BU & Beyond 2012 - Bournemouth University

GETTING AHEAD
IN THE APP BUSINESS
Graduate Danielle Newnham’s forthcoming
book promises to share her expertise in mobile apps
with the world
After completing my Public
Relations degree in 2000,
I came back to London to
work in the music industry working
with record producers, DJs and
artists before moving to the more
glamorous industry of fashion – but
it wasn’t until I entered the very
early world of mobile apps in 2006,
that I felt truly at home.
“It’s really about finding a
solution which can’t be better
served by another platform.”
I was on the founding team of the
award-winning mobile app studio
ubinow which creates apps for the
likes of Cadbury, Universal Pictures
and Jack Daniel’s, leaving only to
go on maternity leave. Since then,
I have decided to write a book
about the industry, interviewing
key pioneers about what it takes to
create a successful branded app and
game. I have also just co-founded
another startup called We Make
Play which creates playful digital
experiences for well-known brands
such as Channel 4 and Hotmail.
I am responsible for PR, HR, finance
and business development which
means I am often having to pick up
new skills and learn about areas of
business I did not have previous
experience in. There is no typical
day and you have to ensure that you
are serving the brand, the agencies
they use and, ultimately, the end
user of the app or game.
The key to success in mobile is the
same for any campaign be it PR,
marketing or advertising; regardless
of platform, it’s about asking the
right questions at the beginning.
Who is your target audience and
what message do you want to
give them? We often find that a
branded game might work better
for the brand if their demographic
is young males and they are after
engagement, whereas a mobile
site may work better for a retailer
who simply wants to allow their
customers to purchase goods whilst
on the move. It’s really about finding
a solution which can’t be served
better by another platform.
“Apps are a big part of the future
of creative communications”
Once you have decided on the
appropriate content and platform
then you have to look at how your
app is going to be received. We
encourage clients to look at existing
analytics if they have to see how
and when their customers are using
their product or service. Most are
surprised to see the percentage of
customers using mobile in place of
web, print, press and TV today.
The mobile app markets are filled
with hundreds of thousands of
apps so you have to make your app
visually effective and easy to use.
Don’t clutter your app with lots of
add-ons; do one thing brilliantly
and your users will thank you. In
order to stand out from the crowd,
be innovative. This can mean using
the latest capabilities of the handset
you are creating the app for. Some
of the best apps use functionality
which the user already knows and
likes such as using the camera
view for augmented reality to find a
local restaurant or using the music
playlist you listen to to help you with
your fitness app. Then you have to
PR your app to ensure your target
audience know it exists!
Apps are a big part of the future
of creative communications and
the fact that the Bournemouth PR
course now covers Interactive Media
Strategies shows how pioneering
this course is.
Danielle’s book Mad Men of Mobile
will be published next year.
BU & Beyond | 31