Monday, October 27, 2008

Are third party Facebook apps the great digital scam?

The last 6 months I've heard the sentence 'hey lets build a facebook app' from clueless agency people more times than I care to remember.

When you ask why - there's generally not an answer.

Well, okay ... there IS an answer. It provides revenue to the agency that build it.

Are they a scam? In 99% of cases I think they are. Just like some iPhone apps (I wouldn't want to be the person who thought the Toyota dealer locator app for iPhone was a smasher of a concept ...)

Check this out - http://www.new.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=5588308018

I was served up an add to take their cheese toast challenge today on facebook - problem is I live in Victoria, a place where (thankfully) Sizzler doesn't have any locations.

How does this provide anything useful to the user? And what are they doing wasting their media dollars targeting people who can't visit their restaurants?

5 comments:

Aaron said...

The plethora of apps available on Facebook these days have caused all groups to jump on the social bandwagon and capitalise on the moment.

I wish there was an application that blocked all application requests.

Greer said...

While i feel you're right, and that the Facebook App is the new "viral email" must have and is mostly designed to bolster agencies' creative portfolio than to benefit the client, I cannot see any justification for bagging Sizzler

Mariel said...

Aaron
If only.
God forbid they make an application that's actually useful.

And Ben- I'm sure they'd argue it's all about building up brand recognition!

Aaron said...

I think there's more of a case for brands suffering from too much marketing opportunities than brand recognition.

carlos matriano said...

hey i like sizzlers! lol