It’s all about the buzz for makers of apps for popular smartphones and tablet computers.
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Eager for their apps to stand out among the hundreds of thousands of available downloads, apps developers increasingly are creating apps pegged to specific, high-profile events such as the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day or Sunday’s 83rd Academy Awards.
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Developers can often repurpose the event-based app the following year, with a few updates to keep it relevant.
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Having a relevant app at the right time is key, says Mark Stagi of AppEzzy, a San Jose, Calif.-based start-up that specializes in apps for Apple’s mobile devices. Because this is what people are searching for right now, the amazing sales we’ll have over only a few weeks can support you throughout the rest of the year.
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Timing is everything, says Tim Doherty, analyst at technology research firm IDC. Even an app with a limited shelf life can do well leading up to a major holiday, sports event or award ceremony.
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Your app might even be featured in the app store that week or written about in an article, which also helps bring attention to your software, Doherty says.
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Ken Yarmosh, author of the new book App Savvy: Turning Ideas into iPad and iPhone Apps Customers Really Want, recalls the plethora of World Cup-related apps last summer. The developers who created the first vuvuzela apps made a big splash simply because of the buzz about them elsewhere. Of course, no one is using them now, except to annoy friends and family members, he says
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Among the Oscar apps for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPads:
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*AppEzzy’s Awards Hero: Oscars Edition (99 cents) lets users view nominees and movie trailers, read about previous Oscar winners, predict winners and create an Oscar pool to compete with friends.
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*ABC Digital’s Oscar Backstage Pass (99 cents), in collaboration with Academy of Motion Picture…