I suspect that most of you reading this blog post are interested in applications and are not Minnesota Timberwolves junkies or have some strange fix for the silly Trix rabbit.

Last week was an interesting week.  I found you can learn a lot about application marketing by listening to other successful businesses. 

I started off the week working with my team here at W3i on finalizing a survey for anyone in our industry on the topic of Application Distribution And Business Models.  For the first time, W3i offered a free White Paper to contacts who participated in the survey.  Immediately, we saw the number of completed surveys per solicitation outperform our wildest expectations (feel free to participate if you like).

On Wednesday, I headed to the Twin Cities for the PDMA event being hosted by General Mills’ iSquad team.  iSquad is a specialized business unit which helps facilitate new product development/innovation for Generall Mills.  General Mills sells $15B+ of food every year and has hundreds of products including my very own favorite, Trix cereal.  I hear a lot about General Mills’ world class marketing team, and after attending their presentation, I was not let down.

The iSquad team delivered a presentation on innovating innovation.  The four key aspects they outlined for their process were.

• Find Great Ideas Regularly
  • Using the I3 approach to identify great ideas.
    • Immersion – Understand the problem
    • Interaction – Experience the problem
    • Idea Creation – Solve the problem
• Expand Available Talent
  • Isaac Newton said it best “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants,” meaning you should leverage the best internal and external knowledge available so that you are not inefficiently discovering things which were already discovered. 
  • Similarly, you could think about partnering with other companies to increase your available talent
• Get Smarter Sooner
  • A new product blunder cost the company $16M which could have been prevented if they would have released an earlier prototype of the product and understood how it would be used.  Get Smarter Sooner is a commitment they have to get high quality, but not perfect, products to market to real consumers faster so that they have a better understanding of the opportunity/challenges for the product.
• Pave A New Way
  • They try to work within their organization to have cross-functional resources involved in new product development so that as the new product is developed and deployed there are experts who are prepared to help with the transition post-launch.

Last night Kurt Rambis (the new head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves and NBA legend) and players (7th overall draft pick Johnny Flynn and Ryan Gomes) presented my brother and co-founder, Rob and I with the The Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal’s 2009 Young Entrepreneur Award. Kurt spoke about the Timberwolves need to innovate if they are to become more effective than their recent struggles. The Timberwolves sponsored the event to engage the business community (potential customers of their corporate suites, etc.) with the major changes underway with the franchise. The changes to the front office, coaching staff, and players have led to a totally new team for 2009/10. 70% of the roster is comprised of players that were not on the team last year. Rambis spoke a lot about the personnel changes made as well as his process, knowledge, and experience that led to his past success (7 championships as a player/coach with the Lakers). I was quite surprised by the interaction and openness by the Timberwolves coach in responding to questions and sharing his perspective on the team. I believe that Kurt will be a great coach and a welcomed member of the community.

As VP of Corporate Strategy, I oversee the Product Management team here at W3i. We are constantly soliciting our business contacts and users for feedback so that we can be more tuned in with their needs.

Click here to complete the Application Distribution and Business Models Survey (only takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete) and you’ll receive a free White Paper to help you become more informed on this subject and support innovation with your application business.

A special thanks to all of the many users and business contacts who have provided feedback which have helped W3i get to where it is at today.

Ryan Weber, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Entrepreneur and pioneer of Internet marketing focusing on increasing revenue and distribution for digital downloads.

How to Avoid the Video Game Dead Pool

As the economy continues to slide, consumers are holding on to their money more tightly than ever. They want the entertainment value of online games but are reluctant to pay for it. This has put a tremendous strain on game publishers, who in the recent past have been compelled to explore ad-supported business models that offer games for free. This has helped minimize the risk of developing and marketing a game that ultimately ends up in the video game dead pool, but questions still remain whether meaningful money can be made.

The fact is, assuming that only around 2% of users convert to paying for a game following a free trial, then money is left on the table, because there are alternatives to the try-and-buy model for game marketing with which revenue can be earned from the other 98% of the traffic. These alternative business models for online games include: in-game ad model, ad-supported installer model, and the alternative-payment model.

