Mobile destinations – more effective than iPhone apps?

I previously discussed whether or not iPhone applications should be considered a new form of advertising. This blog post focused on the many positive qualities of iPhone apps as advertisements, but it overlooked one issue that affects the amount of people that are exposed to them. If a consumer does not have an iPhone or an iTouch, they do not have access to applications at all.

Kraft Food realized this limitation within their mobile strategy and decided to focus on extending its reach towards any mobile phone with an Internet connection. With the help of Phonevalley they are now offering Kraft recipes on the go via a mobile destination. This site has the same features as the iFood Assistant App [access to over 7000 recipes, interactive shopping lists and recipe e-mail capabilities] but has a much broader potential consumer range.

The question that has begun to arise is whether or not a simple website on your phone can prove to be just as appealing as a hip application. Considering that a mobile destination is free for consumers, one would think traffic would be more likely to flow in that direction, but it isn’t going to flow there on its own. In my opinion, the reason iPhone apps are so successful is because of the mainstream advertising push. If mobile destinations received just as much airtime and publicity, the branding really could be more successful.

Are mobile destinations a more effective form of marketing than iPhone apps of the same capabilities? Well that depends on who’s doing the campaign.