These days it seems like every brand has a Facebook application…. and personally, I find very few of them at all interesting or engaging.  I came across the Dasani photosynthesis application (I think through an ad), and it was one of the better experiences that I’ve had with a brand on Facebook.  I wanted to share the cool app and also highlight some of the benefits from a marketing perspective.

I have had TONS of people ask me about my Facebook picture (which was generated from the app) so I wanted to share the app, plus some marketing insights on why this execution makes sense from a marketing perspective.

1. On-Brand Socially Relevant Concept

The photosynthesis application by Dasani takes your Facebook profile photos and turns them into a collage image of a photo that you select that can be used as your cover photo on Facebook (it generates an image in the right size for the cover image).

The theme of the app is very relevant to the brand strategy – you are recycling your Facebook photos to create a new cover image.  The concept is both on-brand (they are promoting recycling) and socially relevant (Facebook cover photos are shared online).  In addition, they actually donate to Keep America Beautiful for each image that is uploaded (extra bonus).

The brand is also integrated throughout the app experience.  For example, while it is creating your collage, the app asks you to wait while they recycle your photos.  The brand positioning message is clearly integrated into all aspects of the app.

2. Simple Execution

So many facebook apps start out as a great idea, but the actually user flow is clunky and difficult to execute.  Not the Dasani App.

You simply choose the image that you want to turn into a mosaic for your cover photo and the app with then use the rest of your profile photos to create it, thereby recycling your photos.

The app was surprisingly easy to use and clearly had a good user interface/user design team that created it.

3. Sharing is Built In

Sharing the concept is built right in.  First, the output is posted on your Facebook page, but also in the album it encourages you to share with your friends.  I can’t tell you how many people asked me how I got my profile photo…..

4. They Respect Your Privacy

You can approve the photos before they appear in your album…. so if you look terrible, don’t worry about it.

5. They Don’t Punch You In The Face With The Brand

PLUS, they resisted the urge to screw it up by putting their logo on your profile picture or the app.  The name of the app appears as the title of the album.  The branding is subtle but shows people where they can create their own.  Nice balance of branding vs. annoying.

6. If You Build It, They Probably Don’t Even Know

The old “If you build it they will come” doesn’t work well online.  As I searched for more information about the app, I found a number of brand sponsored blog posts, where the bloggers were paid to write about the application.

The quality of the posts ranged, from the one on the right, which looks like it was copied from a website and probably isn’t very effective, to other much more natural ones.

The one downside was that none of the bloggers had actually used or tried the app before posting…. it would have been a lot more powerful if the bloggers were encouraged to use their own experience as the premise for the post, especially since the app experience is so good.

Using bloggers, influencers and ads to spread the word is key.  This is often referred to as PAID, EARNED and OWNED media.  Dasani promoted it with paid media (blog posts and I think ads), earned media (people like me who love it and are talking about it) and owned media (on their channels).

After seeing all of these posts I thought that maybe Dasani should pay me for writing about them!  Also, note that the bloggers all used proper disclosures.

Have You Tried it Yet?  What do you Think?