WPP’s Martin Sorrell: apps are “holy grail”

WPP chief exec Sir Martin Sorrell has hailed mobile phone applications as the “holy grail” for advertisers.

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday, Sir Martin Sorrell said mobile apps – such as Twitter, Facebook, etc – have created a new platform through which brands can engage with consumers wherever they are.

WPP is therefore “aggressively” encouraging customersto embrace mobile app technology, reports the Telegraph.

“Apps are a classic example of this shift from broadcast to multifaceted engagement. They enable brands to connect with consumers at numerous touchpoints, whether at home or in the shops,” Sir Martin Sorrell said.

“In terms of revenue generated through apps, we’re still only at the tip of the iceberg.”

Sir Martin Sorrell added in the same speech that the Apple revolution had taken him by surprise. “We warned [the last time WPP attended the conference] that if the networks and handset manufacturers didn’t get together, somebody would push them together,” he told the audience during yesterday’s keynote speech. “We identified Google at that time, but we frankly didn’t see the Apple revolution coming.”

Technology analysts Gartner forecast that more than $15bn will be spent on app downloads this year, compared with $5.2bn in 2010. Entrepreneurs: take note!

If you don’t know how your business can make the most of apps, check out our piece on how entrepreneurs can make the most of the app economy here.

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