With marketing so fragmented these days, even the biggest brands risk slipping up trying something new. And it’s been Pepsi left blushing after its iPhone app, ‘Amp Up Before You Score’, attracted the wrong sort of headlines for pigeonholing women (around half its customers). It’s certainly one experiment they won’t be in a rush to repeat.

Whilst most don’t backfire so spectacularly, there’s no shortage of poorly conceived iPhone apps created by brands. But there are also some great ones too, which reflect what the brand is about and extend the marketing experience onto the popular mobile device.

Here are 10 great branded iPhone apps Pepsi might want to take note of before releasing their next one:

1. myStarbucks – Users can create their own drinks, locate their nearest Starbucks and view nutritional info on different types of coffee bean. This is a good example of the type of apps retailers can create for directing people to their nearest store. Gap ‘Stylemixer’ is another notable example.

2. Jamie’s 20 Minute Meals – Currently the top grossing app in the UK iTunes store, with 50 recipes and step-by–step prep photos, perfect for when you’re at the supermarket and want to try something new for dinner.

3. Official Arsenal Football Club app – Another new and popular app in the UK iPhone store (well, with Gunners fans anyway) featuring info on fixtures, team news, video highlights and match photos. You can expect to see a flood of apps from sports teams enabling fans to stay connected to one of their life’s passions whenever and wherever they are.

4. Mercedes-Benz –C63 AMG – This is an excellent example of the mini site apps being created by luxury brands (e.g. Breitling, Christian Dior and Lacoste), which extend the marketing experience onto the iPhone. Mercedes’ app features videos of the new C63 AMG drag racing, engine sounds and, of course, directions to the nearest dealer.

5. Volkswagen Polo challenge – In an adrenaline fuelled alternative to Mercedes’ approach, this 3D racing game is designed to promote the launch of the new Polo. Race around seven courses before finding directions to the nearest showroom to test drive the real thing.

6. P!nk’s Funhouse – One of the first artist themed apps released, this promotional vehicle for the singer’s latest tour features pictures, video interviews and 30 second song clips to entice you into buying the full track. Expect to see similarly themed apps appearing for more artists and tours very soon.

7. Absolut Drinkspiration – If you ever want to impress your friends as a drinks connoisseur then this app can help. It offers drink suggestions based on criteria such as mood, the type of bar and shape of the glass. Maybe you’ll only use this app occasionally, but it fits in perfectly with what the brand is all about and promotes it’s logo at exactly the right time.

8. Virtual Zippo lighter – Currently the most popular branded app around with 5 million downloads of the imitation flame, which you’ve probably seen sparking up at concerts. Carling’s iPint is another popular example of virtual product marketing.

9. Oakley Surf Report – Access surf community news and weather reports for planning your next jaunt to the waves. Just be careful not to get your iPhone covered in sand when you go.

10. Last Minute’s Talking Phrasebook – More of a sponsored app this one, but perfectly relevant to the brand nevertheless. Rather than leave you struggling to pronounce phrases this app actually says them for you. This app is practical, useful and will certainly encourage you to visit Lastminute.com when planning your next trip abroad.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

There was a time when the biggest surprise you’d find in a packet of Cornflakes was a plastic toy. But soon you could be finding logos floating in your bowl of cereal after Kelloggs announced plans to laser ‘brand’ individual flakes. Kelloggs hopes this rather extravagant measure will differentiate its cereal from cheaper imitations, highlighting the plight many luxury brands face in persuading customers to pay for the real thing.

Whilst counterfeiting is nothing new, the scale at which imitation products are being made and sold has grown to a whole new level in recent years. Many brands blame the recession and the internet for their piracy woes. But is the success of their marketing to blame as well?

Counterfeiters meet rising demand for luxury brands

In the chase for higher profits, many luxury brands have extended their product range and marketing from niche boutiques to high street retailers and the average shopper. What this means is that more and more people have been seduced with the allure and aspiration of owning a luxury brand. The problem is that many of these people can’t afford or don’t want to pay the price tag that goes along with it.

Luckily for those people, the internet has made it possible for counterfeit manufacturers in China to connect with Western shoppers in only a few mouse clicks. The quality of imitation products is often so good that even savvy shoppers can’t tell the difference. In fact, it’s rumoured that some counterfeit goods are churned out on the same machines that make the originals, with the only difference being that they were made without the brand’s approval or knowledge.

It could be argued that many luxury brands blundered when they moved the production of their handbags, clothes and perfumes into countries which are less regulated and harder to control. So what can they do to fight back?

The carrot and the stick

The war against cheap imitations is already being fought on two fronts: educating shoppers and chasing counterfeiters in the law courts.

