Liquor giant Smirnoff is collaborating with the Time Out publication to launch an iPhone application targeting consumers in their mid-twenties to mid-forties.

The application, which is powered by TigerSpike, features up-to-the-minute Time Out content featuring events and experiences in London, including the best nightlife, culture and restaurants as picked by Time Out?s team of editors. Content will include the ?Smirnoff Hot Picks? round-up of the weeks ?can?t-miss? events, a booking-ahead service and a library featuring some of London?s most iconic past events.

?Time Out is already a proven leader when it comes to planning a social life,? said Alex Hall, New York-based chief operating officer of TigerSpike. ?The mobile phone and, in particular, the iPhone is a perfect channel to move into as it gives consumers a greater opportunity to make and change plans wherever they are and whenever they want.

?From a partnership perspective, Time Out and Smirnoff stand for the same thing, in that they both are about getting involved socially and making life an event,? he said.

Smirnoff is a brand of vodka under the Diageo umbrella.

Diageo has alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Time Out is a worldwide multimedia publisher specializing in cultural experiences for urban adventurers. The company publishes 33 magazines in 25 countries worldwide and 55 city guides written by teams of local writers.

Smirnoff and Time Out for iPhone
The target demographic of the Smirnoff and Time Out iPhone application is London-based consumers ages 25-44.

The application was created by mobile specialist TigerSpike.

The main challenge for liquor and consumer-packaged-goods brands entering the mobile applications space is that it is difficult to really provide genuine long-term utility to consumers to keep them engaged over the long haul.

?Time Out already provides an abundance of invaluable information to all of Smirnoff?s current and potential consumers,? Mr. Hall said.

Every month Smirnoff and Time Out will offer the chance to explore nightlife and entertainment worldwide through competitions that can be entered either through the iPhone application or the microsite at http://www.timeout.com/smirnoff with the chance to win a trip to New York.

The Smirnoff and Time Out application features geolocation technology that lets users view recommended activities around their exact position within seconds, complete with event previews.

The application also features up-to-the-minute recommendations and event information, with functionality to send preferred event picks to friends.

Users can add favorite cinemas, restaurants, venues and areas, allowing them to keep up-to-date with what is going on in their favorite places.

Consumers that do not have an iPhone can also access the information at http://www.timeout.com/smirnoff.

There has been significant marketing support for the application.

The application is being advertised across four pages in the print magazine and this will continue for a while.

The partners have highlighted 20 social media sites across Britain that review applications and which act as a marketplace. Having the application represented in these places is critical from awareness, trial and review perspectives, according to TigerSpike.

?We have a good relationship with Apple and have been able to get the app placed very favorably,? Mr. Hall said.

British carriers have a budget to market iPhone applications, and TigerSpike has spent time working with them to ensure that they get to see and appreciate the product. The application has currently got a promotional focus on deck with O2. 

??TimeOut is working with TigerSpike to launch our first iPhone app,? said David Pepper, managing director at Time Out Digital, London. ?They were chosen after a lengthy process of seeing over 30 suppliers because of their understanding of our products, innovative approach, robust project management, flexibility and the relationship they have with Apple and key brands.

?The team has enjoyed working with TigerSpike on what is a very technical app that needs to be able to be localized to other markets,? he said. ?It is an intense project for which we needed a proven supplier we could trust implicitly.??