To app or not to app — And how

Abstract

Social apps have emerged as a key tool for brands designing a social media strategy. However, with most social platforms offering no templates or fixed metrics for success, marketers have been short on guidance on whether they should be creating a social app and how to go about it. This paper draws inspiration from the design philosophy of Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen to offer a deeper exploration of the role of social apps in marketing. It also provides practical advice on optimising and measuring the execution of a branded social app on Facebook, supported by the experience of the authors and real-world examples from GoPro, musician Adam Tensta and gaming giant King’s Candy Crush Saga. It concludes with a guide for kick-starting the experience design process and pointers for applying the learnings from this paper to social apps for platforms other than Facebook.