4 brands that need a widget

Michael Leis
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Apps Posted on January 05, 2009

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Costco

With the U.S. economy in peril, more Americans are turning their attention toward bulk discounters like Costco and Wal-Mart. But their business models rarely translate well to the web, resulting in overcrowded sites that do a better job of intimidating users than inviting them to try something new as they drive toward the 780-pack of toilet paper.

A desktop widget would take the Costco brand experience and give it practical, daily utility. Simple things, like tying in the Costco CRM system, would give people an easy way to see what their most frequent purchases are and allow them to print a shopping list.

This is a good takeaway point for marketers regarding desktop widgets: I'm sure you know by now that when it comes to printing, you can only go so far from a website in terms of formatting -- much to the chagrin of quite a few marketers. But once your application is installed on the desktop, the brand has virtually complete control over how items are formatted for printing. Being on the desktop is the other side of the looking glass. You can brand pages, design where pages begin and end, and specify landscape or portrait printing.

Because a shopping list widget resides on the user's desktop, it is incredibly easy for people to add new items to their lists over the course of the week. The application sits outside the browser space, so anytime someone sees a product in a web page, the desktop widget is right there beside it, ready to have that product added to the user's Costco list.

The control that brands have within the desktop space could be used to reinforce the Costco secret weapon: making people feel that if they don't buy a product now, it won't be at the store the next time they visit. Using a desktop application, Costco could feature limited-time product specials that can be purchased online and then picked up at the store at the end of the next local shopping visit.

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Deb Stokes January 7, 2009 at 5:44 PM

Michael,

Thanks for the quick reply. I think the big hurdle is getting one company to buy into the idea and then getting it through the pharma leagal process.

I think the potential is there, we just have to sell it.

Deb

Michael Leis January 7, 2009 at 4:25 PM

Hi Deb,

Thank you for taking the time to read the article and leave a question.

Agreed: as with many parts of the distributed Web, I think a lot of people see a great, unrealized potential in Pharma.

You've also hit on the two big holdups: security and risk.

What I used to hear was that the barrier to download (in the case of desktop widgets) was too big a leap for the average consumer to take. But I think as long as there's value and utility for the audience, this concern becomes moot.

And Pharma plays a big part in the daily lives of their audience. Widgets don't need to do it all. They can be a desktop timer/reminder. Widgets can be a one-click skype call to a doctor (especially for affluent vacationers). Much like the medicine itself, being there when needed is key to the interaction.

On the security issue, at the very least widgets can handle the same SSL technology credit card transactions use. At most, widgets for blackberry or iPhone can be protected by multiple layers -- especially at the heart of a relationship between patients, doctors, and pharmacies -- because you'd be passing information through private gateways -- like a closed B2B or VPN network.

Hope this helps. Thanks again for reading and leaving a comment!

Deb Stokes January 7, 2009 at 1:31 PM

Great article and interesting idea for these companies. I can see great opportunities for Pharmaceutical companies to use these widgets to help with patient adhearance. Are there any major downsides or security issues you can point out that would keep pharam from jumping on the widget bandwagon?

Michael Leis January 5, 2009 at 9:05 PM

Melissa -- Thanks so much for taking the time to read the article and comment.

Absolutely. A ton of brands have done good widget work. Where to start?

The 800-lb gorilla is iTunes, and now that it has the app store, it's a desktop widget that sells phone widgets. Nike continues to make good widgets for Nike+ and other product lines.

The Audi, Kraft, and Ralph Lauren iPhone apps are nice brand entries that find innovative ways to bring their message to the widget.

Virgin Airlines has a good one, as does HBO, VW, AccuWeather, WeatherBug, and many more that I'm surely missing. But that's just off the top of my head. Hope that helps.

Hey! Other iMedia readers. Have you seen a brand widget or iPhone app that you liked? Please add it to the comments section.

Thanks again, Melissa.

Melissa Cahoon January 5, 2009 at 5:20 PM

Really enjoyed the article. Are there any companies you feel have successfully implemented a brand widget?

Michael Leis January 5, 2009 at 3:16 PM

Thanks so much for your comments! One at a time:

Scott: Welcome aboard! Glad to have you. Looking forward to your future comments.

Gordon: So glad you appreciated two of the big reasons why I write these articles:

1) To give folks some concrete, actionable ways that technology can be used to create affinity with audiences,

2) That "Widget" has always been a way to understand the portable Web. The desktop is just one destination (and a very undervalued one, to me). Thanks again!

Chris: Of course, all brands come to this precipice wondering if it's more worthwhile creating their own app or going with a partner.

I usually take these on a case-by-case basis, but reach isn't the best reason. If the widget is good, the brand doesn't usually need to look beyond existing channels to get core adoption.

What's more, it's important not to lose sight of the fact that widgets create their own channel.

At the very least, it's a network of your most loyal audience members. Partnering does have the pitfalls of lending your brand out underneath the partnership, and betting your chips that the partner will be a long-term play. That said, I've partnered plenty and the relationships have been wins for everyone -- but there are serious considerations to take into account.

I absolutely agree that it has to be about fun and utility. Sometimes, these answers are surprisingly simple.

Thanks again for reading the article: I truly appreciate that you spent the time to read, and even more that you spent the time to respond.

Chris Carpenter January 5, 2009 at 10:54 AM

Totally agree on the Costco and CoverGirl...both would provide a meaningful utility that would warrant space on the desktop.

The others seem like a stretch, It seems they'd be better off partnering with existing applications, etc than re-creating tools that already exist and have built-in reach.

The key to apps on the desktop or in the browser is that they either need to be really fun or provide utility that people need/want consistently to have any staying power.

Gordon Phillips January 5, 2009 at 10:52 AM

I love it when writers give constructive executable advice. These are great ideas. The shopping list is such a ripe idea with a cross sophistication appeal that it's only a matter of time for before it becomes a competitive widget. The Cover Girl idea is dead on and should be added to a mobile app too. Music has so many other options for delivery, it might be better if Starbucks cut a deal with Otis elevator to supply all of their units instead. Nice job.