Nestlé’s free mobile apps place brands in more hands

Nestlé places brands at consumers’ fingertips with a clutch of innovative free mobile applications.

The worldwide interest generated by the launch of Nestlé’s first Corporate application in October - aimed at keeping investors and the media connected with online and offline access to the latest news, press releases, reports, presentations and a weekly share buy-back update – marks the Company’s latest success in mobile technology.

Targeted at specific audiences, Nestlé’s apps are already connecting its expertise in nutrition, health and wellness to millions of mobile device users around the world.

According to Peter Warne, Head of e-Communications at Nestlé, an app can be more useful than a website. He said: “People are looking for very specific information and an app can provide this. The challenge for us is identifying who they are and what they want. Our Corporate application has been downloaded almost 4,500 times, demonstrating that we can do this successfully.”

Michael Moore, Head of Digital Marketing at Nestlé, agreed. Emphasising the practicalities of the technology, he said: “A good app should combine utility with entertainment, connectivity and ultimately e-commerce.

“What I choose to put on my mobile device is different to what you put on yours. It’s deeply personal. When you download our app, it is customed to fit in with your lifestyle. That’s a very powerful tool.”

To lead the momentum in driving technology, Nestlé continues to look into development of its Corporate application for Android and Blackberry.

Mr Moore added: “Nestlé has the expertise to offer credible and compelling applications across our brand categories. With a range of new apps in the pipeline, our aim will be to make the entire portfolio available to consumers using other mobile platforms.”


Nutrition

Dual functionality has been key to the success of Nestlé Brazil’s kitchen and supermarket friendly Receitas app, which was hailed Best Global Product/Service Launch by the Mobile Marketing Association in 2010.

An easy to navigate database of more than 3,000 recipes, simply categorised as sweet or savoury, the app can be periodically updated to incorporate new dishes. Users can pull up the ingredients to create an instant shopping list, or share their favourite recipes by email.

As the second most popular free app on iTunes in its first week, Receitas is still in the Top 100 a year after its launch, with more than 110,000 iPhone downloads. To meet demand it has now been expanded to Blackberry, Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile.

While for budding cooks in Japan, the chart-topping Nestlé Recipe app, totalling 250,000 downloads, was created for the iPhone in 2009 and updated for the iPad in July 2010. With more than 1,600 recipes searchable by category, calorie count, and sodium content, its features include a kitchen timer and a ‘sleep-off’ mode which ensures the screen stays on while cooking.

Re-launched as Nestlé Balance Life in November, the Japanese recipe app now has two new functions - Calorie Control and Weight Control – providing advice and support for users wishing to monitor their calorie intake, and achieve their target weight. Both of these can also be downloaded as separate apps.

Other Nestlé recipe apps include Poland’s Przepisownik Winiary, a mobile cookbook to accompany the Winiary culinary range. Recipe Shaker, for the Latin American market, is available in English and Spanish. Its on-screen can of Carnation milk can be shaken to reveal a recipe.


Health and wellness

In France, Nestlé Nutrition’s Devenir Maman has proved highly popular with mums-to-be, notching up almost 100,000 downloads since its 2009 launch.

The app’s helpful calendar of nutritional information, advice and videos, presented in a magazine-style format, allows women to monitor every stage of their pregnancy. Users can capture important moments in the personal photo album, and browse the ‘classic’, ‘famous’ or ‘cosmopolitan’ choices in the baby name guide.

Laure de Bary, Head of Interactive Marketing at Nestlé Infant Nutrition, said: “Our idea was to extend the existing Devenir Maman website by offering some of its content with features unique to a mobile application. We believed it would be a crucial channel for communicating with female consumers, but the speed with which they adopted the iPhone and our app completely exceeded our expectations.”

Enjoying similar success with women in France is Nestlé Fitness et Moi, from Nestlé Fitness Céréals. The personal training app encourages users to integrate a six-month exercise programme into their daily routine and share their progress with friends.

The combination of weekly fitness videos from celebrity coach Valérie Orsoni, dietary advice, and built-in pedometer has seen downloads soar to 125,000 in just eight months, ranking the app 900 out of the 250,000 available free on iTunes. Vouchers entitling users to a discount when buying a pack of Fitness cereal will soon be offered through the app.

For iPhone users in the United States who want to eat out while maintaining a balanced diet, Jenny Craig’s weight loss app allows everyone, including non-clients, to use its Dining Out Guide, a nutritional handbook for popular restaurants.

Also available for iPod Touch, its features include a calorie breakdown of menu items, animated portion guide, and a quiz releasing exclusive content including celebrity videos. By registering the app, users can find free weight management e-tools, healthy recipes, a weight-loss progress tracker and online journal at JennyCraig.com.


Premiumisation

Launched in December 2009 and downloaded more than 550,000 times to date,

Nespresso’s exclusive international app is a convenient way for Club Members to purchase capsules, machines and accessories.

Users can also read up on the latest Nespresso news, search for their nearest Nespresso Boutique or stockist, and in certain European countries, locate collection points for used capsules.

Ranked in the Top 50 downloads in at least ten European countries, and claiming the number one spot in Switzerland for several days, the app has been so successful that it was selected to feature in a recent Apple television advertising campaign for iPhone 3G in France.

Hoping for a similar reception is Acqua Panna, the fine-dining still mineral water sourced from an Italian spring protected since 1564. Nestlé Waters recently unveiled a consumer app which also allows its sales teams to explain the brand’s rich Tuscan heritage to customers using their mobile devices.

Paolo Passoni, International Brand Manager for Acqua Panna, explained its aim and said: “Although the app is very new, the feedback we’ve had from our employees so far has been really positive. It will allow us to communicate the history, culture and unique taste of Acqua Panna to even more gourmets and food enthusiasts.”


Pet care

A huge hit with animal lovers in the United States, Nestlé Purina PetCare’s petcentric, ranked Forbes’ fourth Best Branded Mobile Application of 2009, has 220,000 plus downloads to date. It allows users to locate pet-friendly places such as hotels, restaurants and parks.

Free for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and BlackBerry, petcentric also provides information about the nearest pet care services including veterinarians, animal shelters, groomers and dog-walkers; delivers the day’s top pet news and videos; and allows users to rate favorite places, share photos and find the latest pet products.