Pfizer?s Lipitor brand has partnered with Meredith Corp.?s EatingWell magazine on a mobile application that helps users manage their cholesterol with recipes and heart-healthy tips.

The app is available for free download for both iOS and Android devices. The Recipes 2 Go app is Pfizer?s first consumer-facing app in the United States for one of its prescription products.

"Taking a cholesterol-lowering medication every day is just part of the equation for maintaining a healthy lifestyle," said Greg Reeder, senior director and team leader, U.S. brands of established products business unit at Pfizer, New York.

"This app aims to provide practical tips and delicious, healthy recipes to help people make lifestyle changes in addition to their cholesterol treatment regimen," he said.

EatingWell is a Meredith-owned brand with a magazine that reaches three million readers and a Web site that brings in four million unique visitors per month.

Handheld resource
Lipitor?s sponsorship of the app includes promoting the company?s Lipitor For You program.

Consumers can sign-up for the program via the app and receive a $4 co-pay card that can be used on prescriptions. Once an account has been created, consumers can store their ID inside the app for quick future reference.

The app filters recipes by category and walks users through step-by-step recipes.  Additionally, pictures can be zoomed in on to give users a closer look at meals.

Users can also set a timer to keep themselves on track while preparing meals.

Each recipe also features a list of ingredients that users can add to shopping lists. After users add an item to the list, the product can be checked off as they shop.

Via the app, consumers can find out more information about individual dishes, print recipes and share content via email, Facebook and Twitter.

The app can also be personalized with customized notes that users can attach to recipe pages.

?The strategy is simply to take the content to where people want it and provide practical solutions for today?s on-the-go lifestyle,? said Larry Sommers, general manager of digital media and business development at EatingWell, Shelburne, VT. 

?This mobile app allows someone to plan a healthy meal for their family when it is convenient for them, often times while at the supermarket,? he said.

Mobile guide
By interweaving Pfizer into the app?s sponsorship, EatingWell is able to take its long-standing relationship with the pharmaceutical company into the app.

For example, Pfizer began working with EatingWell in 2009 and also recently launched the Web site http://www.lipitorsmartliving.com/ that includes 500 recipes from the media brand.

In addition to the Recipes 2 Go app, Meredith has been active in the mobile space for a while.

Most recently, the media company standardized all of its mobile bar codes in its magazines to help create a seamless reading experience for users (see story).

Additionally, Liz Schimel, executive vice president and chief digital officer at Meredith National Media Group, Des Moines, IA, recently spoke at the DMA Circulation Marketing Day about how mobile has the opportunity to unlock different forms of content.

The executive revealed how Meredith has crafted a three-prong approach to mobile with mobile Web sites, apps and tablets (see story).

?The idea of content meeting technology is truly coming to fruition and we are seeing our audience embrace new technology in sophisticated ways from mobile payments to content to point-of-purchase shopping,? Ms. Schimel said.
 
?Mobile, in particular, continues to grow in importance as more of our consumers are using smartphones ? today nearly ten percent of the traffic we receive to our sites is coming from mobile devices,? she said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York