I spent the day today at the DigiDay:Apps Mobile Application Strategy Conference. Agenda on Digiday’s site.
Below are my brief notes from a few of the talks.
App Show and Tell Part II: Presenter:Gabe Dorosz, VP & Management Supervisor, Interactive, Cramer-Krasselt
- Downloading apps currently is difficult because there are too many handsets/platforms, lack of platform detection infrastructure.
- Consumers don’t necessarily care whether utility is served as app, web app, etc – as long as it works.
- Installable Mobile Applications
- Pros – Always on – no network necessary, depth of engagement, leverage of device features and full power, trafficking in app store
- Cons – Cost of development (up to 250K), platform fragmentation, time to market (approval process), distribution and maintenance channels, increased competition (currently)
- Cross-Platform Apps are by far the most popular and successful aps
- Top application platforms in international markets: iPhone, Android, Symbian, Web.
Not Just Fun and Games: Driving Revenue with Game Apps and Virtual Goods:
- Adam Broitman: Moderator
- Adam Boyden – Conduit: Big challenge faced by developers is the multitude of platforms out there. Increasing market fragmentation dictates that applications must be available everywhere.
- Three Rules for Monetizing Social Games: 1. It’s all about friends. 2. It’s all about community. Get people to talk about the game outside of playing the game. 3. Involve players in success of the game – listen to your players.
- Nima Pourshasb – Live Gamer: Market for “virtual goods” is already established, and is growing. Multi-billion dollar scales for virtual goods – EA, Zygna. As payment methods evolve, less friction to putting money into virtual economies
- Joe Monastiero – appMobi: Cloud SDK’s could allow mobile developers to migrate games and applications into the cloud for cross platform compatibility
- Rob Oshima – Funmobility: The way that brands are currently getting involved in virtual economies is actually driving CPMs down. Brands are buying ads that simply aren’t working very well, even in good games.
3:40pm: Apps: The Next Frontier in Video:
- Mike Henry, CEO, Outrigger Media
- Alex Blum, CEO, KickApps: Create a more engaging experience with video – there’s a lot more that’s possible. Player as app can be a syndecate-able item. Be careful with app creation – must support overall marketing message and brand campaign.
- Mike Lu, Director of Product, RockYou: App within an app that plays content.
- Eric Rosentahl, COO, Kyte: Make sure video content is geared towards where the users want to be. Customize the user experience. Brand is the most delicate in monitoring image.