Zippo lighter app reaches 5 million downloads

3 September 2009 16:24 GMT / By Ben Crompton

Zippo, the "iconic" lighter brand, has announced that it has become one of the most popular branded iPhone apps of all time with the "Virtual Zippo Lighter" app being downloaded 5 million times.

The app was launched in September 2008 and since then has managed to climb to the dizzy heights of number 18 in the global download charts, according to a report by comScore.

In light of this success the company seems to be pushing its link with music as opposed to the obvious one of smoking, saying "The Zippo Lighter strikes a chord with the digital generation" and "the application has resonated with audiences across the world".

It also cites the increase of mobile waving at concerts as the driving force behind the app, stating "The increase in mobile phone waving at concerts presented a new opportunity for the Zippo lighter to catapult itself into the digital space, and the result, created by Zippo and Moderati, was the interactive 'Virtual Zippo Lighter' for iPhone and iPod touch owners".

However, regardless of how the achievement is spun, it may warm the hearts of many to see a 70-year-old company embracing technology and making a success of it.

Full tags

Phones, Mobile phones, iPhone apps, Apps, Zippo, Moderati, iPhone