American National Property and Casualty Co. is the latest Springfield company to launch an iPhone application, and classic-car enthusiasts are the intended market.
The app - unveiled Oct. 29 - shares its name with a line of specialty insurance products collectively known as CHROME, which stands for classic, hot rod, replica, original, modified and exotic vehicles. And iPhone users who download the app can access price guides for classic and antique automobiles, as well as a searchable database of upcoming car shows.
"Everything in the app is related to car shows," said Bernie Gerwel, ANPAC's chief information and innovation officer. "So when you're at a car show and you see a '65 Mustang Shelby, you're going to be able to pull up the price guide and get a good (Kelley) Blue Book value on it."
Gerwel said CEO Greg Ostergren was immediately receptive to the idea of an app aimed at classic-car lovers. The next step was developing an app that appealed to the niche audience and made sense in a mobile context, Gerwel noted.
"I think there's a temptation to make (an app) a commercial all about yourself," he said. "(The CHROME app) was really a subtle advertisement about American National, but the main purpose was to develop something useful for the (target) market."
ANPAC aligned with San Francisco-based mobile app developer ArcTouch after receiving proposals from eight companies and conducting follow-up interviews with the top three. ArcTouch began coding the app in late June, and the final product was available for download at Apple's App Store exactly 159 days later, Gerwel said.
Developers of iPhone apps pay an annual $99 registration fee to Apple, and the tech giant reviews proposed apps for appropriateness and technical compatibility. Companies that charge iPhone users to download their apps receive 70 percent of sales; Apple receives the remainder.
ANPAC charges $1.99 to download the CHROME app, and Gerwel said a small portion of the company's cut goes to F&W Media Inc. The Cincinnati-based multimedia company publishes the Old Cars Price Guide, which is the basis for the data available through the app.
The CHROME app had been downloaded more than 80 times in its first four days, Gerwel said, noting that the project's total cost came in below its $60,000 budget.
"We're going to have to sell a fair number of apps to recoup that (investment)," he said. "By no means was it intended to be a profit center. I think more than anything else we wanted to expand our name recognition in that (niche) market."
TLC Properties, a Springfield property management firm, employed a similar strategy when it introduced its iPhone app in July. The app, which is free and has been downloaded more than 500 times, allows users to search for real-time availability of apartments based on price, floor plan or move-in date, and gives existing tenants the ability to pay rent electronically, contact property managers or file maintenance requests.
"It's getting used quite heavily," said Jacob Harvey, director of marketing and public relations for TLC.
TLC spent $9,000 developing its app, which will soon be updated with a shuttle schedule for Missouri State University students, but Harvey said that quantifying the return on investment for the company has been difficult.
"We definitely feel that we have gotten a return on our investment," he added. "And for the most part, that return has been in excitement for our residents."
The TLC app has increased brand awareness and helped the company distinguish itself from competitors as well as reach a younger demographic that's increasingly turning to mobile technology, Harvey said.
"We're constantly trying to find a way to get a deeper penetration into the mobile market," he said. "And being on somebody's phone is where the marketing is going."
Mobile apps should be more than a marketing tool for a company; they should open the door to new business, said Jeff Bertholdi, president of Springfield-based tech firm Bentvision.com.
While he routinely receives inquiries about developing iPhone apps, Bertholdi said he has steered some businesses away from pursuing the oft-hyped technology unless doing so will directly drive sales or advertise added services.
"People aren't just stumbling over apps in the App Store," he said. "Don't do it to get known."
Bentvision.com is developing an iPhone app for a Springfield law firm that Bertholdi would not disclose, but he said the app would target younger clients who have been cited for traffic violations or driving under the influence. The free app would enable users to send their contact information directly to attorneys with the push of a button, said Bertholdi, whose company charges between $4,000 and $8,000 to develop an iPhone app.[[In-content Ad]]