In-game Advertising
Using computer and video games to deliver advertising is becoming an acceptable business model as big brands are testing it as a way to reach elusive markets. According to eMarketer, in-game advertising spending grew from $295 million in 2007 to $403 million in 2008—a growth rate of over 36%. By 2012, that figure should reach $650 million. Meanwhile, IGA Worldwide1 research shows that 82% of consumers feel the games are just as enjoyable with ads and 66% feel that the ads are not intrusive. Some of the top in-game advertising companies are:

1. Massive Incorporated
2. Double Fusion
3. JOGO Media
4. IGA Worldwide
5. NeoEdge Networks (casual games)

Although in-game advertising is growing, it can be difficult to execute and has a long payment cycle. For it to work, the creative must fit seamlessly with the game theme and not deter from gameplay. Additionally, users must spend considerable time playing the game for your ad revenue to build up.

Ad-Supported Installer Model
The W3i Application Network (AppNet) is a new revenue stream worth considering. AppNet is a network of companies with downloadable content—including downloadable games. A unique Windows installer, Install IQ (certified in the TRUSTe Trusted Download Program) is used during the installation process to offer the user a value-add of additional software—in categories like trialware, search, and e-commerce applications. AppNet requires minimal in-house resources, and you can start earning quickly once Install IQ is in place and new users install your games. Since users see ads only during the installation of your game, they have no interruption during gameplay. Additionally, since all of the revenue activity happens during the installation, the actual gameplay itself is not affected. For each qualified installation, the W3i partner receives from $.50 to $1.50.

Jenkat Games launched its downloadable game player in March 2009. With its success, Jenkat ramped up distribution, increasing install volume by 2,991% from its launch of individual game titles in January 2007. Malcolm Michaels, President of Jenkat Media, Inc., predicts that the company’s Jenkat Game Manager will grow to over 100,000 monthly installs by the end of 2009 fueled by W3i’s monetization capabilities. In addition, each game-manager install represents the opportunity to market and install multiple games, leading to millions of additional installations.

Alternative Payment Model
Companies like TrialPay (www.trialpay.com) offer a third option: the alternative-payment model. With TrialPay, a user can purchase your game or virtual currency by completing one advertising offer, such as subscribing to Netflix, buying jeans from Gap, or sending flowers from FTD. The advertiser pays for your game, which you then give to the user for free. Although the game is not technically “free” in this scenario inasmuch as the user must make another purchase in order to receive your game, it does represent another way to monetize those who might not otherwise pay to play your game. Playfish, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing social games companies, uses TrialPay to increase virtual currency sales. For example, in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, Playfish let users get free virtual currency by sending flowers from FTD—and significantly increased sales.

Conclusion
Use creativity in your marketing plan by reviewing alternative business models. Many business models can be combined to give your bottom line an additional lift. For example, W3i’s Application Network can be layered onto other business models like trial and in-game advertising. Users respond to ads for “free” games. Why not put the power of free to work for your game while using an alternative revenue model to keep your company out of the dead pool?

Josh Fiedler, Business Development, W3i
Josh Fiedler is the Business Development Manager at W3i, a provider of integrated desktop and browser marketing solutions.  His expertise is in increasing revenue and traffic for downloadable games and utility software.

How are application installation rates impacted if multiple application ads are presented in the installer? This is a question that is frequently asked by application publishers when they consider the revenue- generating opportunity made possible by cross-selling additional applications during their installation process–the monetization model offered by the W3i Application Network. W3i conducted a test to attempt to answer this question.

First, some background information on W3i and the W3i Application Network. How does W3i add value? For advertisers W3i creates value by providing a new channel to purchase distribution. For publishers W3i creates value by sharing the revenue generated by the distribution of these advertisers’ applications. For users W3i creates value by helping them discover new applications from advertisers and providing revenue to fund more application development.

W3i conducted a test to understand the impact of cross-selling applications in the installer.

• Cross Section of Applications Tested – two media players, two game applications, a utility, and a social networking application.
• 175,000 applications were installed by users

The number of cross-sells (advertiser’s offers) tested included 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Our findings show that a drop in the applications’ installation rate from 1 to 5 offers was less than 1.5 percentage points, equating to an average decrease of 12% with a full 5 offers. At W3i, publishers can choose the number of cross-sells that are available with their applications.

