Posts Tagged ‘iphone app’
Case Study: Twilight in Forks App
posted by Michael Arcand
After the wild success of the Twilight series of books and first movie to hit the big screen, the small town of Forks, Washington, was plunged into the spotlight as a major tourist phenomenon. People just couldn’t get enough of the town that was the setting for the Twilight phenomenon. Now, anyone can get a glimpse behind the scenes at the city of Forks, thanks to a recently released documentary, “Twilight in Forks.” And when the filmmakers decided to build their mobile app they chose Mobile Roadie.
I recently had the privilege to speak with the film’s producer, York Baur, and the director, Jason Brown for the scoop on what how the app is working for them and where they plan on taking it going forward.
Why did you decide to build a mobile app?
York: It’s an interesting scenario for us. It was done as an independent film and then we did a licensing deal with Summit for distribution. Of course, there was, and continues to be, a huge slipstream effect around our movie as a part of the overall Twilight saga, which as you know is wildly popular. So, that’s very helpful but at the same time you can’t rely on that alone. You have to create your own buzz as the filmmakers. That’s really what led us to the decision to try an iPhone app alongside of the some of the other social media things we were doing as well as traditional PR. So it really was part of an overall viral promotional campaign that led us down the road. We’re happy to say that it has been one of the more successful aspects of that campaign.
It has been very successful. Can you share with us some of the success that you’ve had?
York: We’ve had 38,000 downloads at the moment. And that’s without any promotion around the app specifically. The MTV article is really the first formal promotion around it. The rest was us tweeting and facebooking about it and it was carried virally.
Why did you choose to go with Mobile Roadie versus other options when deciding to build an app?
Jason: The traditional path of a customized solution, in my view, has a couple of drawbacks. It takes a while and it’s usually expensive. On top of that, there’s typically a lot of revisions. So when we came across the Mobile Roadie platform, both from the phone interface side along with the back end content management side, it just seemed like it was tailored to do all of the things we were going to design into our own app, and a few that we thought would be nice but didn’t want to [spend] our time figuring that out. They had already did that for us. [It gave us] the level of customization for our title, on top of a pretty rich set of attributes that were friendly, easy to use and easy to update. We’re using the iPhone app almost [to distribute] deleted scenes or additional content that you would traditionally find on the DVD. We’re actually going to do all of that through the web and specifically through the iPhone.
York: I’m a data junkie. I have a background and a career in marketing, in particular online marketing. You can feel good about things but they are difficult to manage and correlate and to know where you should place your next investment of time and energy. So the back-end and the ability to see data in real time was a crucial element of our decision as well.
Are you seeing a lot of interaction with the fans using the app, are they engaged?
York: Yes, and that’s really exciting to see, quite frankly. Globally, what’s interesting about it too, if you look at the distribution of the app, it’s not just a U.S. app. Our film, of course, is not just a U.S. film. So the interactions are interesting to watch because they really span a wide range of demographics and geography. We were surprised at the level of interaction, not only on the posts on the fan wall, which has been fun to watch, but also specifically on things like the photos. You wouldn’t think that people would take the time to comment on a photo on a device like the iPhone, which is principally a content consumption, not a content creation device. It’s not the world’s easiest thing to type on. And yet a ton of people have commented, multiple times and multiple people have commented on each individual picture. That’s been great for us to see, not only because we’re hitting the mark, but it gives us real time feedback of what fans are drawn to. As filmmakers, that’s worth its weight in gold because it helps shape what you do next and how we go about it.
Jason: One of the things York’s talking about that is crucial to how we shape all of that content is the feedback. That’s one of the greatest things about the iPhone. You know people took the time to download the app, sign up to be on our list and comment on a photo. They’re engaged, right? So, when we put something out we get feedback right away and we can tell what they like. In essence, it gives us almost an instantaneous way, to have a little sandbox, to interact with the fans. You can do that on the web and on Facebook and on your own website, but they have to decide to keep going back. But the great thing about the iPhone and mobile applications in general is that they have it with them.
What are your favorite overall features of the app?
York: I would start on the user end of it first. Certainly the CMS and the data are great for us, but if you look at it from a fan point of view, there are a couple of things that are kick ass for the fans. Number one, the fact that it plays music at all, but particularly that it streams music when you open it. We’ve received a lot of very positive feedback about that and, of course, you can favorite a song based on that. The second thing, which you guys just added here recently, is the offline photo capability, because the photos have been a much bigger deal than we would have anticipated, given that we’re a video offering, not a photo offering. The offline photo thing is crucial, because waiting for that stuff can be like watching the grass grow. So, once you’ve gone through that once, the fact that you can now pull it up and show your buddy or look at something that’s special to you again in real time without having to hassle with that, that’s a huge aspect of it.
