If you’ve spent much time browsing a mobile app store recently, you may have noticed at least a couple of apps featuring a celebrity’s work or endorsement. Kim Kardashian caught a lot of people’s attention when her app earned over one and a half million dollars within five days!
The rise of celebrity apps demonstrates an interesting symbiotic relationship between app developers and celebrities.
Celebrity apps come in all shapes and sizes. Some are simple games for a bit of fun while others are quite intricate and thoughtfully developed. Let’s take a look at a few of the different types of celebrity apps.
Many of the most well-known celebrity apps are fun little games. Some are just endorsed by the celebrity, while others feature the star as an integral character of the game.
Kim Kardashian
Her game, “Kim Kardshian: Hollywood” lets you navigate through Hollywood society by acquiring new fashions, while her virtual self gives you pointers.
Snooki
One of her popular apps was a puzzle game called “Snooki Bling Bling”. Unfortunately, it is no longer available.
Ellen DeGeneres
“Heads Up!” is an interactive game that users can play with their friends. One person holds the phone facing out which shows a word or phrase and they have to guess it based on the hints pitched by the other players.
Apps that expand on other projects that the celebrity is working on are also popular. For example, musicians often release apps connected to their latest album.
Jay Z
His app, “Magna Carta Holy Grail” included advanced downloads for his latest album with the same name.
Lady Gaga
“ARTPOP” expanded upon her album with a wide array of features including bonus material and social networking.
It’s not all fun and games, either. Some celebrities have attached their names to more productive or educational apps
Tom Hanks
“Hanx Writer” is a fully functional word processor that simulates the look and sound of an old-fashioned typewriter.
Brian Cox
Physicist, writer and TVhost Brian Cox released “Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe”, which guides the user through a 3D tour of outer space.
Photography apps are another popular category.
Kate Bosworth
“Style Thief” from Bosworth uses photo-recognition programming to find matches for fashion items that you spot.
Snoop Dogg
With “Snoopify” you can edit your photographs to include specialized graphics.
Lil’ Wayne
While this app seems to no longer be available, “Be Like Lil’ Wayne” was similar to “Snoopify” with its ability to add things such as clothes, tattoos, and bling to your pictures.
At the end of the day, it is clear that there is no one single formula for a successful celebrity-backed mobile app. The possibilities of mobile apps development are wide open for app developers and celebrities to come together and make some fun, interesting apps.
As app stores become more and more crowded, it is likely that we will see more and more apps with celebrities’ names and brands attached. It is a great way for apps to get noticed in a competitive marketplace. In addition, it helps celebrities promote their projects and try out new concepts for their art.
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