4 brands that need a widget

Michael Leis
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Apps Posted on January 05, 2009

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Starbucks

Few retailers can boast the kind of complete experiential presence that Starbucks creates for millions of customers every day. On the other hand, Starbucks.com is a sprawling presence that diffuses the in-person experience. Clicking through the site stands in stark contrast to the tangible sights, sounds and smells that make people's local Starbucks so addictive (beyond the caffeine).

While you can't translate the smell of a Starbucks onto the desktop, using a desktop widget could help re-create many of the visual and auditory facets that make the brand such a desired destination.

Sound is a huge part of the Starbucks experience. Aside from the in-store music design, there's a whole Starbucks range of music to be purchased. Yet bringing this to a web environment could create more problems than it solves.

On the desktop, however, brands can stream music live. This means that people could sit down at their computers in the morning with their cups of Starbucks, press play and keep the feeling of the brand in the background all day.

For the brand, the benefits of streaming its music feed through a desktop application go beyond mere music. The in-store music is already licensed for streaming, so why not increase the efficiency of the purchase by allowing users to pipe it to their desktops? And making a jukebox available is also a great way to let people get used to listening to a brand's exclusive tracks all day. As soon as they've listened enough to pull the trigger on a purchase, they're only one click away. If that level of convenience doesn't do the trick, there's always the auditory reminder of the person's next visit to the physical locale.

In terms of the visuals, desktop applications allow brands like Starbucks to deliver complete desktop themes that are promotions in-and-of themselves. One click from the desktop application can lead to the PC equivalent of retail design. For brand fans, it's an easy way to showcase their affinity for the brand as a personality differentiator among their peers.

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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.