How to Scale a Mobile App?

Does working with a startup to produce a co-branded app help scale the app's user base, increase user retention rates, create a longer "shelf life" for the brand messaging, broaden the reach for the brand campaign etc.? (Pros and Cons?)

• A co-branded app weaves brand messaging/identity into the app's core user experience. e.g. AKQA'S VW Real Racing GTI iPhone App: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/1710980/volkswagens-iphone-app-delivers-sales Serving display ads is not co-branding.

• Answer:

  I'd be very careful here. That's an enthusiast's car they are talking about. But the language used in the article is veeeery flakey. "Launched the Golf". No, they launched a new Golf GTI. (As a Golf TDI Mark VI owner I'm quite aware of the specialty nature of that specific narrow GTI market version.) In general, branded mass market apps have to offer some significant value before they can have the impact you're talking about. What value can you offer consumers? For my Golf, I'd love a VW sponsored diesel gas station locator. That would be useful and remind me of VW as I used it. But a game? It's my experience and my kid's experience (ages 13 and an intense 16 year old gamer) that the corporate games are generally pretty inadequate as games. So maybe it worked for them. I'm skeptical and expect that this could easily be smart marketing for the agency. Value. It's all about something valuable for consumers. Entertainment is a value - but generally companies can't be entertaining enough for a long enough period of time to really have it matter for their brand. Just look at the movie theater pre-roll "mini-movies"... They really aren't outstanding entertainment nor excellent marketing/advertising. Kind of mediocre at both - and two mediocre's don't usually add up to one outstanding.