LongHorn Steakhouse is taking its new “Discover the West in You(SM)” ad campaign into the digital age with the launch of its first-ever Apple iPhone stereoscopic 3D application. It is also the first iPhone app for the casual dining industry, and one of the first to employ stereoscopic 3D. The launch was announced by LongHorn Steakhouse’s agency partner, Grey New York, which designed and executed the application.
Grey New York launched the TV ad campaign for LongHorn in March, using animated illustrations to link the brand to the values of the American West. It was the first LongHorn advertising to break from Grey following an agency change a year ago.
The iPhone app (also available for iPod Touch) features a steak that can be flipped up to four times, and with the aid of 3-D glasses, in 3-dimension and stereoscope. It is available free on Apple iTunes http://www.apple.com/iphone/apps-for-everything/going-out.html, home to 25,000 apps currently and growing at the phenomenal rate of 5,000 a month.
According to Sean Crane, Creative Director at Grey New York, mobile apps are the next big platform for connecting with consumers. “It gives you a direct connection to consumers, putting your logo in their pockets, and connecting to their lives,” he said. “Every time app users look at their phones, whether or not they use our app on a regular basis, they see the LongHorn Steakhouse logo. And the fun of 3-D makes it more likely they will use the app more often.”
Terry Stanley, Executive Vice President of Marketing for LongHorn, commented on the growing mobile app medium. “We’re very excited to be entering the iPhone app world. This app is a fun and interactive way to reach out to the approximately 30 million people in the U.S. who now own Apple iPhones or iTouches.”
About Grey New York
Grey New York is the flagship and largest office of Grey, the advertising network of Grey Group. Grey Group ranks among the largest global communications companies. Its parent company is WPP (Nasdaq: WPPGY). Grey Group’s total offering includes G2, activation marketing; healthcare communications; media planning and buying and public relations. Grey New York’s client roster includes many of the world’s best known companies: Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Diageo, Darden Restaurants, Wyeth, Canon, 3M, Eli Lilly, Dairy Queen, ETrade, NFL and T.J. Maxx (http://www.grey.com)
About LongHorn Steakhouse
More than 25 years after opening its first restaurant in Atlanta, today LongHorn Steakhouse operates more than 300 restaurants in 30 states. LongHorn is a division of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI), the world’s largest full-service restaurant operating company. For more information about LongHorn, please visit www.longhornsteakhouse.com.