W3i observed that the acceptance rate of each cross-sell varies greatly from advertiser to advertiser and publisher to publisher. Additionally, applications have varying installation rates from application to application. This leads to the conclusion that it is not the quantity of cross-sells that impact the installation rate as much as it is the relevancy. W3i enables clients to select which applications to advertise with their apps to increase the relevancy for their users.

How many and what cross-sells are included is ultimately decided through balancing user acceptance and revenue generated. As the number of cross-sells increase, the relevancy and revenue decreases per cross-sell and so the reality is that there is limited number of cross-sells that maximize the lifetime revenue for a publisher.

Kristin Oberhaus, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Kristin has over 13 years of product management experience and is a certified usability analyst. She is an avid believer in pragmatic marketing.

It is a never ending job understanding what goes on in the world and how it applies to improving business. At W3i, we are constantly reviewing data, analyzing information, and sharing performance data with our clients. Anytime we can provide more insight into how our clients can leverage the market to their advantage, and increase relevancy for our users, we step up to the proverbial plate.

Essential data is derived from our installation processes, research on personas that use specific products, and return visits of customers. Essentially as much information as we can gather without getting too specific.

Therein lies the challenge. At W3i, we are committed to not collecting personally identifiable information. So without PII, how does demographic targeting work on the internet?

We employ a large amount of secondary research to determine information on personas with regards to things like operating systems, installed applications, and conduct primary research on our returning customers. For example, users that have the latest operating system are more likely to have this system as their primary household computer. This is important because it equates to more application usage.

How can that tell us anything? Let’s take some obvious cues. Let’s say I have a game manager and I want to decide what game to offer up to a user, how would that decision making process happen?

First, we detect the operating system. It is Windows 2000. We know that most intensive games are not compatible with this environment, so a high definition game is probably not the best user experience for this user. Now, let’s detect for some basic software, such as Flash. The user does have Flash, so I know that flash-based casual games are compatible and will work. Now, consider the product that this user is downloading. They are downloading a patriotic screensaver so odds are a game that targets patriotism would be a good bet. But wait — there is another component to this. If that person downloads a patriotic screensaver on July 1, could it be that it is really what we call our Cement Goose Lady Persona? These are the women who make us smile by taking the time to make sure that even their cement goose is dressed appropriately for the occasion. If we take a look at their returning customer status, we determine that this is a common occurrence for this user to download a screensaver at holidays.

Given all this, our installer can choose an appropriate game for that persona during the installation process.

Why do we do this? First, and most importantly, this allows us to ensure each visitor to our sites receives software that works. Second, and only slightly less important, it provides the best value for our partners who are advertising with us. Of course, we benefit as well. A win/win/win situation. Maybe that is what W3i really stands for?

For more information on increasing revenue, distribution, and engagement for Windows Application contact W3i. With over nine years experience and 250 million installations W3i established an Application Network—app companies with user demand supported by app companies with a revenue-generating business model. Learn more about W3i’s Application Network today.

Kristin Oberhaus, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Kristin has over 13 years of product management experience and is a certified usability analyst. She is an avid believer in pragmatic marketing.

Discover how W3i – an application distribution company that connects publishers, advertisers, and customers – used multivariate testing to achieve a conversion rate lift of 162% for Profile Pimp for MySpace software.

What happens when you combine the strength of Google Website Optimizer Multivariate testing capabilities with InstallIQ’s proprietary Experimentation Platform? That’s what we wanted to know.

One of our primary focuses in the W3i Marketing team is translating creativity into big revenue gains for our partners. In January 2008, we released the first version our proprietary Experimentation Platform that allowed us to test the user experience inside our installation manager, InstallIQ, which is the engine that drives the W3i Application Network. Over the next year we tested things as small as skins and as big as a fully customized experience based on demographics and split by traffic sources, often with double digit gains. However, as we tested more, it became harder to achieve big lifts.

Earlier this year I began hearing the same issues from our partners. Not only were they struggling to achieve bigger gains, many also faced tighter resources, shifting user behavior and technology challenges. We decided to assemble an internal team and go back into the test kitchen. We had dabbled in Multivariate testing a couple of times, but it was expensive and we weren’t able to find a partner that could tie into our Experimentation Platform to test all the way through to revenue. Which, let’s face it, is where we all need to be.

