iPad app-idemic

How the ipad can help build your Brand

As more people discover the delights of consuming magazine content on an iPad, associations are keeping a watchful eye on what this technology means to them. With an iPad app, associations can deliver everything readers love about a print magazine – storytelling, pacing and images – all with natural tactile navigation and multimedia options such as video.

Market researcher Telsyte estimates that over one million media tablets will be sold in Australia this year, and the lion’s share will be iPads. But is it just a plaything or the computing device of the future? Here are some key facts to consider.

Fact 1
Forrester recently increased its estimate of tablet devices in the market by 2015 from 57 million to 82 million worldwide.

Fact 2
Consumers differentiate a website from a digital magazine, according to a study by Bonnier R&D and ad agency CP+B. If you are publishing content on your website as HTML, they see it as searching for web content. When they consume a digital magazine on a tablet device, they are in the mindset of reading a magazine.

Fact 3
The iPad has a growth rate typically seen during the mid-life of a product cycle. It may therefore prove to be the fastest growing technological device in history

Next steps
So you think you want an iPad app for your association publication? What do you do next?

  • Identify the target market for the app and why this segment of your membership would use or need it.
  • Conduct a survey to find out what percentage of your membership owns, or is looking to buy, a tablet; which type of tablet is the most popular among members; and how many would be interested in receiving your association publication as an iPad app.
  • Consider features that your members would enjoy, such as audio and video.

Savvy associations are asking publishers for advice on how to capitalise on the apple-flavoured digital revolution. They recognise that the iPad is not just a computer, it’s a pop culture phenomenon. And the growing adoption rate suggests it’s here to stay … for a while at least.

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iPad app-idemic