When it comes to the value of branded apps, Mondelez’s Ed Kaczmarek said an app isn’t always necessarily the answer. Discussing Kraft’s iFood Assistant app--one of the
first prominent branded utility apps to come out in 2008—he said the key was focus on utility not the brand. “When you build something for customers, and you’re not just trying to
flash the brand in their face all time, it has a magic about it,” he noted. Branding can be woven in, in a more subtle way.
But he also pointed out developing an app across
different platforms gets expensive. In hindsight, Kaczmarek said Kraft probably should have spent more promoting the iFood app instead of putting all the money into software development. “You
have to strike a balance or it’s going to be a big failure.” He and other OMMA Mobile panelists, including Keary Phillips, digital marketing head at AllState, voiced support for HTML5 and
other Web development tools as an alternative to native apps. Facebook probably wouldn't agree.