Month: March 2016

By: Vince Kattoula

We have come to a point where in order to build solid, profitable relationships with clients, a strong mobile strategy is no longer optional, but a requirement. Most consumers now expect a useful, easy and fully customized experience when it comes to mobile.  Unfortunately, their expectations are not being met.

Josh Todd, Chief Marketing Officer for Localytics, took a step back and decided to analyze various reasons why most organization’s current mobile strategy does not work.  He found that half of consumers trust their mobile operators and brands less than they did just three years ago.  He also realized that 25 percent of apps are only used once, and over time, that percentage only gets worse.

What this means is simple: consumers value their mobile phones and they want apps that are personalized and relevant to them.  Otherwise, they will move on to the next best thing.  What this means for you is that you need to focus first on the end user.  What do they need from you and what do you have to offer them?  When thinking about your apps, think about your consumer.

Here at jacapps it is all about the end user and that is why we work to understand your consumer.  Our apps are fully customizable and we will always support what we sell.

Click here to read more about Todd’s six signs that prove businesses are in a mobile engagement crisis.

We’re happy to help you find the mobile intersection of your brand and your consumer.  If you want input on your mobile strategy, or want to learn more about monetizing your mobile assets contact   Beth Ayers   or  Bob Kernen  at 248-353-9030, or email sal es@jacapps.com. 

As digital technologies continue to transform the economy, many companies are finding themselves at the intersection of “digital” and “disruption.”  Several of these companies have had business models in place that have worked for years… until now.  As technology has grown throughout the years, so has its impact.

According to an annual survey conducted by Russell Reynolds Associates, the most disrupted organizations were B2C, with media being the most disrupted.  This is a critical time for businesses to understand where they are headed, and what they can do to lessen the impact of disruption.  The graphic below illustrates the percentage of executives who anticipate moderate or massive digital disruption in the next 12 months.

What this means for the media industry is that sooner or later you will be faced with this question: Do you have the right digital strategy?  And, how can you tear down the silos that keep you from realizing the potential impact of new digital technologies?

Click here to read more about Rhys Grossman’s three levers organizations can pull to keep pace.

If you want input on your digital strategy, or want to learn more about monetizing your mobile assets contact Beth Ayers or Bob Kernen at 248-353-9030, or email sales@jacapps.com.

By: Bob Kernen

A new report from consumer research company Parks Associates finds that 68% of smartphone users listen to music on their phones daily. That’s right, daily. This is huge news for radio, and a real call-to-action for stations to look closely at what they’re doing with their mobile apps. What this adds up to is an audience that spends, on average, 45 minutes a day listening to music.

Of course your station should be part of that mix, which means giving listeners a great mobile experience. That experience should include not just be access to your stream(s), but also on-demand audio and social engagement that will keep them listening longer.

You also need to remind your listeners about your mobile “accessibility” with frequent, creative on-air promotion. Remind listeners about all the places they can take you, whether it be to the beach, the gym, in their cubical, or in their home. Be specific with your promotions in order to plant the seed in the audience’s mind of where and when they can enjoy your station.

In addition to the time spent listening, mobile users are also consuming about 24 minutes of video per day. With production costs nearly negligible these days, there is no reason your station can’t be creating video content regularly. Whether at events or in studio, someone should be able to record some simple video with their own smartphone to post on your website and mobile app. The CPMs for video on mobile are impressive.

Parks Associates’ research also found that the highest usage was on carriers T*Mobile and Sprint. Could this perhaps be because those networks consumers skew a little younger? More importantly, this could be an opportunity for your sales department to be creative in developing partnerships with the carriers.

Finally, smartphone users are spending about 28 minutes a day playing games on their phones. At jacapps, we think there is a huge opportunity here for radio to create fun, engaging branded games that can extend time spent listening and just with your brand in general. This is definitely something to think about as you work on your mobile strategy.

If you want input on your mobile strategy, or want to learn more about monetizing your mobile assets contact Beth Ayers or me at 248-353-9030, or email sales@jacapps.com.

By: Bob Kernen

We spend a lot of time talking to our clients about mobile. Frequently, they want to start right away talking apps. That’s great, we’re thrilled that they’re engaged and interested in this exploding media-tech space. But we always try to back them up a step or two so we can understand more about them, their audience and their product. Out of those interactions, we’ve begun to zero in on some basic questions that are crucial to a successful mobile strategy.

