Application: This may seem a bit obvious given the massive popularity of this app, but it’s a fitting one to kick off with because it is So F-ing Cool. It’s not just the design and functionality of the app, which, in case you haven’t seen it yet, turns an iPhone into a touch-sensitive electronic flute. And it’s not just the physical simulation (it picks up the variable strength of the user blowing into the microphone, or wobbling the handset to create a vibrato effect). It’s ultimately the well-practiced integration of social features that makes Ocarina a prime candidate for the original most brand-able mobile app.
Brand match: By clicking the globe icon at the bottom of the screen, the user pulls up a Google Earth-type map of the world featuring pinpoints of light for all the Ocarina users currently playing the instrument. Click on a region and zoom in on a point of light and you get to hear the tune being played – by a random stranger anywhere in the world, Japan for example, with whom you are now connected by shared interest in music and technology. Smule, the creators of Ocarina, have added online forums for sharing sheet music and tips, plus loads of other social features that would lend themselves perfectly for a brand to enter the conversation non-intrusively and be seen to add some utility. Think how valuable it was for Pepsi to feature its logo next to mp3s in the Pepsi Points campaign. Cast your mind back to the classic “I’d like to teach the world to sing” campaign of Coke, back in the day. And imagine what a brand manager’s dream come true it would be for either of them to be connecting musicians from other sides of the world as they share melodies to play on this radical new platform on the most desired piece of consumer electronics currently on the market.
