AVAI Mobile Solutions

Score big with a mobile strategy for 2012

Elisha — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:19:15 +0000

If there’s a lesson to be taken from Superbowl XLVI, let it be an invitation to craft your mobile marketing strategy for 2012.

It is estimated that nearly 60 percent of mobile users planned ahead to look at or use applications on their mobile device during the Super Bowl, according to a survey from Velti and Harris Interactive. “Adding an interactive component on smart phone or tablet both extends the time spent, gives consumers an opportunity to participate, and leverages a more cost-effective and measurable channel to continue the brand conversation,” commented David Hewitt of SapientNitro. Several companies like Chevy and Pepsi used mobile ad interaction techniques to take advantage of the growing mobile demographic – and it worked out well for them!

If you already have a mobile solution in place, you want to make sure that you are leveraging the power of your users’ devices and delivering content that promotes and engages. It doesn’t matter if you are in advertising, running a business, or planning an event – start building your mobile strategy now, so that it can support your efforts in the years to come.

Some things to consider:

1) Your target audience. We’ve seen a jump in users’ preference of rich, native application content over the mobile optimized website. Not surprisingly, it’s the gaming and social networking applications that consume the largest pieces of the pie. What is the best way to ensure that your users are staying within your branded app? Utilize networking features like Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and FriendFinder to ensure a richer experience for your audience.

2) Taking advantage of advertising banners within the application. Over half of users say that they do not mind in-app ads as long as the application is free (Source: Flurry). Ad banners that sit toward the bottom of the screen are even less obtrusive and their presence will increase your revenue.

3) Leveraging the full capability of your users’ devices. Interaction is imperative! Today’s smart phones have high-resolution cameras, QR scanning capability, SMS and GPS functionality. Are you incorporating the tools on the device into the native application to ensure a rich experience for the user?

If you’d like to learn more about how to ramp up your mobile strategy for 2012, contact us.

Security Policy Error

ATadmin — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 08:28:34 +0000

If you develop on the iPhone long enough, you’ll eventually run into this error.

You decide to run your app on your device and for some reason it doesn’t work. It just errors out and says “Error launching remote program: security policy error”. You clean your project and even possibly quit Xcode, but the same error appears again and again.

What gives?

Simply put, you have an expired provisioning profile on your device. It doesn’t really matter which profile. As long as there is one profile that is expired, you won’t be able to run the app.

The solution is to remove the expired profile from Xcode. Go to “Organizer” and remove it from the attached device and also from the profile list.

Everything should work again just like before.

Zoo 2.0 – A New Way To Experience The Zoo

ATadmin — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:19:40 +0000

We’ve been steadily upgrading Zoos to version 2.0 over the last year and a half. When we say “upgrading”, we mean a mobile app for zoos (accessible by other smartphones as well). This is a major change. For the first time, the zoo is in the pockets of those who are likely to visit – that means the experience continues beyond the physical limits of the zoo itself. And, when they visit, they have greater control over the entire experience.

If they want more education, we can tell them everything we know about each animal. We can supplement that information with video and photographs of the actual animals (this is handy when the animals aren’t visible). They can learn about any animal in the zoo, by searching or by clicking on an interactive zoo map. If they want to plan their day to include feedings or presentations, they can create a custom tour by viewing a list of upcoming events and adding them to their planned visit schedule. This helps them plot their course upon arrival, and notifies them of event start times so they won’t miss anything.

Obviously, a big advantage is reduction of paper waste (e.g. maps, schedules, special fliers, and information pamphlets) – enabling zoos to further improve their conservation efforts. Not only does this reduce waste, the information is actually easier to navigate – so guests get more out of the information. It also has a long shelf life – the documents become a part of the App, and can be easily refreshed by authorized Zoo personnel.

Using the built-in GPS, the application can pinpoint the users location and show them the closest exhibits, restaurants and facilities. We’ve also created a social network function, so our guests can locate their friends and family who are also visiting the zoo. And, finally, the zoos can push information to those who’ve downloaded. That means that on a slow day, the zoo can push an entrance fee special to quickly increase visitors. Or, encourage members to attend a Zoo fundraiser.

The zoos we’ve enabled with our Mobile App Platform include:

International:

The London Zoo

Domestic:

The Cincinnati Zoo

The Dallas Zoo

The Detroit Zoo

The Houston Zoo

The Memphis Zoo

The Seattle Zoo (Woodland Park)