Office Depot's 'Elf Yourself' app has been a hit during the holiday season for years, and the company has added new features to the app this year to both highlight the unique circumstances of this season and give users more new ways to interact.
The app itself is an interactive animation in which pictures of users' faces are inserted on top of cute dancing elves. Though Elf Yourself has been popular since 2012, with over 92 million downloads, Office Depots additions promise to make the output from the app even more shareable than ever.
2016 will be the first time in 111 years that Christmas and Hanukkah coincide with one another. As such, Elf Yourself will include a new song and dance called 'Christmukkah' to celebrate the interfaith holiday.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Interactive Virtual Character Apps
- Incorporating interactive virtual characters that allow user personalization into apps can lead to increased engagement and viral success.
- Holiday Celebrations Apps
- Creating apps specifically for holiday celebrations can cater to consumers' seasonal interests and boost brand awareness during certain times of year.
- Limited Time Content Apps
- Offering limited time content for users to engage with can create a sense of urgency and drive usage and sharing.
Where This Applies
- Retail
- Using interactive virtual character apps can differentiate retail companies and boost engagement with customers.
- Entertainment
- Creating holiday celebration apps can draw in users and provide entertainment during the holiday season, increasing revenue for entertainment companies.
- Advertising
- Limited time content apps provide opportunities for advertising companies to create time-sensitive campaigns that can go viral and gain brand recognition.