What are your plans going forward with the app? Do you guys make use the push notifications?
York: You know, that’s something we’re going to roll out here in the next week or so. So we haven’t even done that yet, and we still see this great adoption and participation.
Jason: Well sure, a couple of things. You asked earlier why we picked Mobile Roadie. It’s because we don’t want to write software, we want to give the fans what they want. Mobile Roadie did a great job of allowing us to do that. In fact, I put the whole thing together in one day, no training. I never even had to contact support.
York: I had the same experience. After Jason set the app up originally and worked through the approval process and so on, I went up there and added some additional stills. And again, no training, no muss, no fuss. And that is something we’ll continue to do. It’s very interesting to see the great petri dish for testing content. If you look, for example, in the photos, you’ll notice I didn’t group them in any order. Well, what’s really interesting, if you’ll look at the responses, is the number and enthusiasm. If you look at the last picture up there, you see that’s Bella’s truck, the real Bella’s truck, from Twilight. That got some of the largest number and most enthusiastic comments, even though it’s the last picture up there. So clearly people are drawn to certain things, and that gives us as content producers the ability to test what is the most germane to the fan base, and that’s worth its weight in gold.
What would you tell somebody if they are looking to do a mobile app? Is it worth it?
York: Totally. There are going to be 65 million smartphones sold in the U.S. alone this year. So if you’re not thinking about this as a way to get the word out about you and your content, your band, your film – whatever it might be – then you’re missing the boat. It’s certainly not the only mechanism, but it’s becoming a huge mechanism, so you have to pay attention to it. Then, to echo the points Jason made earlier, Mobile Roadie is easy, good and affordable. And that’s a pretty hard combination to find out there, particularly because, like us, I doubt people want to be in the business of writing software.
That wraps up our case study for this week. We certainly wish the Twilight in Forks app continued success and can’t wait to see where Jason and York take their app from here.
Taylor Swift App Goes to the Top of The Charts!
posted by Michael Arcand
In just 72 hours (at the time of this writing) the newly released Taylor Swift iPhone App has shot to the top of the charts in Apple’s App Store. Right now the app sits at position number six, just one slot away from being in the top five iPhone free apps! There are already over 1,000 total ratings with an average of three-and-a-half stars, with a total of 109 reviews written. While we’ve had some serious gains in the app store before for Mobile Roadie apps, this one takes the cake, rising to the highest ranking of any of our apps to date. And this isn’t even counting Swift’s app on the Android platform, which has gone live as well.
Playing around with the app today myself, I have to say that the interactive features are sweet. Not only can you read Swift’s tweets directly on the app, you can comment and read other’s comments as well. But that’s not the half of it! Let’s say you’re going to the concert in Dallas, Texas, on March 11th … you can connect with other fans going to the concert, post comments and discuss the event and even share photos from the concert, all directly from the app. There are also 30 tunes you can sample (some are ringtones), share comments with other users about, and decide if you want to purchase them (also directly from the app, of course!).
Of course, congratulations go out to Big Machine Records and Taylor Swift, the real reasons behind the success of this app launch! Their promotional efforts have paid off, and in a big way. We’re happy to be the platform for the official Taylor Swift app, and we wish her and Big Machine continued success as she continues to engage her fans through the medium of mobile technology. After all, we told you it’s the wave of the future!
Update:
Well, we knew Taylor’s app was going to be a big hit when we originally wrote this blog post three days after the release. However, just two weeks after the app launched, Taylor Swift’s iPhone and Android apps were downloaded a combined total of over 350,000 times with 10% of all users purchasing music during that time frame as well. One thing is clear: her fans can’t get enough of her music in-app, as over 7.5 million songs and ringtones have been listened to and almost 650,000 videos have been watched.
Taylor Swift Joins the Mobile Roadie App Family
posted by Michael Arcand
She took the Grammys by storm and now it’s time for Taylor Swift to take over the iTunes store (again) and make her mark in Android. Starting today the much anticipated Taylor Swift app is now live and available for both iPhone and Android users.
