The way we consume information is changing. An estimated 50% of people in the UK now own a smartphone, a figure that is set to rise to over 75% in the next two years. Coupled with the rapidly growing, iPad-dominated tablet market, this has clear ramifications for the corporate communicator.

Mobile is taking over. Morgan Stanley’s Internet Trends report predicts that the number of mobile internet users will overtake desktop internet users within the next two years while mobile demand for corporate websites is rising particularly sharply. At the same time, apps are overtaking web use. US consumers are already spending more time on apps (81 minutes per day) than on the web (74 minutes).

Brands have switched on to this, and are hurriedly producing apps that make best use of the interface. It’s easy to see why. Once a user has downloaded an app, they interact with the brand in a more intimate and tactile way than they ever would on a corporate website.

At the same time, the ability to consume information on the go – both online and offline – is significant pull for corporate audiences. The appetite among investment audiences is especially keen. No wonder, then, that most corporate apps seemed more geared to IR than media comms.

Here, we shine a light on five early-adopting brands to bring you the corporate apps that are making best use of mobile.

Marks & Spencer

The M&S app - “aimed at helping our investors stay informed about the latest M&S financial news wherever they are” – features content such as videos of the latest management interviews, marketing campaigns and earnings broadcasts as well as an archive of recent and historic earnings reports, trading statements, presentations and other corporate documents.

Of course, one of the benefits of mobile applications is their ability to provide current information on the go. To that end, the M&S app offers up-to-the-minute share price data, and has ensured that all content is available online and offline.

Users can also make use of document and multimedia libraries with a download management facility as well as a share price graph with zoom facility.

“Our IR App is a fantastic complement to our website with the ability to carry and review key documents and videos around with you wherever you are,” says Majda Rainer, head of IR at Marks & Spencer. “This makes it a very attractive tool for management and investors who are often on the move.”

Interestingly, this is the first app to make use of an innovative off-the-peg app template by online communications consultancy Investis. Priced between £10,000 and £15,000, this interface template can be adapted for individual companies while offering a uniform array of content including press releases, webcasts, documents, regulatory news and share price charts. The price of a bespoke app can easily be over £100,000, according to Investis.

Investis is producing a number of similar apps for clients in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 as well as other listed in continental Europe. Demand for IR apps is particularly strong among the consumerfacing sectors like media and retail.

Škoda

Although corporate apps are heavily skewed in favour of investor relations – the majority being specially optimised versions of the annual report – some see the benefit of mobile tools as media relations platforms. The capabilities of the medium mean that it can easily be used as a kind of pocket-sized social media newsroom.

Car manufacturer Škoda launched what it calls a ‘media services app’ for the iPhone and iPad in March in an effort “to improve the availability of product and brand information”.

Focused on providing journalists with access to the latest information, Škoda Media Services is a free download which acts as a portal for journalists seeking up-to-the-minute news, photographs, films or technical data. Thanks to a push notification feature, the user is kept updated on all news, and the number of new items is shown directly in the application icon.

Besides enhancing the functionality of the system, the provider has upgraded the user environment and extended the content, too.

Originally designed exclusively for Apple devices with the iOS operating system, the company intends to extend the application in the future and offer a larger number of mobile features and functions.

Legal & General

It’s easy to see why UK life assurance group Legal & General launched its 2010 annual report as an app for the iPad. Almost nine out of ten investors now eschew the printed report, while the migration to paperless communications played into the firm’s desire to be seen as an environmentally responsible corporate citizen.

Of course, an iPad app is also bang on trend and garnered welcome attention when it launched. Working with corporate reporting specialist nexxar, L&G created a bespoke app, providing an easy and portable way to access the report in an environmentally friendly and cost-efficient manner.

And as L&G’s web producer Tristán White comments, “Apart from the fact that this makes environmental sense, it is also considerably lighter to carry than 232 pages of paper.”

nexxar’s Thomas Rosenmayr admits that an iPad app is regarded as “trendy” but adds: “It combines the strengths of an online report (search facility, crosslinking of content or inclusion of multi-media) with those of the print side (offline use or privacy of personal comments).”

Most investor relations apps render the annual report as a PDF of the printed report. But nexxar followed a different approach, using full HTML reporting. “This implies that we are more flexible on using our brilliant online tools like relevance search, online glossary or crosslinks.”

So as well as an intuitive user interface, the app includes chart generation tools, the ability to create bespoke versions of the report, animated charts and diagrams, and an enhanced search facility.

Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets.

The company has operations in 160 locations in 70 countries around the world and is listed on the NASDAQ OMX in Helsinki.

The Wärtsilä iPublication brings together a wide range of information about the Finland-based engineering company using the utility of the iPad format. Here you can find financial publications, magazines, and other company updates.

It also has Facebook and Twitter connectivity and implements push notifications. The company has been aggressively promoting the application on its Facebook page, and running competitions where the prizes are iPads.

Nestlé

Nestlé has enjoyed notable success with its iPad and iPhone corporate app which “aims to keep investors and the media connected with online and offline access to the latest news, press releases, reports, presentations and a weekly share buy-back update”.

Since its official launch, users have downloaded the application worldwide in countries such as the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Brazil and France.

The app was devised and funded by Nestlé’s investor relations team who began discussing the idea in July 2010. After working with the corporate media relations team and external agency Sogeti India, the app was launched on 22 October 2010.

The user experience is certainly rich. Once connected to Wi-Fi, the app automatically loads the latest information when opened, including large PDF files such as the annual report. If connected to a 3G mobile network, users can choose whether or not to download these files. All this content is stored and can be accessed when offline.

“It was not created in response to an identified demand,” says Roddy Child-Villiers, head of IR at Nestlé. “Rather the app anticipated a need amongst the Nestlé community in the financial markets. Our feedback suggests that it is proving to be a hit as an efficient tool for our target audience.”

Peter Warne, head of e-communications at Nestlé, added: “We’ve had a mobile website for more than a year and now the app for iPhones and iPads complements this.

“Technology is the great enabler, and we can better understand the individual platforms and what their strengths and weaknesses are, both through engaging consultants with their expertise and the old-fashioned way of developing it and measuring the results.”

According to Nestlé, the app “continuously supports the company’s efforts to improve solutions, development and implementation, while maintaining value added and business relevant solutions.”

Nestlé is looking into development of the application for other mobile platforms including Android and Blackberry.