iPhone apps are proving to be some of the most innovative marketing programs around. The latest to catch my eye is from Lucky, the Conde Nast magazine.For those who don’t know Lucky, it's basically a fashion catalog posing as editorial. Lucky is for young women who like to shop, which gives it a potential subscriber base of a zillion. ;)
The Lucky app allows users to search for a specific designer hand bag (or shoe or dress or…) and use the phone’s GPS function to pinpoint the closest store that is selling it. Lucky’s call center will also contact the store and have the item set aside, sending a confirming text message to the user. Best of all, this is all free.
If this app is as good as it sounds, I think Lucky could have charged a buck or two for the download. But it sounds as if Conde Nast’s real play is to use this tool to drive magazine advertising revenue, both as an added-value lure for advertisers and as a research tool to demonstrate audience engagement.
I hope it works. Magazine publishers need to show a bit more innovation across the board.