Cappelen Damm Launches App for Boating Test

Spring is here and boat owners are getting their boats ready for the upcoming season. Since last year, boat captains in Norway born 1980 and later must take the båtførerprøven or boat captain's test – a driver's licence for pleasure craft. The Norwegian educational book publisher Cappelen Damm Akademisk produces one of the most popular prep books on the subject, Veien til båtførerprøven (The road to the boating test) by Olaf Trysnes. Now the book is also launched as an iPhone application.

"Apps are timely," says Cecilie von Hirsch Larsen, marketing manager at Cappelen Damm Akademisk. "We want to test via Veien til båtførerprøven what's needed to launch an app, in terms of budget and development, as well as build up our own competence in this area. The boating test represents a big market in Norway, with a big sales potential. Which is why we chose to begin with this book."

The app includes 399 questions that can be used for practicing before the actual test. You can choose questions on a particular subject or practice your timing. The app is free to download and contains 50 questions. To see the rest of the 399 questions in total costs NOK 59.

"We have several competitors, but our app contains more functions is based on our well-established test-prep book," says von Hirsch Larsen. "And we believe the target group is big – both those younger captains who must take the test and older ones who just want to refresh their knowledge."

The launch, approximately a week before the Easter holidays, was chosen carefully with the thought that many start thinking about getting their boats in the water at this time.

"We're marketing the app broadly: in social media, with advertising both in our own channels and externally, and with information and promotional codes for journalists to test the app," says von Hirsch Larsen. "We're also distributing information to bookstores around the country."

It may be the first Cappelen Damm app, but it won't be the last.

"When we've seen how the target group reacts to the campaign, we'll consider the possibilities of creating more apps for other books," von Hirsch Larsen.