Zippo: No flint or fuel required
Staying true to itself, Zippo developed an iPhone application that performs a single task and performs it well. The free Zippo Lighter application enables users to customize the look of their virtual lighters and simulate the reactions an actual Zippo would have to movements and conditions. Users can quickly jerk the iPhone to the left to open the Zippo and shift it to the right to close it. Lighting the Zippo requires a simple flick, and the application can recreate flame movement by recognizing bursts of wind blowing into the microphone.
The application was originally launched at the beginning of September as a brand-building effort with the goal of eventually driving sales. But as it stands now, there is no direct link to a site, says Brent Tyler, Zippo's event marketing and promotions manager.
"What we can track and what we can look at is the number of iPhone and iPod users who go to Zippo from those devices," Tyler says. "There's been a tremendous increase in traffic from those devices, and it's pegged around the release of that app."
Because the application was "strictly a brand-building effort out of the gate," Zippo hasn't tracked sales relative to the application, Tyler says, adding that, "It also gives them some idea of the breadth of the product line."
Still, by any measure, the application has been a marketing success with 2.5 million downloads to date. And online sales have spiked in the past couple months.
"Short of them having the product in their hand, this is the next best thing," Tyler says.
The iPhone was an obvious choice for Zippo because it carries significant weight in the 18-34 demographic. "There are a lot of people using the iPhone in that target audience," Pat Grandy, Zippo's marketing communications manager, told iMedia.
"iPhone is far and away one of the most preferred platforms right now," Grandy says. "We've had some initial discussion about other platforms. I think what it comes down to is seeing what rises to the top. I think the iPhone has a cachet that maybe the Zippo has, and we share that cool factor.
"There's another synergy there too," Grandy adds. "At concerts, there's a tradition we call the Zippo moment when people hold up their lighters. If they're going to be holding up their cellphones, they might as well be holding up their Zippo app on their iPhone."
