Word on the street is that Facebook Applications are quickly loosing their luster. Increasingly users are viewing Applications as SPAM and Facebook itself is taking notice.
In our opinion, Facebook Applications have reached a stage of maturity where the novelty factor has worn off. Further discouraging some developers is fact that attempts at building Applications with value outside of a purely social/fun content have largely failed. For example, office and productivity applications generally have fewer than a hundred active users. It’s become clear that while may be Facebook a ‘platform,’ its a platform limited (for now) to ‘all things social’ and not a conduit to ‘all things online’ a la Google.
Taken at face value, what we are seeing is that that Facebook users consider Applications to be almost ‘mini commercials’ or “interactive advertisements” primarily pushing users to other out-of-Facebook applications and websites or forcing them to interact within very narrow confines. Developers need to understand this user mindset in order to be design successful Apps. In many ways, this new state of App maturity parallels more traditional forms of media marketing. Heights Media Group believes an interesting point of comparison for current Facebook Application is with television commercials. The attributes that have produced sustainable commercials throughout the last fifty years are likely to reemerge as key attributes for next generation Apps.
Below we have highlighted four strategies/characteristics common to the best television commercials. These same characteristics and strategies should be central to the development strategies of future Applications. If your goal is creating a “viral” application, you need to start with a compelling value proposition. Designing with the following attributes in mind can help you get there.
Introduce a New Product or Service
This is obvious. When you don’t know a product or service exists you don’t buy it. Initial [Early Facebook applications took advantage of first mover advantage and may have long-term sustainability achieved by economies of scale. However gimmicky Apps like Vampire Bites, while cool when they first appeared, can only be reinvented so often. Going forward, Apps designed to build an early audience for a new product or service (launch), or designed to target certain demographic can still be quite successful]
Provide Insight and/or Perspective
Sometimes as Ad brings out an “aha” moment: you realize you actually need a product because of how it’s demonstrated or pitched. Alternatively an Ad can introduce new data or facts you were previously unaware of. [Some of the best Facebook Apps provide insight – Visual Bookshelf helps you learn about new books for example. Facebook Beacon is another insight or data-centered element that will likely continue to grow and be tweaked. Applications that can intelligently mine data, make recommendations and connect users, or share insight have will always do well.]
Present a Compelling Contest and/or Give-Away
Television commercials can be successful when they create a sense of urgency, offer a give-away or entice the user to take advantage of a compelling opportunity. [For example, Applications for marketing Movies where movie tickets or merchandise is given away based on a variable (say the number of your friends who watch a trailer) is a great way to get the word out.]
Elicit Emotion (humor, inspiration, etc)
Lance Armstrong’s Nike Commercials and or famous political television ads tug at our emotions. Apple’s Think Different inspired us. These types of ads elicit responses and are types of marketing we desire to view over and over again — even to share with friends and family. Best of all, we often want to add ourselves into the dialogue. [This is a generation of Applications that we have yet to see realized. Certain applications, like those showing support for a cause (for example: Obama 2008) are Applications that are a good start. However, there is substantial opportunity for better applications that are able to elicit emotion.]
***Do you have a favorite application that falls into one of the four categories from above? If so we’d love to hear about it! Please add a comment
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