PowerBar iPhone App Campaign

loadscreenEarlier this morning, we announced an iPhone app campaign involving PowerBar, a Nestlé brand, and the top downloaded snow report app, Ski Report, from SkiReport.com.

The campaign, in partnership with PowerBar’s agency OIC, offers winter sports enthusiasts an array of nutritional information, athlete profiles, videos and free product samples of new PowerBar® GEL BLASTS™ energy chews via the convenient Ski Report app.

As I said in today’s press release, ‘PowerBar’s sponsorship of Ski Report demonstrates the contextually-relevant and targeted media opportunities brands and agencies are embracing through apps.’

You can read today’s press release here and if you’re into snow sports, download the Ski Report starting here.

Chris Cunningham
Co-founder and CEO

Blockbuster Social Media Campaign of 2009

mafiawarsEarlier today, we announced the “blockbuster social media campaign of 2009.” The campaign involving Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Zynga’s wildly popular Facebook game, Mafia Wars, promoted the Blu-ray™ and DVD release of the gangster saga Public Enemies.

During “Public Enemies Week” on Mafia Wars, players completed various jobs in order to unlock Public Enemies “Loot” – items such as John Dillinger’s wooden gun, prison stripes, and Public Enemy #1 Newspaper, among others.

Additionally, special Public Enemies-featured jobs were offered for a limited time. After completing jobs (playing the game), players were able to view clips from the movie and read John Dillinger factoids.

To demonstrate the success of the campaign, Public Enemies Loot garnered nearly 55 million interactions during the week-long campaign. Not only did the game reach millions of players, but it also over delivered by a multiple of 13, which ultimately supported the film’s Blu-ray and DVD break-out during the busy holiday season.

Outside of Loot interacted with and Jobs completed, as one would expect, the integration was a viral success. Loot and Job interactions were posted to players’ Facebook Newsfeed more than 7.6 million times delivering nearly a billion viral impressions. Meanwhile the campaign generated nearly 25,000 ‘Likes’ and more than 26,000 comments on the Mafia Wars Facebook fan page.

To learn more about the campaign, including a video and screenshots of the integration, visit: www.appssavvy.com/publicenemies.

Chris Cunningham
Co-founder and CEO

Todd Bowman Joins appssavvy as Senior Vice President of Sales

todd-bowmanEarlier this morning, we announced the addition of Todd Bowman, an online advertising veteran as senior vice president of sales.

In his new role, Todd becomes the fifth member of the appssavvy management team. He is a significant addition to our team as we enter 2010 and build on the next phase of our growth after reaching profitability in October of last year.

Todd joins appssavvy from Condé Nast Digital Media and previously, Forbes.com. He began his career in digital media at DoubleClick.

Joining Todd’s, now, direct sales team for the social media space, is Jared Zlotnick. He arrives at appssavvy from AOL Advertising and will serve as senior account executive serving the East Coast.

I’m thrilled to have both Todd and Jared at appssavvy. Welcome aboard!

Chris Cunningham
Co-founder and CEO

Dogbook iPhone App

dog-bookLost your dog? Well, there’s now an iPhone app for that and we’re excited to be part of it.

The app I’m talking about is Dogbook from our partner Poolhouse. Recently, Poolhouse followed the popularity of its Dogbook Facebook app with a version for the iPhone. It can be downloaded here.

We’ve been working with Poolhouse as the company’s direct sales team since earlier this year and have delivered an array of social media app campaigns with the Facebook version of Dogbook. We’re excited about the opportunities for leading brands to engage with the Dogbook iPhone app.

To learn more about the Dogbook iPhone app, see the press release and to view a video outlining its capabilities click here.

Congrats to Geoffrey and the Poolhouse team!

Chris Cunningham
Co-founder and CEO

Oldtimer Award

It is hard to believe that another year has come and, bascially, gone. Another year older and, hopefully, wiser.

Speaking of “older,” earlier today at the iMedia Agency Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, the 7th annual ASPY Awards were handed out. The ASPY Awards were established in 2003 by the “Aspen Group” which is comprised of senior agency executives who first started meeting at iMedia events a number of years ago. The awards are given to publishers and technology service providers in the categories of “Best Customer Services,” Best Innovation,” Best New App,” “Best Overall Partner,” and an individual award for “Oldtimer of the Year Award.”

As a regular at iMedia events – I couldn’t be at this week’s Agency Summit, damn schedule – the Aspen Group determined me as a candidate for the Oldtimer of the Year Award. This award is like the Oscars’ Lifetime Achievement award for the person from the publisher side that contributed the most to moving the industry, and the iMedia Summits, forward over the years.

While I wasn’t thrilled to be thought of as an Oldtimer, I was incredibly honored to be a nominee and winner of the Oldtimer of the Year Award! Wow! Thank you, I’m speechless, well, almost.

Chris Cunningham
Co-founder and CEO

Crain’s New York Business Best Places to Work 2009

When we started appssavvy a little less than two years ago, we set out to build a company focused on the opportunity in and around apps and social media.

At the same time, we set out to build a great company. A company that not only worked as one, but was super passionate about the work we are doing. We wanted to create a family and, simply, a great place to work. Easier said then done.

Today, Crain’s New York Business recognized appssavvy as one of its Best Places to Work 2009. We ranked #17 and Crain’s summed up our company really well with the headline: Startup with a family feel (Jump to #17).

To find New York City’s Best Places to Work, Crain’s conducted nearly 14,000 surveys of employees, representing more than 150 companies. Last week preceding today’s Best Places to Work report, Crain’s featured us in its story: Little firms redefine culture of work. In that piece, appssavvy’s Julie Nielsen had this great quote, “Our executives treat us like they probably wish they were treated when they were our age.” So true, Julie, and thanks!

We are so very proud of what we’ve built at appssavvy – both the company and our new family – and our honored to be one of Crain’s New York Business Best Places to Work in 2009!

Chris Cunningham          Michael Burke
Co-founder and CEO      Co-founder and President

Why Didn’t I Think of it That Way?

25-centWe represent several of the leading social gaming companies out there selling marketing integrations, sponsorships and big ideas. It is a great segment of the social media landscape.

I’m often asked by clients about the space and while I’m pretty knowledgeable, a recent piece by Nicholas Carlson at The Business Insider/Silicon Alley Insider delivered a, “Why didn’t I think of it that way?” moment.

Nick’s piece stemmed from a Tweet by Jimmy Fallon Show producer Gavin Purcell. He wrote: “Casual Gaming on the iPhone is the Arcade business rising from the ashes of the 1980s.”

If you are at all familiar with the history/evolution of gaming the general comparison/analogy is phenomenal but what I really like is the fact that he highlights how arcade games (video games before they made their way into the private home) were built on a social foundation – friends coming together in one room, being social and playing games. Today that is what social games on Facebook, MySpace and the iPhone are all about, only on a virtual mass scale.

Why didn’t I think of it that way?

Lauren Jaramillo
Director of West Coast Sales