Branded apps on Facebook fail to attract users

Many branded applications on Facebook have failed to take off as members of the social network choose not to install them.

Recent applications from MTV, Warner Bros and Woolworths have received a lukewarm reception from Facebook users, achieving as little as five daily active users. These figures come despite, in some cases, having been live for months.

There are now over 22,000 applications on Facebook, including branded ones pushing anything from FMCGs to TV shows and album releases NMA understands that they can cost anything between £2,000 and £30,000 to develop and promote.

An application from Boomerang promoting Fraggle Rock (pictured) has just 31 daily active users, while applications for BBC Torchwood, iPlayer and BBC Weather have a disappointing combined average of 120 daily active users.

None of these companies were available for comment.

Some brands have, however, had a little more success. Coca-cola, which at launch described its application as "ground-breaking", has achieved 7,000 installations.

But there are no branded applications in the top 50 most popular on the social network. Media agencies have expressed deep concern over the failure of many applications to take off.

Alex Miller, head of Jam, the social media department at i-level, said user fatigue was damaging the effectiveness of applications. "Clients want to get involved with social networks and Facebook seems the obvious choice, but users are becoming tired of the ad messages, they will move away from Facebook."

Tom Smith, research manager EMEA at Universal McCann, said: "The numbers aren't great and applications aren't on the way to replacing other types of online advertising."

Jam's Miller said that it was now advising clients to 'piggyback' on existing applications, rather than create new destinations. "We advise brands to jump on an application that's already popular, something like Slide or SuperPoke."

Slide's senior director of advertising Sonya Chawla said, "In the US the shift from using branded applications to branding something like SuperPoke has already begun."

Behind the headlines

Numbers of daily active users for Facebook applications:

MTV music videos     115

FT free sub offer to students      85

Handbag.com    68

The White Stripes (Warner Bros)     15

Catapult Game (Woolworths)     5

Published by: Luan Goldie

Published 24th April, 2008

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