International Marketing Strategy for Shuttersong Photo App - Case Study Example

International Marketing Strategy ShutterSong International Marketing Strategy: ShutterSong The revolution that was brought by mobile phones in the field of communication is record breaking. Since its first day, the mobile industry has decreased the distances and has increased productivity and entertainment because of the reason that cellphones are in use everywhere these days. This has received attention from many investors as the market structures for the mobile commerce is under progress and is developing rapidly. New Apps and mobile technologies are overtaking the market. Every new app differentiates from its predecessor because of its salient and advanced options. However, it requires sound marketing strategies and techniques to successfully launch it locally and internationally. ShutterSong is one such mobile app that has been recently launched in the United States. The purpose of this essay is to highlight some of the key international marketing strategies for ShutterSong. ShutterSong ShutterSong is a recently released photoapp by the Carbone Smolan Agency (CSA). CSA is one of the finest and well-known branding strategy and interactive design firm of the mobile app industry. The addition of the ShutterSong App to the Apple App Store was made on September 24, 2013. The App is a unique blend of photos and music or recorded sounds / voice with the touch of the CSA brand identity i.e. their simple yet interactive interface that is found in the ShutterSong app as well (ShutterSong, 2013). ShutterSong has used a very advanced patent-pending technology and hi-tech features, which have built its identity inside the United States. However, the app has only been actively marketed in the United States only. It is available for the international marketers through Appstore on iTunes. The idea behind the App / product is so genuine and sound that it can gain huge acceptance in the international market as well, provided with an effective international strategy (ShutterSong, 2013). The Marketing Plan Regardless of the fact that ShutterSong has its own salient features that deliver “both visual and audio messages to consumers in both social media and traditional marketing environments”, it is difficult for the App to stand out amongst the 500,00 plus apps that are available to consumers worldwide (Litvack, 2014). The global application market is becoming extremely challenging and is expected to be a market worth $25 Billion by the end of 2015 (Ferrell & Hartline, 2012). The purpose of this essay is to derive a marketing strategy through which the application can be marketed and advertised internationally (Paulsen, 2012). Since, marketers and advertisers at present are very cautious regarding the marketing strategies for products, therefore, they lay strong basis for the product so that it may get maximum output and attention from the consumer’s end (Litvack, 2014). There are numerous issues that need to be focused by the marketers and advertisers of ShutterSong before creating strategies for the app, which has to be utilized for international markets and audience (Luther, 2001). Since, international markets and audience differ in many ways and their behavior and attitude towards the product can not be determined, therefore, it is essential that the strategy should be effective as it can move along with any kind of audience or market (Lavinsky, 2013). However, ShutterSong is not an application that is age restricted or limited to a specific age group therefore, the target audience can vary in various markets, so, It is necessary for the marketers to do some research and create a buzz and hype of their product as it will automatically bag attention of the consumer (Litvack, 2014). As it has been discussed that, globally, more than 500 apps are introduced, therefore, marketers of ShutterSong have to be sure and that the consumer will discover about their app (Ferrell & Hartline, 2012). For this purpose they need to create a buzz and advertise the product in a unique and extensive manner (Paulsen, 2012). However, it is quite difficult for marketers to do market analysis for separate markets during the international launch, however, the consumer behavior and the market trends can be determined which can help in generating long term effective strategy for the product (Luther, 2001). In order to design a very sound and influential international marketing strategy for ShutterSong, it is important to focus on a few things. 1- SEO and ASO The App Store Optimization (ASO) and the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be of key benefits while designing international strategies for ShutterSong (ShutterSong, 2013) (Lavinsky, 2013). The marketers can attain top rankings for this app through ASO, which is a major element when merged with that of SEO. It has been found that 60% of downloads from the app store comes directly from those users who find applications through the organic search option in the app store (Dushinski & Marriott, 2009). ShutterSong has important key title such as song and shutter and can play an influential role in this regard (Paulsen, 2012). 