Although the competition in the software markets is harsh, the
situation in the smart phone application markets is purely cruel. Smart
phones are used so widely that there are big moneys moving in the
business. And the bigger the money the more there are people trying to
get a share. Developing an application to smart phones is a way to do
it.
Because Angry Birds has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times to all kinds of devices, today this addictive and simple game with all its accessories (toys, clothes, movies etc.) is everywhere. As easy as it seems, in reality the success was not accomplished overnight. Rovio, the Finnish company behind AB (Angry Birds), spent several years in developing software that would break the bank. Even the beginning of the AB revolution was very slow.
One of the most important factors behind the success story was a good localization strategy. First Rovio tried to make it in the English iPhone App Store. After watching the poor download numbers for a while, they decided to take a new approach. The new strategy was to localize the game for smaller application markets, like the Nordic countries. Soon AB was no. 1 in the Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Greek markets. Apparently the success in the smaller markets convinced Apple to promote the game as "game of the week" in its UK App Store. And the rest is history.
The rationale in the success of the new strategy is very simple. There is less competition in the smaller markets. It is true that the English market covers the majority of the overall smart phone application market. However this means also that the English market attracts application developers the most. By doing like the others do, one ends up being one in a zillion.
Like the AB example shows, software localization is a noteworthy option when entering new markets. There are at least two possible ways to build a localization strategy. On one hand it is possible to localize from small to big markets. On the other hand one can do like Rovio and localize from one small language to other small languages before entering the big markets. One cannot underestimate the value of the marketing experience and the fan base gained in smaller markets in the AB case.
Localization can give strategic advantage when it is done innovatively and differently. Nowadays software localization is so easy and cheap with the modern localization tools that it is a real option for most businesses. Rovio anticipated the fact that smart phones were going to be popular devices with huge potential. With their new localization strategy they managed to enter those application markets which were just developing. The early (and angry) bird catches the worm, like they say.
Because Angry Birds has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times to all kinds of devices, today this addictive and simple game with all its accessories (toys, clothes, movies etc.) is everywhere. As easy as it seems, in reality the success was not accomplished overnight. Rovio, the Finnish company behind AB (Angry Birds), spent several years in developing software that would break the bank. Even the beginning of the AB revolution was very slow.
One of the most important factors behind the success story was a good localization strategy. First Rovio tried to make it in the English iPhone App Store. After watching the poor download numbers for a while, they decided to take a new approach. The new strategy was to localize the game for smaller application markets, like the Nordic countries. Soon AB was no. 1 in the Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Greek markets. Apparently the success in the smaller markets convinced Apple to promote the game as "game of the week" in its UK App Store. And the rest is history.
The rationale in the success of the new strategy is very simple. There is less competition in the smaller markets. It is true that the English market covers the majority of the overall smart phone application market. However this means also that the English market attracts application developers the most. By doing like the others do, one ends up being one in a zillion.
Like the AB example shows, software localization is a noteworthy option when entering new markets. There are at least two possible ways to build a localization strategy. On one hand it is possible to localize from small to big markets. On the other hand one can do like Rovio and localize from one small language to other small languages before entering the big markets. One cannot underestimate the value of the marketing experience and the fan base gained in smaller markets in the AB case.
Localization can give strategic advantage when it is done innovatively and differently. Nowadays software localization is so easy and cheap with the modern localization tools that it is a real option for most businesses. Rovio anticipated the fact that smart phones were going to be popular devices with huge potential. With their new localization strategy they managed to enter those application markets which were just developing. The early (and angry) bird catches the worm, like they say.
Localize your software and documents with Multilizer Localization Tools. Read more and download free trial at http://www.multilizer.com
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