iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads

July 27th, 2009.

The trend is still alive. Brands and agencies continue to apply banner ad concepts to the iPhone.

The newest example: Mastercard Priceless Picks.

mastercard_iphone_screen.png

Their location aware social review sharing tidbit finder app is a cute, ephemeral trinket (at best). It would have made a rather interesting location-aware banner ad. Unfortunately, someone told them they should ship an iPhone app instead of a ton of banners. Hey, why not, right?

Here’s one reason: installing an iPhone app is work. If you make users work, you owe them something valuable.

Despite the attempt at “one-click” installation, the App Store is a nightmare. iTunes is still slow and unwieldy. Installing, updating, deleting, and managing applications is still quite a bit of work.

Contrast this to banners. A banner loads when a page loads. Users don’t have to do anything. Actually, users don’t get to do anything – including disabling ads or opting-in – but that’s a post for another day. Unlike iPhone apps, the barrier to entry for a banner is very low. Your debt to users is lower.

They’re fast to develop, cheap to run, and simple to measure. They probably get more traction than iPhone apps, especially as the “first in my category!” novelty slots are snapped up. But alas, the creatives are bored with them.

These days, many digital agencies won’t touch banners. They relegate banner work to a production ghetto, churning them out when they have to, and apologizing to the creatives forced to touch such dismal fare. They blame the format for the lack of satisfying creativity instead of looking at themselves.

Hey, don’t get me wrong: I agree that banners, as a format, are terrible. I want online display ads to die as much as the next normal, sane human – and with them, their concepts.

There is a class of creative concept that belongs in a banner/widget, if anywhere at all. Most of the iPhone apps spit out by brands belong in that class. Transposing formats is a distraction. Sleight of hand. Another paycheck.

The Mastercard app shows the warm reception from the public.

mastercard_iphone.png

Would so many agencies pitch iPhone apps if their compensation was usage-based? I don’t mean downloads, either. I mean repeat launches, with the first dozen per device being free.

A Mantra

Ad world creatives and strategists, repeat after me: My iPhone app idea sucks. It belongs in a banner. Leveraging the accelerometer, magnetometer or location API doesn’t change that.

If you’re the exception, I’ll buy you a pint. Of gold.

Brand App User Scenario

To those who will pitch their dumb ideas despite my sage advice, I offer a token of friendship: your primary user scenario.

The user will follow these ten steps.

  1. Hear about the application.
  2. Search App Store or come in via link.
  3. Click install, wait for download.
  4. Plug in phone.
  5. Sync. Take nap while backup and sync complete.
  6. Find the app on the many screens of icons.
  7. Launch it.
  8. Close it.
  9. Delete it.
  10. One star.

Ouch. I’m sure you’ll win an industry award, though.

  1. Peter commented:

    Exxxxxxactly.

    July 28th, 2009 - 10:49 am

  2. Alan Wolk commented:

    Nicely put Toby, had written a similar what’s-with-all-the-useless-apps piece for Adweek last winter.

    But the problem, I’ve learned, falls equally on the shoulders of the clients. They’re the ones asking/demanding that their agencies come to them with iPhone apps because they’ve heard that all the cool kids have one.

    That so many agencies are willing to comply is, of course, the second half of the problem.

    July 28th, 2009 - 3:44 pm

  3. tobyjoe commented:

    You nailed it with the last sentence, Alan. Agencies who act as mindless production companies for clients are everywhere. Clients should go to agencies to be guided, not to be a modestly efficient, one-stop media plan/buy/build superstore.

    July 28th, 2009 - 3:59 pm

  4. tobyjoe commented:

    iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads: http://bit.ly/3GZyNA

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 27th, 2009 - 4:26 pm

  5. bennettk commented:

    another great article via the insightful @tobyjoe – iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads: http://bit.ly/3GZyNA

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 27th, 2009 - 4:37 pm

  6. digitalpulpinc commented:

    RT @bennettk @tobyjoe – iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads: http://bit.ly/3GZyNA

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 27th, 2009 - 6:06 pm

  7. brianjeremy commented:

    iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads http://bit.ly/13oYgE via (@tobyjoe)

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 27th, 2009 - 11:51 pm

  8. flytip commented:

    Nice write-up by @tobyjoe. iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads http://bit.ly/13oYgE

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 28th, 2009 - 9:01 am

  9. 5thFinger commented:

    RT @flytip: Nice write-up by @tobyjoe. iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads http://bit.ly/13oYgE

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 28th, 2009 - 9:12 am

  10. jvad commented:

    RT @flytip @tobyjoe nice writeupiPhone Apps aren’t Banner Ads http://bit.ly/13oYgE But rembember sometimes the objective is just cut thru

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 28th, 2009 - 9:27 am

  11. benlewski commented:

    iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads http://bit.ly/13oYgE

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 28th, 2009 - 9:42 am

  12. ToddWalker commented:

    RT @flytip @tobyjoe. iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads http://bit.ly/13oYgE

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 28th, 2009 - 10:49 am

  13. desaulniers commented:

    iPhone Apps are Not Banner Ads: http://bit.ly/3GZyNA (via @tobyjoe)

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    July 28th, 2009 - 1:32 pm

  14. jess_cheng commented:

    amen to this! http://bit.ly/bCFIP
    I need relevant apps on my iphone, not spam…

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

    August 12th, 2009 - 4:27 pm