T-Mobile Android Ads Boost iPhone App Sales

**Paul Daniel Ash** · 10-25-2009, 08:42 PM

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIASVvzZ2Q8&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - T-Mobile myTouch 3G - Comics[/ame]

video via T-Mobile

Israeli iPhone app developer ApParty found their North American sales jumped earlier this month after a T-Mobile Android ad started running showing a lookalike to ApParty’s novelty iPhone app iFog. Now, as AppAdvice reports, a second developer has also noticed a big sales increase and is attributing it to an Android copycat of their iPhone app MouthOff featured in the same ad.

The T-Mobile ad features celebrities like Chevy Chase and Dana Carvey passing a myTouch 3G Android phone to each other, using different "comics" apps that simulate, for example, cartoon mouths and writing on a steamy window. Viewers, even though they were watching an ad for a rival phone, started searching on iTunes for the apps. The increased traffic even pushed iFog to the top 20 list on the App Store.

UK developers ustwo™ created MouthOff, which is an app that animates a cartoon mouth based on input from the iPhone or iPod touch 2G/3G built-in microphone. They submitted a review copy of their app to a website that was run by the developer of the copycat app, and later found that the lookalike had been featured in the T-Mobile ad:

When we investigated we found out that we had actually submitted the first build of MouthOff™ to this guy, as he had a iPhone review site.. obviousely using it purely to rip off apps in android!!!

Sadly the Android version is a pretty bad copy, with low quality design and animation. Needless to say he has done us a favour as MouthOff™ Android launches any day now!!!

The sales of MouthOff jumped nearly 50% after the T-Mobile ad aired, as compared to about a 100% increase foriFog.

**PlatoTheForms** · 10-25-2009, 08:54 PM

lol...cool

**Kamil18** · 10-25-2009, 09:16 PM

I somehow doubt that it was the ad. I'm calling "post hoc" on this.

**southfrisco** · 10-25-2009, 09:38 PM

A bunch of has been SNL comics trying to get laughs using "entertainment" apps that are wastes of time. This is suppose to sell that device?

**venomz** · 10-25-2009, 09:40 PM

needlss tot say i have the iphone and i have the my touch 3g. And right now im loving my 3g because well lets say having a iphone sux on tmboile when u cant use the 3g network they provide with the mytouch. So for now im hoping that the IPHONE CONTRRACT is over with ATnt And my dreams will come true if they move it to TMOBILE!

BUT TILL THEN! mytouch all the way!

**sziklassy** · 10-25-2009, 10:30 PM

myTouch 3G commercials are aired... iphone app sales increase. There must be a connection!!! Come to think of it, it has been raining where I live for the past few weeks more often than normal. I see a connection here....
Give me a break. What does it take to get a slot as a news writer here? I know I wouldn't do a WORSE job.

**tudtran** · 10-25-2009, 11:01 PM

I still like the iPhone.

**GIRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL** · 10-25-2009, 11:06 PM

Stories like these are what boost sales. My sprinklers just turned on, Must be a connection there.

**tudtran** · 10-25-2009, 11:15 PM

Finally. T-mobile is going 3G. Coupe years late. Maybe Apple would let them carrier iPhone. Would that be nice?

**GIRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL** · 10-25-2009, 11:26 PM

T-Mobile has been 3G for a little over a year now. Catching up pretty quickly to AT&T which isn't good news.. for AT&T.

**Jasper44** · 10-26-2009, 01:27 AM

I don't understand why you guys can't see some kind of a connection here. Just think about it. Most apps these days are developed for multiple platforms. Why can't it be that someone sees this commercial and says hmm if that phone has it, the iPhone must have it too and go look for it? There are 50 million iPhones and iPod touches out there so it's not hard to believe that people with them did just that.

**chuk12chuk** · 10-26-2009, 05:57 AM

I'm comming down with a cold...! Do you think this will boost the sales of icold?

**nighthawk283** · 10-26-2009, 10:25 AM

INstering Story to read

**steve-z17** · 10-26-2009, 01:02 PM

It looked cool til Molly Shannon got the phone...nasty. The phone looks pretty cool though. One of the big pluses for the T-Mobile users is that we'll actually be able to use our 3G with it.

**n00neimp0rtant** · 10-26-2009, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by GIRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

T-Mobile has been 3G for a little over a year now. Catching up pretty quickly to AT&T which isn't good news.. for AT&T.

Pittsburgh FINALLY got 3G. Great news for me (I go to the University of Pittsburgh) if Apple decides to break-up with AT&T for their friendly magenta rival.

**yahoowizard** · 10-26-2009, 05:30 PM

I can understand that pretty easily. I mean, you see that app on the MyTouch, it looks cool, you look for it in the AppStore if Apple's store of billions of apps has it, find it, and download it. I don't think there's too many people who are going to go for the MyTouch who already have iPhones and iPod Touches unless the MyTouch has something extra going on.

**bbillh77** · 10-28-2009, 12:10 AM

Bring the competition it will just make apple release a new firmware that beats it but they need to keep tring

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