About the time the team was ready to hit the streets to start gathering intelligence, we received a call from our friends at Google. They were working on their “Google Jumpstart” program and were wondering if we did any Multivariate testing? Timing is everything! Shortly thereafter, we met the amazing folks at WiderFunnel Marketing Optimization, a Website Optimizer Authorized Consultant, that doesn’t just “consult” but provides all the services required to design and execute a conversion rate optimization strategy.

Both our teams worked closely over several weeks and the results of our combined efforts are truly amazing. We are incredibly excited to be able to offer our partners stellar conversion rate improvements in these challenging economic times. Kristen Groom, Sr. Marketing Specialist at W3i, has written the case study below detailing this experiment. I hope you find the possibilities it holds as exciting as we do!

Enjoy!

Lisa Nistler
Sr. Director of Marketing
W3i, LLC

W3i MARKETING CASE STUDY: Increase Landing Page Performance by 162% using Google Website Optimizer

I can hear the sighs now – another article promising to increase your landing page performance. While it’s true and feasible to achieve our success on your landing page, the extent will likely vary depending on your niche and level of existing optimization.

There are a few killer take-aways from our experience so read on to find out what you can do to maximize your landing page performance while taking advantage of the Google Website Optimizer.

WiderFunnel Marketing Optimization
W3i recently had the opportunity to work with a company called WiderFunnel, a Conversion Optimization Services company that provides all the services required to design and execute a conversion rate optimization strategy. WiderFunnel managed to increase the click thru rate on one of our highest-volume landing pages by 162% – and just on the first experiment! Their team of experts analyzed six major factors on our page: Value Proposition, Relevance, Clarity, Urgency, Anxiety, and Distraction. After determining where the landing page lacked in the various factors, Google Website Optimizer (a free testing platform offered by Google) was used to setup and flight the test.

Google Website Optimizer
Ah the miracle of multivariate testing – in a matter of one week, WiderFunnel was able to test 45 different combinations of landing pages, isolating 11 different elements of the landing page. Now that is efficient optimization. Additionally, Google Website Optimizer automatically determines the smallest sample size necessary to be confident in the results, so traffic is not wasted.

The landing page performance experiment broke down like this:

• Style‎: 5 variations dramatically altering the overall look and feel of the page. This included the background image, typeface, download button color, size, and call to action.
• Copy‎: 3 variations all aiming to increase clarity and the value proposition rather than simply state the product title
• Demo‎: 3 variations intended to increase the clarity of the product offering.
• Total = 45 combinations

Google Website Optimizer identifies the winning combination

• Style – the color palette was not originally relevant enough for the target audience, which is young and female. The original landing page was blue and orange – gender neutral. Although we knew the demographic was young and female, I suspect everyone was just a little nervous to go full on feminine. But that’s exactly where the test led us. One new style had a big pink download button, pink headline, and pretty swirlies in the background – very feminine. The second new design was also very girly in a less direct way. The design played to the current “Twilight” phenomenon. Style had significantly more weight than any other element that was tested. Three out of the four top-performing combinations had the same design.
• Headline – updated the headline to highlight the value proposition of the product. The new headline actually lists out the features of the products, and emphasizes the fact that it is free.
• Call to action – added the missing value proposition that the product is free to the download button (and significantly increased the size).
• Copy – the original copy actually performed the best. You can’t win ‘em all.
• Demo – this is referring to the graphic on the right side which is a flash demo previewing some of the product’s features. In order to improve the clarity of this demo, a mouse image was added over the buttons to emphasize their function.

Control 

 Winning Combination #1

 Winning Combination #2

Validation
Internal testing on our Experimentation Platform confirmed the click thru gains seen in Google Optimizer. Combination 2 actually was the highest performer, once revenue was factored in with a 51% lift in earning per click.

Take-aways
Plan. Spend some serious time understanding your audience and then catering to their preferences. Don’t be afraid of big pink buttons. Speak to your audience as well. Put the value proposition directly in the headline – don’t make it hard to find. And keep the copy simple.

There are other tools out there, but we highly recommend using Google Website Optimizer to run multivariate tests for measuring landing page performance. The analysis and changes can certainly be done without an agency, but we also highly recommend working with WiderFunnel if your budget allows.

