Organic Tuesday
debuted a social media-driven publication for the iPad, the
first app released by a new development team at the agency focused on building applications on emerging platforms and testing new technologies.
The group will be led by Todd Drake, Organic vice
president of technology, and Chief Creative Officer Conor Brady. As part of the initiative, all Organic employees will given iPads and will serve as test users for the newly introduced BroadFeed app and other iPad apps.
The 99-cent BroadFeed app delivers content shared on Twitter in a newspaper format,
complete with headlines, teasers and photos. Here's how it works, according to the App Store description: "You tell the app what sources to follow, either by signing in to your Twitter feed or
browsing the built-in directory. Then BroadFeed pulls in and prioritizes the articles and pictures being shared."
What separates BroadFeed from other "social magazine" iPad apps is its
Digg-like "social-weighting" system that prioritizes placement of content, based on how much a link is shared.
The idea is to automate the editorial process of figuring out which stories should
land on the front page of a newspaper. The app doesn't include ads, but Organic has embedded measurement technologies within BroadFeed to get a better understanding of how consumers are interacting
with it.
"We see a tremendous opportunity to develop holistic mobile and tablet applications that are more engaging for consumers while being
measurable and accountable for clients -- an approach that marketers need but has yet to be delivered," stated Organic CEO Marita Scarfi.
Proceeds from the sales of BroadFeed will be donated
to charities, including the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org), which is driving disaster relief efforts on behalf of those affected by the Japan earthquake and tsunami.