Branded iPhone apps: Some good and some bad

A hot topic recently has been the potential of branded iPhone applications. Do it properly and brands can achieve international exposure for relatively little investment, screw it up and your left with useless vanity projects…..

The big question we always ask ourselves when developing apps is “Would I use it everyday?”, if not then we go back to the drawing board.

Below is a list of 5 good, and 3 bad, branded iPhone apps….

The Good’uns

Audi A4 Driving Challenge (iTunes link)

A big hit with nearly 3.2 million downloads, this game allows the user to experience driving Audi’s new A4 car. The app allows you to steer the car by tilting the phone and includes five courses.

Audi have now released a follow up, Truth in 24

The Daily Telegraph (iTunes link)

The Telegraph have managed to make an attractive interface without copying the design of their website wholesale, they’ve also managed to integrate advertising (from Cisco) without it being too intrusive.

It is surprising that other UK newspapers (such as the Guardian) haven’t followed suit.

Cobra Beer: The iBanter (iTunes Link)

Great idea and easy to see how it would be used by a group of friends down the pub. Nice website to back it up too.

 

dex Mobile (iTunes Link)

Nice combination of a branded app with business functionality, this allows users to track parcels and order pick ups.

iDaft (iTunes Link)

Electronic band Daft Punk have made this soundboard which includes all of their famous samples and beats. Nice! You can play with a web version here.

3 Bad: Try harder next time

Taco Bell (iTunes Link)

Plenty of potential here for things like re-redeemable  coupons and a location aware store finder, but instead they have gone for a shakeable app that calculates the various 79¢, 89¢, 99¢ items on their Value Menu that you can purchase with your spare change. A missed opportunity.

The Dark Knight (iTunes Link)

Nice idea, but not very well implemented. The app allows you to “add Joker elements to your face”, but the end result just looks a bit ….weird.

ELLE Astrology (iTunes Link)

If this was free I could see the point, but it costs 8 dollars and offers nothing from Elle magazine except for horoscopes…..