The Taylor Swift app takes advantage of the versatility of the Mobile Roadie platform, creating an interactive experience for her fans. The application is enabled with push notification so that any time Taylor releases new music (both to sample and to purchase directly from within the app), videos or photos (and more), fans will be instantly updated directly on their iPhones. Fans can also see all of Taylor’s most up-to-date tour information, find and connect with other Taylor fans in their area as well as share their personal photos from Taylor shows with other fans in the application’s network.
Many of these features are easily configured by Taylor Swift and her team because they are using the Mobile Roadie content management system. Instead of requiring each and every change to go through a series of requests, designs, re-designs, etc., we provide a simple way for our customers to modify and organize their application’s functions and menus to their specifications. And with the Android platform now on board as well, it’s literally as easy as pie to keep your mobile app up-to-date with fresh material and to notify your fans or customers using push notifications.
Want it? Get it here.
The Next Twiistup is Coming Soon, Get the App Here
posted by Michael Arcand
Twiistup has become not just another tech conference, but literally the hottest tech event in the Los Angeles area. It’s a great showcase for people with new ideas and entrepreneurial spirit as well as a great place to network with media and investors all under one roof. The next event kicks off on January 28th and will feature 10 startups showing off their demos featuring some of the top up-and-coming technology out there. Speakers run the gamut from CEOs, startup founders, new media managers and the people who fund such ideas, seed investors and capital investment managers.
So how will you ever keep up with all the happenings before, during and after this Twiistup event? It’s easier than ever before with the new Twiistup iPhone app from Mobile Roadie. The app features official news, official tweets, and other buzz from the Twitterverse about Twiistup. There’s a fan wall where app users can get together to discuss news and events, as well as a full list of all the sessions available during the event. Join the mailing list or browse through photos and videos, both of past events and as they are published during the upcoming event.
If you’re going to the event, this app will help keep you on schedule and network with others who are there. If you can’t make it to the event, this will literally be the next best thing. Get yours in the Apple Store today and don’t miss out on all the buzz surrounding Twiistup!
Mobile Roadie Welcomes Dan Pink
posted by Michael Arcand
Mobile Roadie recently completed an iPhone app for Dan Pink, a former vice-presidential speech writer, and author. As a free agent, Dan’s work has appeared in publications like The New York Times and Wired. He has also offered his expertise as a business trends analyst for major news networks such as CNBC, CNN, and NPR. As a speaker his schedule always seems to be booked, with notable appearances including his talk on drive during the TED conference.
So, it was a privilege when Dan contacted Mobile Roadie to do an iPhone app for him. The official Dan Pink app is now live in the iTunes App store and available free of charge. With his iPhone app, Dan shares a lot of information with his fans and followers, including excerpts from his four published books as well as his audiobooks. If you want to find out when Dan will be speaking at a venue near you, it’s easy. Just pull up his speaking schedule under Tour and click on the venue you want more information on. You can confirm you are attending as well as interact with other app users in the comments section. Watch the full length TED talk, or clips from other interviews and speeches given by Dan. Using push technology, you can even sign up for notifications direct to your iPhone with the latest news and information from Dan.
All in all it’s a great app for anyone who reads Dan’s books and follows his revolutionary ideas about what motivates and drives us as humans. Not to mention he’s happy with it. In fact, we’re so happy that he’s happy, that we are offering a promo to those reading his blog who decide to get an app from Mobile Roadie. Simply use code DANPINK during checkout and get 15% off.
iPhone Multitasking Done Right
posted by Michael ArcandOcean Observations has come up with two concept interfaces for the iPhone that they have posted to YouTube. If you haven’t seen this, you’re in for a treat. Combining some elements from the Palm Pre’s card system with Cover Flow, they’ve produced some kick ass videos to just say “what if iPhone had … ?” Of course, Cover Flow is only the first video. The second video covers the idea of using “Springboard Exposé” to bring hundreds of pages to the home button using multiple thumbnail view menus. In this way, you could jump to a specific page much more quickly than having to swipe dozens of pages to find what you are looking for. Both of these concepts are ingenious and are getting quite some attention on Twitter. After all, multitasking and easier navigation are almost always on the top of any request list we’ve seen for the iPhone.
Admittedly, their Twitter stream says they aren’t working on these concepts themselves, but intended the videos as inspiration for Apple. These concepts look great and we can only hope that someone in the creative department takes the overwhelmingly positive response to these videos to heart and begins to figure out how to make it happen.