Kristen Groom, Senior Marketing Specialist, W3i
Kristen uses her experience in internet marketing, graphic design and testing to lead the charge in marketing management, optimizing all touchpoints with consumers.

Wow! What a week. I just caught back up from a week in Seattle for Casual Connect. It was my first visit to this conference, and well, wow. Let me say, as a newcomer, it is a hard not to be star struck at first. When you are sitting at a table with a guy who developed one of your favorite games, you fight from asking “How do I get past this level?” It is hard to concentrate on the business at hand.

Anyhow… after my initial impression, it was back to business.

There were two words that were frequently discussed. I was expecting them to be six and ninety-nine (the “new” price of games); and, while those were popular, the two most prevalent were mobile and friction.

Mobile

Because mobile is not currently a focus for W3i, I did not invest a lot of my time in mobile presentations at Casual Connect. However, there were some interesting tidbits that I couldn’t help but learn.

First is the idea of platform agnostic; the idea that no matter what platform you are on, you can be gaming with someone. This really rang true with the Facebook Connect presentation, a game should be able to cross from desktop to mobile seamlessly.

The second was a twist on trial ware. Rather than free trial ware, create a low-cost mobile application, get the user hooked, and upgrade them to a full-featured desktop application at a full-featured price.

Friction

Friction, however, struck a chord with me. I think that every presentation I sat in and each conversation that I had about W3i’s process, the word friction came up. Friction is not always a negative thing, because a little friction can drive the need for the game to be even greater.

The idea behind preventing friction wasn’t that friction must be avoided at all cost, but that the amount of friction must not be significant enough to dissuade the user from the game.

Business Model

Another thing I noticed at Casual Connect was that there were limited choices in how to create a revenue-generating business model. If you were one of the big aggregators like Oberon, Wild Tangent, Microsoft, Real, Big Fish, etc., you were the only way to get a game into the world. It also seemed that the predominant monetization method was for the user to pay-to-play. (Most popular numbers at Casual Connect $19.99, $9.99 and $6.99). That is not to say that there were no conversations about ad- supported games, but they seemed minimal (at least to me). Of course, there is something to be said that the model discussed is the model the industry grew on.

Other monetization possibilities

Another model that I heard about was micro transactions –everything from ads at each level to purchasing Farah’s hair for your avatar to buying seeds and land. This also led to the idea of real to virtual currency, coins of every flavor.

There were other business models as well, basically new twists on old ideas, like promotional placement within the game (much like everyone’s favorite DeLorean commercial – Back to the Future) or video pre-rolls or post-rolls, which feel just like TV commercials in a game (at least to me).

My own observation

Whether the model chosen by the games is try-and-buy, retail, or micro-licensing, the price points seem to be getting squeezed to the point where it will be imperative for game developers to supplement their revenue with additional business models to be profitable. This provides a great opportunity for a company such as W3i to work with casual game marketers. W3i can help monetize games and open up more opportunities for them to be discovered.

Whether you attended Casual Connect or not, if you are interested in a unique revenue or distribution model, drop Josh an email at josh.fiedler@w3i.com. W3i can show you a new way to increase revenue or distribution for your game.

Kristin Oberhaus, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Kristin has over 13 years of product management experience and is a certified usability analyst. She is an avid believer in pragmatic marketing.

With Google’s  announcement of the Chrome OS a few weeks ago, it is easy to speculate about its impact on the web, the PC market, and applications in general.  While time will tell if the OS can live up to expectations and truly rival Microsoft for desktop dominance (it has to rule the netbook market first before it can even begin to compete on a broader scale), the introduction of this web-based OS raises an interesting question related to applications: what impact will this have, if any, on the evolution of applications?

At W3i, since we are application enthusiasts, this is a fun question to ponder.  My belief is that, while this OS will solidify the already prominent market mainstay of connecting desktop applications to the web, it will not outright eliminate the desktop application universe and can only do more to force singular user identity on the net, thus creating new application experiences.

I don’t believe desktop applications are history.  First and foremost, the jury is still out on whether Google can topple Microsoft, king of the desktop.  Microsoft will certainly not stand still.  As well, one of the most important reasons why apps won’t disappear is accessibility.  Desktop applications allow user access without a required internet connection.  While many apps now connect to the web to function, many apps such as office suite applications, image manipulation apps, music apps and even email apps provide functionality without an internet connection.  Can you imagine not being able to use your computer because you’re aboard a plane and unable to access an internet connection?  A non-web-based experience is here to stay.

