NEW YORK ? The secret to a successful mobile Web site or application is quite simple. Make sure that it provides the target audience some sort of utility.

So said panelists at ad:tech?s ?What Marketers Need to Know about Mobile Apps and the Mobile Web.?

The panel of industry experts gave tips on how to create unique, engaging content.

?Branded apps are not marketing,? said Kevin Barenblat, CEO of Context Optional, San Francisco. ?They serve as a utility.?

Mr. Barenblat referenced Kodak?s new application that lets consumers upload pictures to a Kodak W1020 Wireless Digital Frame or print them wirelessly on the Kodak ESP 5250 All-in-One WiFi-enabled printer.

Others on the panel argued that as long as users of the application are engaged and find utility in the application it is, in fact, working as a branding tool.

According to Kodak, its application is designed to drive sales of those products and increase brand affinity (see story).

?The human model is that applications need to have utility,? said Dean Marci, founder/CEO of Cielo Mobile, Wellesley, MA. ?No one is going to download an app that doesn?t serve a purpose.

?The business model is still evolving for apps,? he said.

Patrick Mork, vice president of marketing at GetJar said that the human model ? mobile behavior ? is different in various parts of the world.

He said that in the United States consumers like social applications. However, in India mobile consumers are more about productivity and are interested in things like antivirus software.

There is differentiation in the types of content users are looking for.

?What we are seeing is, 64 percent of consumers are open to seeing advertising on their phone and within their app,? Mr. Mork said. ?GetJar is a big believer of free.

?But we need to make money at the end of the day,? he said. ?We let developers bid on their visibility so we use a pay-per-download model.

?Basically we let developers buy downloads. From a brand perspective it?s where you want to be.?

Mr. Barenblat said that in mobile a lot of the innovation is more around the human model than the business model.

?It?s about the device and the things devices can know about a person,? he said.
Ken Willner, CEO of Zumobi, San Francisco, talked about ways to create engaging content.

?There are a lot of ways in mobile to get reach, but the promise of apps is a really deep level of engagement,? he said. ?You have this incredible platform. The level of engagement is higher than anything we have ever seen in mobile.?

But Mr. Macri wasn?t convinced.

?Reach moves the needle,? he said. ?Not just iPhone users are using apps you are neglecting a huge market if you don?t target feature phone users.?

Jeff Maurone, product manager for mobile news products at MSNBC, New York, said that his company focuses on the capacity of the phone and what its capability is when creating a mobile experience.

?Smartphones are important but if you are a brand you need to ask who the target is and what they are using,? he said.

Mr. Willner said that as a mobile media industry, we have to clarify the various aspects of mobile.

SMS is a broad reach medium with low engagement but everyone has it. Applications provide another layer for CRM.

?Our success in mobile is linked to our success in other existing properties,? Mr. Maurone said, ?We have ?The Rachel Maddow Show? and a whole following for her.

?We launched an application so people can engage with her,? he said. ?It?s just another touch point.?

Mr. Maurone said that MSNBC is most successful in its cross media.

Mr. Willner said that measuring an application?s success through number of downloads is a great scorecard.

?But what we have seen is that advertising should be focused on traffic,? he said. ?Returning traffic and engagement is what is important. Maintain care and feeding of your content to do well.
Mr. Barenblat said that mobile has a lot to do with CRM.

?The things that I am willing to put on my phone are things I already have affinity for,? he said.