More than four years after the iPhone took the world by storm, branded smartphone apps are still a hot commodity in the world of content marketing. Companies large and small are using apps as a way to help clients find their products, use their products in new ways and even find out where their products come from. This week’s Five Things You Might Have Missed is devoted to the best, brightest and most popular branded smartphone apps that might inspire you to create an app of your own!
1.) Where Do Big Macs Come From?: McDonald’s Australia has come up with an innovative iPhone app that answers the age-old question: Where does McDonald’s get its food? The app, TrackMyMacca, shows users where the fast food giant gets its produce, dairy and meat as well as how it arrives to stores across Australia. As a global brand, Micky D’s is trying to get more honest about its food and how it’s manufactured, and this app is a step in the right direction.
2.) Less Taxing: Some companies use apps to show you how its line of products and services have updated to the smartphone and tablet era. H&R Block’s At Home app for iPad does just that. By making income tax services “to go,” H&R Block isn’t just staying current with TurboTax, it’s also creating a new marriage between tablets and taxes.
3.) The Newspaper Rides Again: Japan, like the rest of the world, has seen the newspaper edge toward extinction. Readers of the Tokyo Shimbum newspaper were primarily of the older generation, so the publication came up with an app which translates adult news stories from the paper to kid-friendly versions for a phone or tablet. This sort of cross-generational reach is the kind of thing branded apps do so brilliantly.
4.) Just in Time: Luxury watchmaker Montblanc uses its nifty iPad app to give accessory lovers a glance inside its world-famous timepieces and users can literally see what makes them tick. High-def photography goes behind the gears of 40 different watches for a fascinating and educational look at what we wear on our wrists. The app even lets users virtually try on different watches.
5.) Get with the Program: Can’t make it to the Super Bowl this Sunday but still want a souvenir? For $9.99, the NFL has created an iPad version of the big game’s program. Filled with tons of interactive content and football history, this app is a genius way for the brand to get those of us who can’t make it to New Orleans in on the action.
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