Augmented reality, QR codes, gamification…it seems like a lot of companies’ mobile strategies are led more by buzzwords than they are by actual strategy. Since the release of the iOS app store, we have seen companies evolve from the most basic of bandwagon apps, to using sophisticated cutting-edge technology, but what’s still lacking for many companies is the alignment of technology and strategy.
Augmented reality, QR codes, and gamification aren’t wrong, but they’re simply tools. If they aren’t the right tools to do the job, then a company is failing both its customers and itself.
Most companies are still in the awkward teenage years of mobile maturation – striving for adulthood, but still wrestling with gangly technology and unrefined ideas. The rules of mobile are filled with exceptions like gimmicky apps that went gangbusters or business-focused apps that flopped, so how can companies break past the gimmicks and start giving real value?
In my presentation for the 2011 Innotech conference, I looked at the three types of mobile marketing apps, the keys to making those types of apps successful, and how to bring long-term value into mobile. You can find my session in the embedded Slideshare above, and sample some of the apps I mentioned below:
