Feature: Digital promotions: Widgets

A year ago this month, Mark Zuckerberg, the multimillionaire founder of Facebook, announced that his social networking site would be giving unrestricted access to web developers to create their own widgets. This marked the start of a revolution in the use of these applications, which push all kinds of content on to websites or desktops.

There were not entirely new. Desktop widgets have been around for a while, from the likes of Skinkers, providing a downloadable medium for alerts and other information. But it is the web versions, which generally sit in social networking sites like Bebo and MySpace, that have been the greatest phenomenon of the past 12 months.

Brand owners such as McDonald’s, Nike, Adidas and Cadbury have recognised their potential for engaging with consumers, particularly younger people. As part of Cadbury’s promotional activity for the relaunched Wispa last year, digital agency Brave created a microsite that included a chance for people to use their own picture to create an 80s-style animated avatar. Their disco-dancing cartoon could then be transferred as a widget to Facebook and other social networking sites, adding to its viral appeal.

Coca-Cola has taken a more focused approach with its widget to promote energy drink Burn. Last month, it launched Burn Alter Ego (pictured), which involves people creating an avatar of themselves for attending virtual parties. Yell.com has this month joined the fray, with a branded application, developed by digital agency AKQA, that helps users to plan a night-out.

These brands are certainly tapping into a craze. Research company Adonomics reported that there were 21,800 widgets in use across Facebook by the middle of last month, which were being used more than 34 million times combined every 24 hours. And one of the virtues of widgets is their low cost – despite their growth, Universal McCann’s latest TrendMarker report estimates that marketers are set to spend less than £5 million on creating branded web applications this year.

However, Hugh Taylor, managing director of integrated and online marketing agency Grasshopper, warns that brands should be cautious. “There are very few briefs these days that do not include phrases like, ‘Facebook applications should be considered’,” he says. “Facebook applications and widgets seem to be the buzzword on everyone’s lips at the moment, but the reality is that no-one has cracked them from a brand perspective.”

He points to the disappointing results from branded Facebook applications for MTV, Warner Bros and Woolworths, suggesting that users do not want to be imposed upon in this social networking environment.

Widgets are clearly still in their infancy but they are growing up quickly. Last December’s inaugural conference in Brighton with the child-like name of Widgety Goodness has evolved into next month’s Widget Web Expo – and moved to New York. Its founder, Ivan Pope, sees web applications as one of the key “emerging” online trends. “Widgets offer huge potential as carriers of marketing, brand and advertising messages into social networks,” he says.

Taylor believes that useful widgets – such as desktop applications offering news, sports, weather and stock prices – can be successful. But he adds: “Widgets are great in theory but rarely downloaded. Branded solutions are not the great solution to every marketing problem. Web 2.0 means users want to be in control. Branded web applications of course have a future but they must be relevant, interesting and desired by users.”