2- Social Media Integration The increased social media awareness has bagged attention of many marketers and advertisers and strategy planners are now more declined towards designing strategies that include social media integration (Dushinski & Marriott, 2009). Undoubtedly, it is an important part of any marketing plan but it is necessary that before integrating any social media campaign, marketers should have a strategy or a plan (Ferrell & Hartline, 2012). ShutterSong has salient features and has all what it takes to engage the consumers and can be promoted easily across channels (ShutterSong, 2013). Once the app goes viral on once social media channel / platform, it will not be difficult to expand and promote it to other social media forums such Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. (Litvack, 2014). 3- Press Release In the advanced and hi-tech society, press releases should not be taken for-granted and should be considered as the chief element toward the brand’s image building (Litvack, 2014). A carefully written and structured press release will make it easy for you and your product to gain awareness among the target audience and the people of the blogosphere (Paulsen, 2012). In a press release, the salient features of ShutterSong such as the merging of image with sound or any vocal impression, and other features which can be done quickly and with a bandwidth that is required to stream a 15 second video (ShutterSong, 2013) (Dushinski & Marriott, 2009). 4- Burst Marketing It is another effective technique to design a strategic plan for a mobile app like ShutterSong. In order to skyrocket ShutterSong, it is important that app store ranking algorithm dictation regarding ShutterSong is sound enough to attract heavy amount of downloads in a shorter time period (Ferrell & Hartline, 2012) (Litvack, 2014). Being downloaded extensively in less time period might add ShutterSong in the featured section, which will add exposure and noteworthiness of the app. As a result, more downloads will be made (Paulsen, 2012). Keeping in view the target audience and the demands of the target international market, ShutterSong can move along by expanding its strategy in an effective yet careful manner (Dushinski & Marriott, 2009). The marketers of ShutterSong should find techniques for both short-term and long-term priority plans. The short time frame that should be attributed by the marketers should be between two to three years while the longer term priority of ShutterSong will last around for eight to ten years (Paulsen, 2012). The selection of the two varying plans is to ensure that the strategy is effective enough and will show positive outcomes as expected within the defined time periods (Ferrell & Hartline, 2012) (Tan & Sousa, 2013). Marketers of ShutterSong can also seek help of Porter Five Forces as it will allow them to learn the market trends and will also present the competitive analysis of the target markets. However, with the help of this model, the marketers can study and examine the threats of new entrants in the target markets. On the contrary, marketers and advertisers of ShutterSong should also be aware of the fact that there are applications (not exactly the same) that are entertaining consumers with similar features of capturing images and sharing with friends and other features (Tan & Sousa, 2013). Therefore, a strong research is proposed in the marketing plan of ShutterSong before launching / advertising the app internationally. Results driven from research will help in addressing the shortcomings of ShutterSong and the similar apps available in the target market and the consumer behaviors (Ferrell & Hartline, 2012). Since, this is a marketing plan and the advertisers will evaluate it from every angle therefore, it is necessary to come up with a strategy which is designed and structured in such a manner that it can be easily standardized in terms of the total offer / appeal while keeping in view the local demands of the consumer / target markets (Dushinski & Marriott, 2009). Since, ShutterSong is not a religious application, which will be famous in the Middle East or will not gain publicity in the West. According to the CEO of ShutterSong, the application was able to make 30,000 downloads in 2013. This figure can ultimately triple if ShutterSong is advertised in local markets across the global with a standardized strategy (ShutterSong, 2013) (Paulsen, 2012). The strategy behind ShutterSong across the globe cannot change, however, the advertising campaigns for the app can vary depending on the marketing trends of the local markets. Therefore, effective and suitable advertising campaigns as per the requirements of local markets that fit the global strategy of ShutterSong should be incorporated and utilized (Litvack, 2014). The strategy of ShutterSong must also include options and promises like future developments to engage maximum consumers towards the product. It is not necessary that the future development have to be in the form of some kind of app advancement of development, it can be any kind of additional feature, which may ensure consumer loyalty and brand identity (Paulsen, 2012). Furthermore, the option of consumer feedback can also help in this regard. Consumers are the ones who buy our product and it is because of them that we are able to do business; therefore, it is vital for us to consider their feedback and suggestions and use it as part of future developments. Moreover, it should also be noted that in the international strategy, the branding and positioning of ShutterSong should also be determined for the coming years. Depending on the effectiveness of the strategy, the marketers can easily determine the outcome that can be generated through the plan (Tan & Sousa, 2013). With the help of Marketing Communication Approach, the aim and objective of the strategy and marketing plan of ShutterSong can easily be assessed (Lavinsky, 2013). This can be done through various methods of promotions and communications that