I do think, however, that Chrome OS will enhance application user experience.  By Google making the Chrome OS web-based only, they help set a clear user experience standard — instant access to the web, light-weight design, and purportedly, no viruses.  Microsoft will probably follow suit in making Windows leaner and blurring the lines between desktop and web, but not eliminating the non-web desktop outright (due to accessibility).  This blurring of these lines can only perpetuate the need for a more refined connection of a user’s identity and the user-related information stored on the web and accessed on the desktop.  By creating a platform that is web-based, users’ identity can be related to a single log-in, via the OS.  Conceivably, the social network and social information islands that exist today will be harmonized – applications will be born related to a particular function or niche rather than an application that is specific to the island where the information exists.  The possibilities are endless!

Overall, I’m convinced the Google Chrome OS will evolve and enhance the application universe by causing a shift in the desktop experience.  What do you think will happen?

Eric Montag, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Eric is a Pragmatic Marketing Certified Product Manager and uses his experience in internet marketing to lead the charge in product research, planning, and execution from both a consumer and business standpoint.

St. Cloud, Minnesota, July 29, 2009 – Rob and Ryan Weber, founders of W3i in Sartell, MN, win the first ever, Young Entrepreneur Award, presented by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.  The award recognizes young entrepreneurs who are running successful businesses in the metro area.

Rob and Ryan Weber started W3i in 2000 under the name of Freeze.com.  Recognizing that consumers want quality, free applications, they built a network of publishers, advertisers, and consumers.  Publishers are looking to increase revenue for their applications funded by advertisers that want to increase distribution, and consumers that want useful, free PC applications.  W3i brings all these interests together in the W3i Application Network.  Their business grew rapidly, and the Application Network is now averaging 9 million installations each month. 

Rob Weber is now the Vice President of Business Development while Ryan Weber is the Vice President of Corporate Strategy.  In these roles they identify and pursue opportunities to continue to grow the company.  “Free applications are in even more demand in this weakened economy,” said Rob Weber, VP of Business Development.  Publishers and advertisers of applications are looking for alternative ways to grow their businesses.  W3i provides the revenue and traffic to make that happen.”

“Hats off to Rob and Ryan Weber,” comments Andy Johnson, CEO.  “They developed a passion for Internet marketing at an early age and put that passion to work in expanding their business.  By making their technology available to other application marketers through the W3i Application Network, they are helping other entrepreneurial application companies succeed.”

About W3i
W3i increases revenue, distribution and engagement for Windows applications and plug-ins. W3i uses a network approach combining the demand for free and trial applications monetized by the distribution of additional, relevant applications when the consumer is in the installation mindset.  W3i’s Application Network uses InstallIQ, W3i’s proprietary Windows installation manager, the first installer to be certified in the TRUSTe Trusted Download Program.  Tested and optimized on over 300 million installs–currently 9 million installs monthly and growing, W3i will prove to be a valued partner in growing your application business. To learn more, visit W3i’s Application Network.

I returned from Boston last week after attending my first Software Industry Conference (SIC).  In this post I wanted to share with you some general information about the conference, the buzz, and information about W3i’s participation to keep you up to date with what transpired.

General Information

• The conference was held at the Boston Marriot in Quincy from July 16th to July 18th.
• Attendance was down a bit with an estimated 200 attendees (attributed to the economy).
• Cost was only $269 at the door and as low as $229 if you registered early enough!  The organizers aim to keep costs down so that even small publishers can afford to attend.  The cost of admission includes a full conference pass, breakfast each day, food in the evening at events, and one luncheon.
• Though inexpensive, the conference is packed with things to keep you busy including educational sessions, exhibit night, networking events, and the Shareware Industry Awards.

