SOURCE: The Nielsen Company

iPhone this and Android that; it seems like if you need something, there likely is “an app for that”.  As the sea of apps continues to grow, we as marketers must ask: Is an app right for your brand?

Let’s start by defining what an app actually is:

Mobile software is designed to run on handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), enterprise digital assistants (EDAs), smartphones and cellphones.  (Wikipedia)

Similar to Mac vs PC versions of software, apps are platform specific, meaning that iPhone apps are designed to be used on iPhones, Android apps for Android phones, so on and so forth.

Recent statistics show us that the three largest players (Android, iPhone, Blackberry) in the smartphone market comprise an overwhelming majority of the market share:

So which should you develop an app for?  (This is the part where things get tricky.)  Some companies may have a target audience that leans toward one platform over another.

• Men generally prefer Android
• 9 out of 10 doctors prefer iPhones
• Business Executives Prefer Blackberry Apps
• Just over 1/3 of Gen Y affluents own an iPhone; 71% expect to own one in the future

That may make your decision a little more clear-cut, but not always.

The thing we must keep in mind when analyzing market data is that times change and, more importantly, user preferences change – especially in terms of mobile devices.  Android has seen explosive growth over the last two years, but will that trend continue?  No one can be certain.

When considering developing an app for your brand, consider the following:

1. Can your brand afford to cater to just one platform and ignore the others?
2. Are you better off simply having a mobile website that is designed to display well on mobile devices instead?

These questions (and many more) are all part of a larger discussion about your overall marketing and communications strategy – both online and offline.  Start that discussion today.