Takoo is a new app created by Lars Topelmann and his wife Monique McClean of Portland, OR. The formula is simple: pay a couple bucks, download the app, and slap together 15 seconds of recorded audio + a picture on your phone. That was the main problem. It was so simple that a company like Facebook or Instagram could grab a junior developer, and have him or her create similar software in a matter of hours. How do you insulate an app in a cutthroat environment of genius nerds?
Consumers want to feel connected to a technological tool and it better not be superficial. They also don't want to pay for anything. After all, we are marketing toward entitled millennials who don't pay for movies, music, and especially not apps (xoxo, a millennial). As for the big developers? When the concept of Takoo lands on their radars, they need to see the value of Takoo and the emotional collateral behind them. The payoff won't come from app sales. The big payoff is in the end, when Instagram comes to Lars and Monique with heaps of cash.
Get as many users involved with Takoo as fast as possible. Create personalized digital kits for different types of charities and transform Takoo into an essential tool for non-profits and their online presence. Completely change the pricing structure so that it benefits said charities and insulates Takoo from big developers. This isn't about a marketing bandaid for temporary results, it's about providing a long term solution for real business issues that small apps have to deal with.
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