Electronics Hub just released a study by DotNek that outlines the most hated apps downloaded around the world. We’re looking at a few case studies that we can pull from Electronics Hub’s study and see if there are lessons to be learned for the marketing world – at least, beyond ‘Avoid this app in this country’.
Raid Shadow Legends: Oversaturation
Okay, so Raid: Shadow Legends isn’t even the 5th most hated gaming app in the study, but its name pops up when hovering over Venezuela, China, and Japan, and frankly, you don’t need to hate them: you know who they are. If you have heard a podcast or watched a YouTube video in the past decade you’ve heard their name. Every influencer ‘loves’ Raid: Shadow Legends.
This has gotten to the point that it’s considered a joke. YouTubers will appeal for brand deals from anyone, ‘except Raid: Shadow Legends’. They will tell you that they rejected a brand deal from someone they can’t name but it rhymes with ‘Shmade Shmadow Shmegends’. The company is a joke. Not a meme. A meme is laughed with. They are laughed at.
Not least because they are trying to kid a kidder. The gaming community takes one look at their too-long, always the same, speeches and curated footage of ‘playing’ the game and they laugh. They know a cash grab when they see one. Something that Homescapes, the most hated gaming app in the world according to this study, can learn from. Don’t promote a game that is nothing like the final product to gamers.
So, what can marketers learn here? To not become a Raid: Shadow Legends or, for an up-to-date example, a TotalJobs with their ‘Granny, I got the job’ that has recently went viral on TikTok for people just begging for it to go away. You can easily go from a ‘meh’ or even a loved brand to one that is hated for simple repetition.
Facebook versus Reddit: Is it better to be hated or forgotten?
It’s an interesting thing to note that when it comes to the most hated apps in the world, Facebook, once one of the biggest apps in the world, barely gets a mention. However, the most hated app in the world is Facebook Messenger.
There could be many reasons for this, the two main ones being the amount of space it takes up in your phone and Facebook’s dodgy privacy policies, but it makes far more sense to see Reddit, Twitter, and Snapchat following behind. All three of those have controversial identities that go deeper than social media policies. Snapchat, due to its informing users of screenshots, has been deemed the ‘cheating app’ and Reddit and Twitter are political hubs, where you’re either going to love the atmosphere or hate it.
So, what does that say about Facebook as a whole? We know they are desperate for younger viewers, indicating a severe lack of them. We know they are throwing a lot of whacky ideas at the wall to see what sticks and makes money. And yet, none of them has really made a dent.
Twitter, Snapchat, and Reddit are not having their midlife crisis. Are they maybe pertaining to the idea that all press is good press? Are you fine marketing on their sites as long as eyes are on them, whether they’re hate-watching or not?
Reddit versus the USA: Lean into politics or not?
However, if you zero in on the US, and zoom out to apply all mobile apps, the two most hated apps per state are Tinder and Reddit. Tinder is somewhat understandable. If you’re not getting anywhere with it, it would be easy to take it out on the app. Its shallow nature and love of spamming users is not helping its argument, but the hatred of Reddit is likely to tie in with modern US politics. Those too ‘extreme’ for Reddit were eventually shifted to 4Chan as Reddit tightened its policies. If you were one of those people, no doubt you were grumbling about freedom of speech, and if you weren’t, you might have been worried about what was on the site, or a combination of both.
And yet, marketers are constantly told to lean into politics. Gen Z loves it. Keyboard warriors are becoming activists. They want to know brands are fair, doing their best for the planet and the people on it, and will let you know that they don’t agree with something on social media and with their wallets. So, do you take up with Reddit and appeal to the activist, or do you keep away from it, imagining that the politics the app is known for might not appeal to your customers?
If you’re interested in more insights into the affiliate marketing industry, take a look at our blog, or for a more personalised approach, book a free call with a member of our team to see how we can help you today.
Or, for the very best advice, you can still access the content from our Elevate Summit to hear what industry peers at the top of their careers are saying. Get access to over 14 hours’ worth of content from speeches, panels, and workshops full of the best information.