A proportion of many brands’ marketing budgets are now being spent on persuading people why they should buy the real thing. Campaigns such as by the Federation of Swiss Watches and Fakes Are Never in Fashion are aimed at spreading awareness on all the evils associated with counterfeiting e.g. child labour, poverty level wages and even funding terrorism.

In terms of the legal war, eBay, until recently a treasure trove of fake handbags and perfume, has already felt the full brunt of the luxury brands’ rage. In June 2008 a Paris Court ordered eBay to pay £15 million to Louis Vuitton and £13 million to Christian Dior for selling fake imitations and causing ‘moral harm’. Louis Vuitton’s lawyers have been particularly busy, launching 24,000 lawsuits in 2007 and shutting down 750 counterfeiter websites.

The luxury brands will be hoping these efforts persuade people to pay a premium for the real thing. As otherwise they’ve created a hunger for their products which seemingly only the counterfeiters can satisfy.

Incidentally, sales of Kelloggs Cornflakes have actually gone up during the recession, as people opt for a reliable and reassuring brand on their breakfast table. Perhaps Kelloggs should worry less about lasers and promote this fact in their marketing instead.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

Nearly two years after its release, it seems as though iPhones are becoming overloaded with gimmicky apps that get deleted after only two days. And this is particularly true when the app has been created as part of a marketing campaign.

Last year I commented on why iPhone apps were at the top of many brands’ Christmas wish list. Ever since Stanley Works released their virtual spirit level, brands have been pumping out mobile apps on an industrial scale.

To be fair, it’s easy to understand why. A recent Wireless Expertise study estimated the number of smartphones sold per year worldwide will rise from 165 million to 423 million by 2013. So finding a way of integrating mobile into the marketing mix is becoming essential, rather than an optional extra.

The market is saturated

The problem for marketers is that the smartphone market is already swamped with apps. In fact, there are already over 85,000 different apps just for the iPhone, following a gold rush of developers hoping to make their fortune.

With this level of competition, one of an app’s key aims should now be to stay on people’s mobiles and be something people will use regularly. So are brands going the right way about it? Or are they at risk of annoying people fed up with gimmicky mini games?

Well, according to research by Flurry, a mobile analytics company, the apps people use most frequently and for the longest period are those offering them useful information, rather than novelty mini games.

Mobile apps should give people what they want – useful info

In a study of user retention of 19 different types of apps over 90 days Flurry found that gimmicky apps (labelled as entertainment) and games ranked poorly for retention, as shown in this handy chart:

This study suggests that if brands want their apps to be used regularly and stay on people’s mobiles they need to be apps providing useful content.

There’s a growing consensus that brands need to become publishers if they want their marketing to appeal to consumers hungry for information and dismissive of advertising.

So as well as harnessing the ability to pump out news, industry insight and product advice on their website, brands need to start doing it through mobile apps too.

Gimmicky apps might get five minutes of fame. But according to Flurry’s study, it’s apps people find useful and use regularly that will stay on their mobiles and keep them engaged with a brand’s marketing.

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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.

Fernando Alonso's Gloves - they could be yours!

Last month a woman who works for the BCQ Group (which bda is part of) was in a major motorcycle accident and suffered serious injuries. On hearing the news, a team at BCQ whipped into action to organise a Quiz Night and Charity Auction to raise money to aid her rehabilitation.

The event’s on 13 October at the Buckingham Town Hall, and already over 30 teams have entered. But what’s been even more inspiring is the number of people not directly connected to BCQ who’ve come forward to donate to the cause.

We’re lucky enough to be located in the midst of Formula 1 team territory, with a number of team headquarters nearby, along with the Silverstone racetrack. Rachael Furn’s father, who works in the industry, told a number of F1 drivers about the auction at last week’s Japan Grand Prix, and the result was some astounding generosity.

Scuderia Toro Rosso held a spontaneous whip-around, resulting in a gift of 150 euro. We also have some great F1 memorabilia for the auction:

- Two Ferarri caps – one signed by Kimi Raïkkönen and the other signed by Felipé Massa; and
- Driving gloves – as worn on the day by Fernando Alonso, and also signed by him

Bid for this Ferrari Hat, signed by Felipé Massa

Or this Ferrari Hat, signed by Kimi Raïkkönen

If you or anyone you know is a Formula 1 fan, and you’d like to place a pre-auction bid for any of these items, please let us know, and we’ll make sure your bid is put forward on the night! And, needless to say, any further help or support for the cause will be greatly appreciated.

For more information, or to place a bid, please email anita.wise@bcqgroup.com. (Note that email bids must be received by Anita by 3pm on Tuesday 13 October to be eligible.)