Marvel Brings "Iron Man" to the iPhone
Marvel Entertainment and Zumobi have teamed up to bring a new Iron Man application to the iPhone and iPod touch. The free application is more than just a tie-in for the upcoming Iron Man 2 movie, it's an app designed to keep fans connected to the entire Iron Man universe, provide video clips, downloadable wallpapers, access to movie tickets and more.
We got a chance to talk to both Marvel and Zumobi about the app, its development and future plans to bring Marvel properties to mobile devices.
Zumobi designed the app to fit in with the existing Iron Man motif. The graphics and colors match the film and comic series, and elements of the apps control panel mimic the HUD (heads-up display) that resides inside Tony Stark's Iron Man helmet.
From the main screen, users can choose to view videos, news, wallpapers, the origin of Iron Man, buy tickets and access other Marvel links.
The video clips feature a variety of TV commercials for Iron Man 2 and its tie-in sponsors (like Dr Pepper and Audi) and there are also links to clips from the film, which match up with what Marvel has been posting to its official YouTube page.
The news section is one of the most interesting because it gathers news not just about the film, but about the comics and the related universe as well. So fans can read details about upcoming books in Avengers series (or looks at past books), find out about collectibles or special edition memorabilia that's coming out, get a look at movie posters, movie clips and more.
Marvel pumps out literally dozens of news items a day about each of its different properties and the Iron Man iPhone app is updated as soon as those articles hit the web. For newer fans to the series who might want to learn more about Iron Man and the other characters in the series, there is an origins area that gives background as to the character's history, his stats, the cool stuff he can do and so on.
Social Media, In-App Purchases and More
Zumobi has a history of creating mobile apps that tie in with social media — the MSNBC.com and Rachel Maddow iPhone apps are both from Zumobi and both have social elements. For the Iron Man app, users can share virtually any item they find in the app via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook. That's pretty cool, and that's the sort of thing we like to see in branded applications.
Zumobi told me that with the Iron Man app, the company is making its first foray into including in-app purchases. On that end, users can buy movie tickets for Iron Man 2 directly from the application. The app ties into Fandango.com, so you can use the app to buy tickets using new or your existing Fandango information. Using geolocation, the app can point out what theaters nearby are playing the film and at what time.
The app also offers access to exclusive Marvel wallpaper for the iPhone. Right now, there are a number of free selections that can be downloaded, but in the future, exclusive wallpaper designs will be available for $0.99 each. At first, I thought that charging $0.99 for wallpaper was sort of insane, but then Zumobi told me that these aren't just going to be standard movie graphics but actual designs commissioned by the Marvel team. Suddenly, the idea of having access to a specially designed iPhone wallpaper that was drawn by a famous Marvel artist makes sense. While I don't expect this to appeal to all users, for a core group of Marvel fans, that's the sort of thing that is worth $1.
The iPhone Is Now, the iPad Coming Soon
The iPhone and iPod touch have access to the Iron Man app now, however, an app that is optimized for the iPad will be available soon. This app will have some of the same characteristics of the Iron Man iPhone app but the extra space and faster processor of the iPad will be utilized to give an even more immersive look and feel.
Zumobi told me that they designed the iPad app to basically be "what Tony Stark's personal control center would look like." That's pretty cool, especially since we all know Tony Stark would totally have an iPad (OK, a souped-up super iPad with lasers and rocket boosters) at his side at all times.
Extending Beyond the Movie
When I spoke with Marvel at the end of last week, they stressed to me that the Iron Man app is not an Iron Man 2 app. That means that when the fanfare over the film dies down, the app won't disappear. News and character information and other data will continue to be fed into the app, as it really is designed to be a portal for all things Iron Man and as a way to better introduce people to the franchise.
Right now, the app links to some of the existing marvel websites and applications — like the Marvel Comics app for the iPhone and iPad. The plan is to have even better integration with those apps in the future. Marvel also said that they are anticipating building more character or franchise centered mobile apps.
Marvel and Android?
I asked Marvel about their plans for Android and was told that the company is definitely looking into Android and hopes to really dive into the platform later this summer. They are looking at other mobile platforms too, but after the iPhone/iPad, Android is priority number one.
Future of Branded Mobile Applications
The most successful branded mobile applications are those that match the sensibilities of the brand itself. The Iron Man app does that, both in what features it offers and its overall look and feel. We think that having applications that look the part — and offer content and value beyond just an upcoming promotion — is necessary for brands that want a mobile app to stay on users radars for more than just a few days.
By catering first and foremost to comic fans — but also offering movie goers access and information, Marvel has done a great job building a branded app that doesn't feel like it is one note.
What do you think of the trend in branded applications? What do you think of the Iron Man app? Let us know!