may include advertising, PR, and personal selling, etc. The basic purpose of using this approach is to analyze whether or not the designed strategy will be effective and suitable for the international market in terms of its functionality (Dushinski & Marriott, 2009). It should be noted that the international marketing plan for ShutterSong also proposes short-term market entries in some target markets, which are not highly favorable (Paulsen, 2012). Therefore, the strategy recommends that ShutterSong should advertise and market their product in such target market for a short time period and if the results are productive than the same marketing plan i.e. for the longer run target markets will be applied to them (ShutterSong, 2013). Furthermore, it is also suggested that local celebrity endorsements should also be done as part of the overall marketing plan in a few target markets as that will get huge consumer attention (Paulsen, 2012). Celebrity endorsement is considered as an important element of any marketing / advertising campaign. If local celebrities endorse ShutterSong, then the app will skyrocket with fame within shorter time period than expected (Tan & Sousa, 2013). The United States is a completely different market. Since, ShutterSong is planning to market the product internationally, then it will have to bear varying consumer attitudes which might not be the same as those witnessed in the United States, therefore, it is also suggested that marketers should also be prepared for an alternate strategy for that particular target market incorporating the demands and needs of the audience with the help of a completely new advertising campaign (Ferrell & Hartline, 2012; Luther, 2001). Even after the strategy is executed and implemented, the marketers should not take let it go and think that the goal has been attained. It is mandatory to keep testing and optimizing the strategy from time to time so that there remains no chance of error or blunder in the plan (Paulsen, 2012). Furthermore, the strategy must have space for new and upcoming ideas. If the marketers explore something new related to the target market, then after testing the idea, it should be executed (Dushinski & Marriott, 2009). It is discussed in the essay that the marketing strategy can be made effective with the help of Porter’s five forces. International marketers use Porter’s five forces and other marketing analysis model such as SWOT, etc. this is to assess and evaluate the market trends of the international markets and its trends. Using all the aforementioned elements in the strategy, effective marketing plan can be successfully implemented and executed in the international market and ShutterSong can be actively marketed in the respective markets (ShutterSong, 2013) (Litvack, 2014). The international strategy will allow the application to gain exposure and acceptance from the consumers while the hype and buzz before the launch will create curiosity among them creating an urge and need to download the app once it is in the market. It should be noted that, the aforementioned strategy has also discussed using appropriate and suitable advertising campaigns by keeping in view the wants and trends of the local markets while the basic standards of the global strategy should also not be absent. This will make the audience think of an international strategy / marketing plan in a local manner, however, the strategy remains same and standardized for across the globe. International marketers of ShutterSong should also make use of social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, etc. and with the help of social media integration the app will reach the consumer in a short period. If ShutterSong is able to make more downloads in shorter time frame, then it might have a chance to get featured in the ‘featured app’ section of the app store, which will further enhance its market. The international marketing strategy for ShutterSong is designed for short-term and long-term time frames depending on the structures of the markets. This decision is to ensure that maximum output is availed through the strategy and the chances of error and any kind of loss are avoided. Once, ShutterSong is launched in the international markets, it is the duty of the marketers to get feedback and monitor the strategies from time to time so that the effectiveness of the strategy and marketing plan can be examined and tested. The marketers should also leave room for new and upcoming ideas and innovations / developments for ShutterSong that can be easily accommodated in the app. Reference List Dushinski, K., & Marriott, L. (2009). The Mobile Marketing Handbook : A Step-by-step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns. Medford: CyberAge Books. Ferrell, O. C., & Hartline, M. (2012). Marketing Strategy. Mason: Cengage Learning. Luther, W. M. (2001). The marketing plan : how to prepare and implement it. New York: AMACOM. Lavinsky, D. (2013 йил 30-September). Marketing Plan Template: Exactly What To Include. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/davelavinsky/2013/09/30/marketing-plan-template-exactly-what-to-include/ Litvack, J. S. (2014). How to Make Sure Your Audience Finds Your App. Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management , 43 (1), 20. Paulsen, C. (2012). Pushing profits : the book on mobile apps. Bloomington: Balboa Press. ShutterSong. (2013). About. Retrieved from shuttersong.com: http://www.shuttersong.com/about Tan, Q., & Sousa, C. (2013). International Marketing Standardization. Management International Review (MIR) , 53 (5), 711-739. Read More