 |
   |
Visit min's sister site:  |
|
|
|
|
THE MONEY SHOT
EW’s ‘Must List’ App Taps an iPad Business Model .jpg) iPad as soon as possible was high up there. The new app, which launched late Monday in the iTunes App Store, is a multimedia-enhanced, e-commerce-enabled, highly interactive version of the magazine’s weekly “Must List” of top 10 things the editors love. In an attractive set of panels that makes excellent use of the iPad’s scale, touch interface and visual punch, the app is a welcome alternative to the "digital magazine" approach of most early-comers to the Apple device. EW wisely chose to take its most popular feature and present it as a simple console of items for users to tap and explore. Whether it is “The Fringe” series on the Fox network (#1 on this week’s list) or a hit viral video of an owl and her young devouring a rabbit (icky at #10), each panel flips nicely and then clicks into a rich description of the top pick and connections to other resources.The biggest attraction of this app is in the many links that sit below each of the top 10 items. For a viral video or a new hit show you get to see samples or full videos of the item. Upcoming films call up the trailer, relevant interviews in EW or even related Web links. The EW app keeps most operations in the browser, so Web calls and video links won’t kick the user out. Audio samples stream from iTunes directly into the item’s landing page and video usually takes over the screen. The Must List lets you see previous week’s lists as well. A bottom rail of icons will call up favorite items by entertainment category (games, TV, music, book, etc.). EW will refresh the content on Friday each week. The app is free but has both advertising and e-commerce revenue streams. From a business perspective the most interesting feature in the “Must List” are the links to purchase and the ticketing opportunities. Links for the upcoming film Vencere, for instance, can take you to online ticketing site Fandango for showtimes and reservations. TV series can link to buy buttons for episode purchases in the iTunes store. Books link into the purchase page at Amazon. This is a fascinating use of the latest technology to close the loop for entertainment shoppers. They can be intrigued by new things, sample them and purchase them all on a single screen in their laps. EW has commercial arrangements with their partners. On the ad side, AT&T is the sole launch sponsor of the app. Its banners run on the bottom of most pages and a badge is present within the Must List itself. The ads click through to a branding video. According to EW this AT&T placement is one piece of a multiplatform ad buy that runs across this app, the print issue and EW.com. The EW Must List exemplifies a few good principles of iPad design. Unlike a digitized magazine it understands that abbreviated but visually rich content is a good fit for the technology and the use case of the device. You don’t need a whole magazine to make your brand felt here. As well, the iPad offers a unique platform for previewing entertainment experiences with a richness and intimacy that is even unavailable on the Web. And at the same time the integration with e-commerce opportunities, especially direct downloads from iTunes, bring the user one click away from fulfillment. The app suggests how technology can be used to put magazine brands more directly into the revenue streams of the purchase cycles that they influence. EW has created a visually inviting extension of their content brand here. But even more interesting and perhaps important to magazines is the business model beneath it. COMMENTS
|
App Central min's App Central (for min subscribers only): Stay on top of mobile app developments with exclusive app reviews, analysis and data. 
Please enter the following information to have a link to The Skinny emailed to your iPhone:
White Papers
min Contests
EventsBest of the Web, April 3, 2012 min's Sales Executive of the Year Awards min Press
 Events Calendar
min's Best of the Web Awards |
.jpg)
Internet Sales Guidebook| Copyright © 2012 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Access Intelligence, LLC is prohibited. For more details please see Terms and Conditions. |
