software, and other products that were promoted one way, while delivering something much less than what was promised.

“Good enough” is no longer good enough.

The next time you’re ready to launch that new and improved morning show or that hot new format, consider the changing mood of the consumer. As an industry, we have simply got to get better in order to effectively compete. You know they’re saying this every day at R.I.M., Microsoft, Nokia, and HP – brands that have fallen behind in recent years. Everyone in radio should be saying it, too.

If we don’t start making “quality – not crap” our mantra, we’d better be ready for that black jiggly X. A lot of ‘em.

Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs blogs, “I talk with a lot of colleagues who are young parents.  And the integration of technology through computers, tablets, and of course, cell and smartphones is at a high level.  Many are achieving proficiency with these devices before they successfully learn how to use the toilet.

It makes me want to pitch Arbitron on a baby ethnographic study to learn more about this phenomenon.  But given how much I enjoy sitting near toddlers at restaurants, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

Are you surprised to read that more than one in five children have used a smartphone by the age of 2? Read more here.

 

I was at our local Mobile Monday event last night, and when the discussion turned to the fragmentation of the Android market, one of the presenters suggested that we enter “Comparison of Android devices” into Wikipedia. When I got home, I did so, and I was amazed at the length of the list. But assuming that Wikipedia’s sourcing can sometimes be less than perfect, I searched online and found other sites that provide lists. Here’s one to check out.

My point is that unlike the iPhone, where all we have to develop for is identical devices with a few different operating systems, the Android platform is a cacophony of devices, providers, and operating systems that change frequently. For developers, it’s like playing Whack-A-Mole, as new challenges pop up frequently, and we try to beat them into submission.

So if you hear of an Android user complain that some app isn’t working, just tell them to be patient. Some developer somewhere is working hard to whack that mole.

One of the most anticipated tech events coming this fall is Apple’s release of the iPhone 5. Along with the phone, they will also be releasing their new operating system – iOS5. We are currently reviewing their latest beta release for iOS5 and will share our thoughts with you in a week, but Apple’s history shows that they will continue to break new ground and enhance the user experience.

On the flip side, the release of iOS5 probably means an acceleration in the demise of iOS3. Currently, less than 10% of iPhone owners are on this platform, and with the release of the iPhone 5, we anticipate that many users will choose to upgrade.

This is a good thing. Remember back a decade ago when you bought your 486 computer. At the time, it was a huge upgrade over the 386 it replaced. But then came Pentium, and all of a sudden, software became not only faster to use, users had new functions that never before existed. But ultimately, software that worked on Pentium computers didn’t work on the older platforms.

That’s what’s happening with iOS3. Already, major companies are designing apps that simply don’t work on iOS3 phones, including Major League Baseball and Delta Airlines. Their calculation? They’d rather trade off the ability to have better app functionality and user experience for 90% of users than try to accommodate the declining 10% share.

Based on our experience, we have recently released an app for a major festival that had high level mapping functionality, but had to then go back and remove this feature for iOS3 phones. It shouldn’t be a surprise that doing this increases costs for the client and as the iOS3 market shrinks, this doesn’t make sense.

For apps we’ve developed for radio, we currently have a Background Play button so users with iOS3 can shift the audio stream into the Safari browser – a great workaround. But again, there is going to be a time when we decide that it simply doesn’t make sense to provide this feature in an app because it will be like the crank that drivers used to turn to start their cars.

So change is coming, and we wanted you to be aware of it. There will be a date when it simply isn’t practical for new apps and upgrades that we build to be compatible on a declining OS that hurts the total package. Also, if there has to be recoding of your app to make it work on iOS5, it’s possible that we will lose iOS3 functionality. We don’t know when that will be, but wanted you to be aware that it’s a possibility in the near future.