1. What’s the big picture? Part of that process of stepping back is getting a more complete handle on their whole marketing and product plan. The best mobile strategy is one that integrates smoothly with everything else they’re doing, and lots of clients will make the mistake of thinking about digital as its own separate thing. It’s not. And it will only work if it’s a well thought out part of the big picture. So whether or not you have anything to do with the rest of the marketing plan, be sure to understand it. It’s the only way to craft a solution that will be successful.
2. What’s the mobile value proposition? A lot of people think they just “need an app,” but it’s crucial to understand exactly what function that app is going to serve. Is it delivering the product (distribution), or is it a consumer engagement tool (marketing)? You have to help your client understand where in the consumer value chain their mobile strategy sits, and how it improves the customer experience. Identify the goals and memorialize them in a way that allows you to revisit them throughout the development and deployment process.
3. What action are you trying to get the customer to take? Once you’re clear on the big picture and the value proposition, it’s time to dive into the details a little. Do you want more foot traffic? Are you looking to execute an e-commerce transaction? Or, is the product actually delivered via mobile? By knowing what the desired consumer action is in the app, you can design and prioritize functionality and make sure that what you want the user to do is easy and clear.
4. How do you plan to drive engagement? We’ve seen lots of great apps die terrible deaths because the brand forgot to promote it. Before building even begins you should be working with your client to outline a promotional strategy that will get people to download and use the app. What tools do you have/need to get consumers to engage with your brand? What else is being done (this is where the “big picture” thinking back in #1 comes in again) that can be leveraged to drive interest in the app.
5. What are your expectations from your marketing program? This may be the last item on the list, but it’s one of the most important. So often we see clients who get well into a mobile program and only then ask the question, “Are we succeeding?” Unfortunately, at that point, not only is it hard to know, it’s harder to change course. So, be very clear with your client about what success looks like. Determine the metrics that will be used to measure success, and know the variables that can influence those metrics so you can make any necessary mid-course corrections.

All of these questions are central to a successful mobile program, and you need to have this conversation with your client before you begin executing.

To learn more about monetizing your mobile assets contact Beth Ayers or me at 248-353-9030, or email sales@jacapps.com.

The Apple and Google app stores are flooded with millions of apps, most of which never even reach 1,000 total downloads.  It seems many companies are building apps just to be able to say they have one.  No wonder then, that the cost to market an app today is between $1.25 and $1.50 per download. Companies are doing the right thing by taking advantage of mobile technology, but they need to think harder about their unique value proposition to the end user.  Part of the reason many companies see the download totals of their apps taper off sooner than they would like has to do with their focus.

Rather than focus on the technology, focus on the end user, who will ultimately decide whether your app is a success or not.  According to Huffington Post, “the companies leading their industries are putting their customers first by placing them at the center of their app development strategy.”  This is a mantra at jacapps.

When thinking about your apps, think about your consumer. What do they need from you and what do you have to offer them? Of course we’ll take care of the technology, but we’re also happy to help you find the mobile intersection of your brand and your consumer.

Here at jacapps it is all about the end user and that is why we work to understand your consumer.  Our apps are fully customizable and we will always support what we sell.

Let us help get your consumers to the center of your app strategy, call us at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com today!

By: Bob Kernen

We talk a lot about how advertising dollars are shifting to mobile. When you look at the statistics below, you notice how growth in other media is either anemic or even negative.

And while we are huge boosters of mobile (obviously!), we also spend enough time with our traditional media partners and clients that we never lose perspective on the value of other media channels for getting out a marketing message. We believe that the key to effective marketing isn’t choosing the right channel, it’s choosing the right channels. And then making those channels work harmoniously together.

The problem with the increasingly popular “mobile first” strategy is that it ignores a few key issues.

• Quality of mobile ad inventory – To go out and buy a bunch of mobile banners is of questionable value. So what mobile advertising in which to invest is an important question with a lot of facets to consider.
• The cost of marketing and getting distribution – If the strategy involves building and launching a branded app, that cost is considerable with current estimates between $1.25 – $1.50 per acquired user.

Marketing on the mobile platform is far from perfect at this point so it’s important to have a smart strategy. We think key to this strategy is making sure that a “ mobile first ” strategy is anything but a “mobile only” strategy. Mobile should be thought of as just one part of a comprehensive “360°” strategy. The objective should be to take advantage of the strengths of each marketing platfo rm and get them working together.

The consumer’s path through their day brings them in contact with lots of different media channels, so think about how each channel targets and impacts the consumer and how they can work together. From this notion of coordinated media and messaging comes a concept that we call “awareness to action.”

With awareness to action, you build a media plan that starts with creating the optimal reach for your brand’s message, using mass media like radio, TV and online display advertising. At that “30,000 foot” level you are trying to create messaging that pushes interested consumers to a more interactive environment where you can capture them as qualified leads. And that is where mobile excels. On the mobile platform, you can interact with that consumer, give them more information, learn about their needs, and acquire the data you need to build a relationship with them, and, hopefully, convert a sale.

What is different in with a “mobile first” approach is that you craft your campaign starting with the desired outcome. You work from that mobile interaction, designing that first. Then work backwards. Determine the best media to build the funnel that leads to an interaction point on mobile. The key is coordinating these elements so that the flow is easy and logical to the consumer.

Providing your clients complete, end-to-end solutions is the way to win more of their business. It’s also the best way to create an ROI model that provides direct attribution of how your brand led directly from outreach to sales.

To learn more about monetizing your mobile assets contact Alex Burnstein or me at 248-353-9030, or email sales@jacapps.com.