Fuzz Buzz

The iTunes App Store hit the 3 billion-download mark early in January, and considering it reached the 2 billion threshold only last September, the message that kind of expansion sends is pretty clear. No matter how Google’s Nexus One and its Android platform perform, marketers who want to get in front of the growing audience for interactive mobile campaigns are going to want to pay lots of attention to the iPhone and iPod Touch for the foreseeable future.

That’s what Panasonic did in December to generate some heat for the launch of two new high-end shavers. The free “Panasonic Beard Buster” app let users upload their photos to an iPhone or Touch device draw on facial hair and then remove it using one of the two new razor models. The shaver works on its own, leaving the user with a random beard style, from soul patch to chin whiskers, that can then be shared to a Facebook profile.

Other buttons link to a page of basic product information — what makes the shavers worth that Cadillac price — and to the main Panasonic Web site.

AN APP FOR THAT

While Panasonic pursued other ad channels, including print, this first venture on the iPhone was an important key to reaching the desired demographic of early-adopting 25- to 45-year-olds.

“They were trying to target young professionals who were a bit more affluent than average and ready to spend $300 to $400 dollars for a high-end shaver,” says Sarah Hofstetter, senior vice president of emerging media and client strategy at agency 360i, which worked with Panasonic on the campaign. “Kudos to Panasonic for not walking in with a checklist for social media. They were more interested in understanding their audience, and what they’re doing in their daily habits.”

With the app in the iTunes store, Panasonic then went out and did PR and teamed with 360i to contact blogger-influencers in both the tech and grooming categories, to make sure its target audience heard about the app quickly.

“With all digital, there are so many metrics that you have to figure out which ones tie back to the campaign objective,” says Hofstetter. “Here we‘re measuring exposure, and since the campaign is linked to social media, we can also measure the exposure that’s positive and could be a form of brand ambassadorship. We’re looking at not only the number of downloads, but the frequency of engagement, how many pictures are getting shared, and the nature of the blog write-ups.”

DID YOU KNOW?

• 51% of consumers used a mobile phone this past holiday season for in-store shopping activities: comparing prices, reading product reviews, looking for mobile coupons, etc.

• Among Gen Y shoppers 18-34, that proportion rose to 64%.

Source: Motorola 2009 Retail Holiday Season Shopper Study