Everyone’s getting into the application game it appears. Who can blame them? Apps, as they are fondly called now, have turned the humble phone into so much more than a device for just calling people. They are the main reason why sales of the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and other smart phones have been nothing short of astronomical over last year.
However, at what point do apps move on from helping you with everyday tasks to defining who you are? According to Jaguar, an app isn’t about helping you with a specific task but more an extension of your lifestyle. From just looking at the company’s recently launched app called Driven Intelligence, Jaguar customers are avid cricket fans, interested in stocks and shares and read the Telegraph. Interestingly there’s no functionality within the app that you can’t get from other existing apps. The iPhone already comes preloaded with a stocks and shares app and there are hundreds of applications that provide news and sports updates.
But that isn’t the point. Driven Intelligence is a prime example of how media organisations are working with brands to ‘add value’ for readers. The app developed in association with the Telegraph is another way of getting content into the hands of readers but more importantly readers with financial clout. With the debate about how newspapers address declining readerships and advertising revenues, this model represents the future of how advertisers could collaborate with newspapers. And with the chance to win tickets to a cricket match for just downloading the app, they might just have a hit on their hands
Eb Adeyeri - Being social 