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Ketel One sponsors new Time Out universal app launch for global-local mix

Ketel One Vodka is sponsoring Time Out Group?s Los Angeles launch of its new universal mobile application. The app will combine Time Out Group's individual city apps to provide a broader reach for advertisers

The universal Time Out app is currently available on iPhones for five cities: New York, Los Angeles, London, Barcelona and Paris. The free app provides consumers with location-based deals and information, and it will provide marketers with new digital revenue opportunities, including flexible advertising units, restaurant reservations, tickets and special offers through a newly designed check-out system.

?Time Out is a global multi-platform media company, and we want to give users a uniform experience across Time Out cities by building a universal app with local content,? said Carolyn Sims, marketing director of Time Out Group, London.

?Our users want inspiration for things that are relevant, as well as ease of planning and booking,? she said. ?We looked at these needs from the perspective of providing a universal experience driven from our global content platform. This also allows us to scale the app quickly with every new site that launches.?

Universal reach
Previously Time Out offered individual apps for each city that it covered in its print magazine and online. By combining all of the cities into one universal app, Time Out hopes to provide benefits for both consumers and marketers.

Marketers benefit since they are able to reach a global audience in one app, but they can also still target specific sections and features within the app.

For example, Ketel One decided to feature their advertising within the Los Angeles segment of the app.

According to Ms. Sims, Ketel One wanted ?to reach a hard top target, socially active audience, with a highly trusted brand.?

Ketel One is also advertising on the Time Out Web site and sponsoring the Countdown to Happy Hour clock.

Consumers will benefit from the universal app since they will be able to easily transfer from city to city with the new City Switcher function. This is important in today?s world where many consumers travel for business and may want to easily be able to switch from city to city.

Time Out plans to expand beyond the five current cities available within the app and add more cities from Time Out?s global network of 37 cities.

User-friendly app
In creating the universal app, Time Out worked to ensure that the new features would be as user-friendly as possible. The app is compatible with iOS 7 and takes into consideration past feedback from the public.

The app?s home screen will be updated with new events and recommendations from Time Out's editorial teams, and it will feature nearby recommendations based on the time of day.

Additionally, users can make restaurant reservations within the app itself. There is also a favorites function that lets users bookmark items to revisit later.

The Time Out app is also available on Windows mobile and tablet devices.

According to Ms. Sims, there are more than 1,500,000 Time Out iPhone apps downloaded to date.

?Time Out?s aim on all platforms is to give consumers quick and easy to access inspiration and recommendations to make the most of their city,? Ms. Sims said. ?With this new app update, we?re making our database of thousands of event listings, venue listings and features accessible on mobile devices and searchable by time and location.

?Time Out seeks to provide users with the inspiration they need on the platforms they use and prefer,? she said. ?As mobile usage among our target demographic has increased dramatically, we?ve focused on providing the best possible experience for mobile consumers.?

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York