Going Free Sees Time Out's Mobile App Downloads Jump 6,000%
Woah there. Run that past me again? Yup, you read it right. Travel and listings publisher, Time Out, announced a staggering 6,000% increase in the number of downloads of their travel apps after going free.
"In June, Time Out has made the decision to make all travel apps free for the foreseeable future – a move which saw the average weekly download per app jump from 140 downloads a week to over 8000, a rise of a staggering 6000%"
The move also catapulted the apps into the all important iTunes free travel apps chart, with the New York travel app briefly deposing Google from the number one spot whilst Manchester came in at number eight and London taking the 12th spot.
Revenue is coming through sponsorship deals including vodka brand Smirnoff, who follow in the footsteps of Stella Artois, Guinness and Beck's, although not everyone is a fan of the branding. Time Out's strong brand enabled these kind of brand-led sponsorship deals, if they had to rely purely on in-app advertising, would this model work as well?
8 July 2011 by Sam Michel
Sam Michel is the founder of Chinwag and blogs here for work, and more randomly at Toodlepip. He runs Chinwag Jobs, Digital Mission and tends to focus on murky place where technology, community and marketing collide. You'll find him on twitter @toodlepip.
Sam Michel is the founder of Chinwag and blogs here for work, and more randomly at Toodlepip. He runs Chinwag Jobs, Digital Mission and tends to focus on murky place where technology, community and marketing collide. You'll find him on twitter @toodlepip.