The Buzz

• There was quite a bit of buzz around the topic of business models.
• Free and paid models were discussed including very innovative approaches at improving performance with both.
• The dominant model is definitely paid shared by participants and their service providers.
• Publishers were very focused on a paid only model and hadn’t considered a hybrid model, which would leverage both paid and ad-supported options.
• The hybrid model though may satisfy the greatest number of users.  I found an article on how online music is being impacted by free ad-supported alternatives and I thought this was a great parallel to how publishers might want to consider hybrid models with downloadable software.
• I was excited to learn of a few publishers that were willing to participate in hybrid model trials to explore this further.  This may include both high and low converting shareware titles mixed with the ad-supported solution offered by my company.  I hope that we can complete these trials and share our findings at a future date through a subsequent blog post.

W3i’s Participation

• I gave a presentation titled “Increasing Your Bottom Line through Leveraging an Understanding of User Engagement”.  In my presentation I highlighted suggestions and examples of how application publishers are improving user engagement from initial discovery all the way through the complete customer life cycle.  By pleasing the user, you get the same benefits as if you just focused on revenue, only easier.
• My twin brother Rob spoke about How to Squeeze More Money from Your Apps in his presentation which detailed various business models.
• W3i announced a new product at the conference, 3quency, which aims to provide a better custom toolbar solution.
• W3i had a table at exhibit night which was the highlight of the trip for me.  For 3 hours a room was filled with conference attendees.  Here is a picture of me juggling in front of our table.
  

For any shareware providers interested in exploring a hybrid business model which includes ad-supported services provided by W3i, please contact us and we’ll discuss the details further.

I hope this wrap-up keeps you in the know and better yet drives you to attend next year’s conference in Dallas, which I hope to attend.

Ryan Weber, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Entrepreneur and pioneer of Internet marketing focusing on increasing revenue, distribution, and engagement for applications.

W3i to Distribute Cozi’s Photo Collage Screen Saver Application

St. Cloud, Minnesota, July 14, 2009 – W3i, provider of marketing solutions that increase distribution, revenue, and engagement for Windows applications, announced today that Cozi is now part of W3i’s Application Network.  Cozi, a free web service that helps busy families organize and simplify their daily lives, is using W3i’s Application Network to introduce its Photo Collage Screen Saver to a broader audience and grow its user base.

“W3i’s Application Network can be a significant source of new users for growth companies with Windows applications and various types of plug-ins,” said Rob Weber, VP of Business Development at W3i.  “Cozi joins a network of application companies in their efforts to ramp up user acquisition at a known ROI.  During the installation process, W3i’s Application Network leverages the demand for popular free applications by matching users with companies seeking distribution, such as Cozi and their Photo Collage Screen Saver, giving the user a value-add.”

The Cozi Photo Collage Screen Saver automatically finds digital photos already stored on the PC from vacations, birthdays, kid’s sports events and other family activities and displays them in dynamically generated photo collages on the computer screen, organized by event.  Cozi also offers a shared family calendar and solutions to organize household lists, share information and stay in communication.

“W3i’s distribution capabilities are helping us reach new users with a focus on family,” said Robbie Cape, CEO and Co-Founder of Cozi. “W3i’s Application Network is an effective way for us to promote the Cozi Photo Collage Screen Saver and expose this audience to all of the benefits of Cozi.”      

About W3i:
W3i increases revenue, distribution, and engagement for Windows applications and plug-ins. W3i uses a network approach combining the demand for free applications monetized by the distribution of relevant applications when the consumer is in the installation mindset.  W3i’s Application Network uses Install IQ, W3i’s proprietary Windows installation manager, the first installer to be certified in the TRUSTe Trusted Download Program.  Tested and optimized on over 250 million installs–currently 7.1 million installs monthly and growing, W3i will prove to be a valued distribution partner in growing your application business. To learn more, visit W3i’s Application Network.

About Cozi:
Cozi is a free web service that helps families organize and simplify their busy lives.  With Cozi, families have the tools to manage schedules, track shopping and to-do lists, organize household chores, and share family updates – all in one solution. Families can access Cozi from any computer at home or at work, and can get shopping lists, schedules and messages on any mobile phone. Located in Seattle, WA, Cozi was founded by veterans of Microsoft, Expedia, and Amazon with a vision for creating technology tuned to the family. Cozi has more than 1.5 million family members, and is available for free at www.cozi.com.

Press Contact:
Deborah Manthei
Director of Marketing Communications
320-257-7571
deborah.manthei@W3i.com

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