The Ogilvy Digital Marketing Academy

he app world is becoming like one giant forest, millions and millions of trees. So, if one of those trees falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Sure, there are SEO tricks, word-of-mouth marketing tools and built-in demographic identifiers that might help move your product up the ever-growing search list of apps, whether the list is for books, games or lifestyle tools. Moreover, thousands of companies in the market today make extravagant claims of being able to get your app noticed. Many developers fall into the trap of allocating tight budget dollars to quick “tech” fixes in a desperate attempt to lift their app above the crowd. However, in this age of digital distraction, one mechanism to help that tree stand out is a tried-and-true PR marketing campaign.

Partnership Launches work best in pairs! Choose a partner whose background gels with your app. For example, Ruckus Media 16 just announced a unique partnership with New York City’s PBS station for the “Cyberchase” app in its math series. Relevance Find a way to tie your app to a current news or seasonal story. News outlets themselves know this better than anyone: just this month, the Washington Post launched a presidential election iPad app. Audience Don’t play to a stadium. Rather, cater to an small meaningful audience. Talking about specific audiences, there are even apps for nose-pickers 17 — as well as lawsuits 18 for alleged patent infringement on those nose-picking apps! Cause Share the wealth by helping a needy organization that fits your app’s demographic. This one really woke me up: did you know you could donate $0.25 to charity every time you hit the snooze button? Relationship Incorporate unique ways to address and engage your audience. Self Magazine, a leading women’s lifestyle publication, is unveiling a mobile app game 19 of its annual Self Workout in the Park, featuring fitness, health, fashion games with avatars, virtual goods and puzzles.