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L.L. Bean Tries New Lure: an iPhone Game

August 04, 2009 - FREEPORT -- L.L. Bean is entering uncharted territory: the iPhone.

This week, the Freeport-based outdoors retailer released a free game for the iPhone and iPod Touch called "Moosentration," in which players must recall images such as boots, canoes and fishing lures.

This is L.L. Bean's first foray into the world of mobile applications, which has opened a potentially lucrative new market for businesses of all sizes.

Though it might be just a game, Moosentration could be a sign of a new direction for the retailer, the company says, that could eventually include mobile shopping.

"We're not doing a game to sell you anything, but to interact with customers in a new and different way," said L.L. Bean spokeswoman Laurie Brooks.

Moosentration now joins more than 65,000 applications available through Apple's iTunes store. The game, which is similar to the children's game "Concentration," offers different modes in which players must find L.L. Bean merchandise, iconic Maine images, animals and cartoon moose.

It's simple to use, with players using the iPhone's touch screen to flip cards while being timed.

Blue Ox Technologies of Caribou developed the game and later partnered with L.L. Bean, which added branding and other features.

Christopher York, owner of Blue Ox, said he first developed a version of the game as shareware, or free software, more than 10 years ago. He said it wasn't too difficult to transition Moosentration to the iPhone platform, which he believes is a good fit for the game.

Blue Ox has created a number of games for the iPhone, including Moxie, which challenges players to make words from random letters.

York said that over a five-month span, more than 2 million games of Moxie have been played.

"I think it's definitely a sign that mobile technology is becoming more and more important," he said. "If you want to reach a lot of people with a message, the mobile platform is one of the best ways to do it."

Brooks said L.L. Bean first experimented with marketing on mobile devices when it ran an ad on an iPhone application for NBC's "Today" show. Brooks said Moosentration seemed like a natural fit, linking L.L. Bean and images associated with Maine.

"We really don't have an expectation or number target for downloading," she said. "It's really just a test for us and a fun way to interact with customers."

L.L. Bean is pairing the launch of the application with an online Moosentration game available at llbean.com. The company also plans to promote the game in conjunction with its social media efforts on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

L.L. Bean has been hit hard by the recession and has scaled back recent expansion plans. For the fiscal year ending in February, revenue was down 7.8 percent, to $1.5 billion. In April, the retailer eliminated about 150 jobs because of the decline in sales.

The company lost more employees who opted for early retirement, though that number has not been disclosed.

This month the company opened a new store in Dedham, Mass., the 13th outside of Maine. Original plans called for eight new stores.

Kennebunk-based retail analyst Tom Yake said L.L. Bean's mistake recently might have been deviating from its core business, which is catalog sales and the flagship store. But in the case of the iPhone application, if the production costs were minimal, then it could be a benefit to the company, Yake said.

"There are lots of retailers who have figured out creative ways to market themselves at low costs," he said.

The mobile application market represents a new frontier, and companies are racing to figure out how to leverage themselves.

What makes the mobile phone the perfect advertising vehicle is that people take them everywhere, said Carl Howe, director of consumer research for the Yankee Group.

Howe said iPhone applications offer a marketing opportunity that differs from the thousands of ads people see each day online and in print.

"If you break down the numbers, you may see (an ad) for a second or two, or for 15 seconds," he said. "But a game that can interact with and is in front of a consumer and shows brand for minutes at a time? That is high-priced real estate."

Another benefit of going mobile is that it can be easier for companies to gauge a return on their investment, he said. Companies are able to measure how many people have downloaded an application, how much time a person spends with it and whether they click on ads, Howe said.

The next stage will be shopping through mobile devices, but Howe said that might take time.

"I think, again, consumer behavior is hard to change," Howe said. "When you have something you know and trust, particularly when it comes to money, we're more likely to use that."

Brooks said L.L. Bean has no immediate plans to release a shopping application, but she said the company can't ignore the trend toward mobile devices in personal technology.

"It's all very open," Brooks said. "It's a new frontier. We'll see how it goes."

By JUSTIN ELLIS, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald, July 31, 2009


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