Ever since the iPhone helped the mobile world hit critical mass, online advertisers have been hitting the testing trail trying to see how they can get the most money. Many have tried to use the native apps, but the most successful model can be explained with just two words: Angry Birds.
That’s right, my friends. All you budding programmers can now make a living, and not by the paltry .99 cents Apple has tricked you into charging. You can make money just by having a fun mobile app, and you can even give it away!
So let’s take a look at this paragon of mobile virtue:
- December 2009: Angry Birds is released
- February 2010: Apple features it in the app store.
- The results for 2010: 12 million copies purchased and 30 MILLION FREE DOWNLOADS.
So Apple took its 30%, leaving just over $8 million for our not-so-angry friends at Rovio. Not too bad for a budding company. But what about those 30 MILLION freebies? Didn’t that kind of exposure cost the developer something?
Nope. Apple hosts free applications for free. So Rovio, learning from the “free downloads get downloaded more” concept, decided to make the Android version of Angry Birds free, with paid ads built in to the game. And this time, they’d get to keep it all. In just a few weeks, the Android version hit a million downloads.
That was last year. Today, Rovio has over 140 million downloads and a cash flow of over $1 million a month from the ads. Plus, Rovio has added movie tie-ins for films like Rio, and Angry Birds merchandise is selling like, well, pigs in a blanket. They’re also looking at console and even a Facebook version.
And then there’s China, which Rovio expects to double U.S. sales. So what does all this tell us aside from the fact that Rovio is probably a good place to have a job right now? It says that, finally, it’s time to take mobile seriously. I’ve been harping for at least a few years for my employers and clients to make sure their sites are all mobile-friendly. The response is something like, “We don’t really have the money for that. It’ll be easy enough to see on a smartphone, except for the Flash part. Maybe we’ll retrofit it later.” Sigh.
Who would’ve thought a bunch of irate fowl would do the job for me? Rovio has shown that not only is mobile a digital front worth exploring, but that it can stand alone, without other media. It doesn’t need a supporting website or tie-in. Those can come after.
To me, the exciting part is that mobile is becoming the test ground for new applications and ideas. At the moment, Apple and Android are so mired in the “who’s got more apps” war that they’re willing to give away a lot of loot to do so. In the meantime, developers can build an app and instantly get free exposure to thousands of users, without paying a dime.
Much like network marketing, not everyone’s going to strike it rich. I always hear developers complaining about the .99 cent barrier. But look at it this way: there’s a built-in infrastructure and lots of ravenous consumers hungry for the next free app. The mobile ad model works. And so does mobile.
If you build it, they will come.