Here are two mobile apps that recently caught my eye…
Audi Start-Stop App
The Audi start-stop system turns off the engine when the car stops at a traffic light and turns it on again when the car starts. Using the same principle, Audi along with DDB Spain creates an Android app that detects which applications have been open longest without being used and sends an alert to the user to close them. Thus saving battery and making the phone a more efficient tool.
Reborn Apps
Many events create their own smartphone apps. But when the event is over, the apps lose their usefulness and are then hardly used. To give these apps a second life, Duval Guillaume gets various Belgium organisations to push out an update which turns their event apps into a registration medium for organ donation.
In European mobile marketing, the strongest brand apps behave like practical utilities first and brand messages second.
What both ideas get right
Standalone takeaway: Both apps translate a familiar real-world idea into a simple mobile behavior change. One nudges you to close what you are not using. The other repurposes what you already have installed.
- They solve a real friction. Battery drain and app clutter are everyday pains. Low donor registration is a societal pain.
- They use a clear trigger. “Unused for long” becomes the reason to act. “Event is over” becomes the reason to update.
- They keep the action lightweight. A close action or a signup action can happen in seconds.
Two different intents, one shared pattern
The Audi app is a utility story. It borrows a car feature metaphor to make an Android housekeeping task feel purposeful. The Reborn idea is a “mobile for good” story. It turns leftover event attention into a meaningful registration moment, without asking people to download something new.
What to steal if you build brand apps
- Start from a known behavior. People already ignore background apps. People already keep old event apps installed.
- Make the trigger obvious. If users cannot explain why the app pinged them, they ignore it next time.
- Design for the next best action. One tap to close. One short flow to register.
- Let the brand sit behind the benefit. If the utility feels real, the brand halo follows naturally.
A few fast answers before you act
What is the Audi Start-Stop App?
It is an Android utility idea that identifies apps left open for a long time without being used and alerts you to close them, borrowing the metaphor of Audi’s start-stop engine system.
What problem does it try to solve?
It targets battery and resource drain caused by apps that stay running in the background after you stop actively using them.
What are Reborn Apps?
It is an idea that asks event app publishers to push an update after the event ends, transforming those unused apps into a simple organ donation registration tool.
Why is the “update instead of download” approach smart?
It removes acquisition friction. The app is already on the phone, so the campaign can focus on conversion rather than installs.
What is the common lesson across both examples?
Make the desired behavior the easiest behavior. Use a clear trigger, keep the action simple, and let usefulness do the persuasion.
