Infomedia Services develops mobile products and services designed to enable brands and organisations to access a new channel to their customers. Focusing on mobile since 2002, it has worked with partners including Tesco, Virgin Media and Manchester United, using proprietary technology and platforms.

The company has developed apps and widgets for a number of platforms, including iOS, Android, Symbian OS and BlackBerry. Its other activities include mobile portal and mobile marketing campaign management.

Last year, Infomedia warned about the “empty figures” promoted in the mobile app space, stating that “we have already seen examples of big names postpone investment because they cannot get an accurate figure for the return and revenue that an app – or indeed an entire mobile strategy – might generate.”

Mobile Apps Briefing talked to Tim Satchell, Commercial Director of Infomedia Services (pictured), about the company’s experience of the mobile app strategies of well-known brands.

Are brands still at the “experimental” stage with apps, or do they have a clear idea of what they are looking to achieve when they come to you?
All the clients and potential clients we speak to are at the experimental stage. I don’t think there are too many brands out there that can claim to be wise old men of apps. In terms of the life cycle of different media platforms, apps are still rocking in the cradle.

 Do brands require mobile app consultancy and guidance, as much as development?
Yes, this is a big part of what we do. Brands rarely come to us with a detailed brief that they simply want fulfilled; they want assistance in creating the brief in the first place before handing it over. Sometimes consultancy is something we have to throw in for free in order to win a pitch. I guess that’s a reality of the agency world except with those clients with whom you’ve built long-standing, trusting relationships.

Are clients looking to generate revenue from apps, or raise brand awareness?
Revenue more than brand awareness as a general rule. But they’re also very keen to ensure that apps will enhance their brand and their relationship with customers, not detract or distract from it.

What do you find are the main barriers brands encounter when considering mobile apps?
Cost is a big issue for smaller brands but for larger brands the main hurdle is reaching internal agreement on the right proposition.

What do you think are the most important features of successful apps?
It varies wildly but if I can think of one little tip it’s to steer away from the “fill 5 minutes at a bus stop” mentality. Very often that’s not how people consume mobile content; they engage with it for far longer and often in the comfort of their own home.

What would you advise developers to avoid?
Developers often become expert in one or two platforms either through their past experience of programming languages or due to the requirements of their clients. They can then be tempted to channel all their clients down the same route. So I’d advise developers to avoid thinking that one mobile platform or strategy is right for all brands.

What do you think are the most effective ways of increasing the visibility of apps?
Quite often brands ask us how we can get them visibility, and there are things we can offer like CPC marketing and pushing the app store owners to promote the apps. But really the brands themselves are best placed to promote their apps. They have the best access to people already engaged with their brand, so they should be ensuring that their own marketing channels are fully supportive of their apps strategy.

Does fragmentation in device platforms cause problems when attempting to address the largest possible user base?
Yes. The recent speculation about who Nokia would partner with surprised me. After years of calling for consolidation of mobile platforms, suddenly people were coming out of the woodwork lamenting a possible tie-up between Android and Nokia because it would have created a two-platform market. Not that I’ve got anything against Windows Mobile, but I thought we all wanted fewer platforms?

Will HTLM5 make the delivery of mobile apps easier?
The development and creation of apps will be made easier and the reach those apps could have will be beter for the developer.  So one web app created could be used and accessed by iPhone, Android, WP7, BlackBerry, Nokia users. The only issue will be discoverability. Will that then come down to search or will app stores incorporate Web apps as well?  Apple does have a Web App store but not many users know about it and when you do it’s hard to get to.

How do apps fit into the InfoMedia Services portfolio?
Currently they take up a disproportionate amount of work vs revenue. Apps are an important new area that we are keen to be involved with but our revenues are still mostly driven by more established parts of our business, ie, content retailing, premium text alerts and mobile internet site creation & management.

How many staff do you have working on mobile apps projects?
About half my time as commercial director, we have a dedicated apps project manager, half of a designer’s time, and at any one time we have about three developers dedicated to apps.

What differentiates InfoMedia Services from its rivals?
Firstly our experience in the sector; the company has been dedicated to mobile for 10 years, and all four directors have been involved in mobile all that time. Secondly, the fact we are a full service mobile agency. So while creation of apps fits within our mobile publishing business, we also handle mobile advertising, mobile marketing and m-commerce.

 

Steve Costello