Launching new mobile apps from conception to award-winning success in a matter of months and growing a highly engaged audience of app users who each spend more than 30 minutes per day.

Martin returned to Metro newspaper for a board-level role to launch and deliver a new digital strategy based on mobile apps.

During his tenure, the flagship Metro digital edition app was completely reimagined and relaunched to be a multi-device proposition which increased efficiency and made the [advertising process much simpler](http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/07/13/metro-s-updated-digital-edition-app-will-allow-brands-advertise-cross-device-first) and more effective.

The main objective of the app strategy was to grow and retain genuinely engaged users who would interact with the app on a habitual basis. More on the thinking behind this can be read about [in this interview with Martin](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/inside-metro-s-mobile-app-strategy/s2/a698481/).

As part of this app-centric approach, [two vertical-specific apps were conceived and launched](http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/metro-launches-personalised-football-mobile-news-app-11versus11/) – with a similar emphasis on habit-forming and engagement. The first was a football app named 11versus11 which was for football fans and the second, Guilty Pleasures, was for lovers of celebrity news.

Both apps brought together personalisation and aggregation to create a sticky destination app, with a sophisticated push notification strategy to cement that. 11versus11 went on to win [Best](https://www.metro.news/back-of-the-net-11versus11-wins-european-digital-media-award-4/582305/) Sport App at the European Digital Media Awards, as well as picking up three other nominations or commendations.