A recent article in Adweek brought to light the costs of building a mobile app.

My questions…are ad dollars are best utilized in building apps or sponsorship of them.  The article points out that unless your are in the “Top 25″ your app is a hole in cyberspace.  In fact, Apple get 250 app a day – that 90,000 apps a year.

I contend that ad dollars would be better utilized in sponsorship of two kinds of apps.

Pick your favorite horse (or two)

Put you money behind the top few apps that will delivery the eye balls for your target.   In other words, go after the apps on the Top 25 and start counting the impressions and possible conversions.

I would advertise on sites like SportsTap or Pandora that are well trafficed and have staying power.

Extension for your business

If I were consulting for a restaurant I would make sure I did all I could to create a profile for UrbanSpoon.com and asked all who frequented to submit feedback.  My menu would be up-to-date, and I would make recommendations as to come early as we get crowded around 6:30 on weekends.

Building an app that fits your business may not have the ulitity (or large enough audience) to justify the spend.