Abrams Research Blog

Oh, Apple App Store. So beautiful, so hated by your peers. Who wouldn’t envy your seamless integration with multiple devices, inviting interface, and free applications? But it’s understandable—everyone loves to secretly (or not so secretly) hate the person at the top, especially if they actually deserve to be there.

Which is why it’s not surprising that the rest of the mobile applications world has schemed to cook up a new plan of attack. That’s right, 24 mobile giants will be teaming up to form the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC), an alliance to create a global marketplace for non-Apple users.

At this point, it’s possible that one half of your brain may be screaming “Too many cooks in the kitchen!” while the other stands frozen in terrified awe. Could U.S. carriers and device manufacturers such as Verizon, Sprint and AT&T and Samsung, as well as international partners like Orange, Vodafone and state-owned (I repeat, state-owned) China Mobile possibly agree on a single mobile applications platform? Not to mention, an applications marketplace where developers will have to adjust for countless devices, carriers and operating systems?  If possible, the collaboration could result in one of the most profitable undertakings ever.  But could a union whose members are intrinsically programmed to destroy one another truly last? Many think not. read more »

Marketing a product or brand can be a very delicate procedure. It’s a procedure that can either help to make or break a business in the long-run. One way to make sure your message gets out there is to try to go viral. Not in the infectious sense, of course.

Viral marketing strategies online are becoming a necessary part of the larger picture. While few will achieve the success of the Chocolate Rain guy, there are strategies that will increase your chances of generating buzz and reaching a large audience.  Here are some tips to help you join the ranks of the viral marketing elite.

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Counterpoint:

Do you know what I love about the internet? It’s the entertainment and humor it provides for me and millions of other people. Internet memes are as popular as ever, Youtube never seems to stop having cute videos of cats, and there’s always an endless supply of Chuck Norris jokes that never get old. So when the iPhone app ‘AMP UP Before you score’ made its way onto my phone, do you know what I did? I laughed and then laughed some more after using it.

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I’m watching mostly-naked women jumping on trampolines. At this point, you’re probably thinking one of two things:

A. Damn, that’s hottt

B. Oh great, just what the world needs — more undernourished naked girls flaunting their “assets”

But despite your fascination/revulsion at my initial statement, I should point out that I’m not actually hanging out at some fetish party.  No, I’m merely browsing Apple’s app store.  Yes, somehow the moral guardians at Apple have let a few questionable creations into their store.

And so, today, my esteemed colleagues Lindsay and Tanvir are going to debate the merits of those raunchy iPhone apps that are either brilliant and hilarious, or useless and misogynistic.   You decide.