• by Tanya Gazdik , July 30, 2009

Outdoor gear and apparel retailer L.L.Bean is inviting consumers to have some "moosey fun" via its first iPhone application. 

"Moosentration," created by Maine software company Blue Ox Technologies, is a twist on the classic Concentration memory card game. The retailer is offering free Moosentration downloads for six months to iPhone and iPod Touch devices through iTunes. The game can also be accessed on the company's Web site at llbean.com/moosentration.

"The Moosentration app is a different, but fun way for L.L.Bean to interact with its customers through mobile technology," said Steve Fuller, L.L.Bean's chief marketing officer, in a statement. "We're looking forward to learning how our customers respond to this effort."

The game features three skill levels, 24 game variations and eight picture sets to choose from. Gamers can test their memory skills by matching images that are hiding behind L.L.Bean-branded card tiles. Images include L.L.Bean and Maine iconic items such as Bean Boots, lighthouses and wildlife critters.

The mobile app will be promoted on social network sites as well as in an email blast to customers, says L.L.Bean spokesperson Laurie Brooks. The company would not disclose how many times the application has been downloaded from iTunes or played on the company's Web site since launching earlier this week.

There is no target audience for the app, Brooks says. "It's about sharing the brand with L.L.Bean customers in a new and fun way," she says. "We like that the game is ageless -- it appeals to a broad audience." No other mobile applications are currently in the works, she adds.

The application is not the Freeport, Maine-based company's first venture into social media, Brooks says. "We have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, FriendFeed and Delicious. We also have social media sharing Chiclets on the product pages at www.llbean.com."

L.L.Bean customers might be slow to join social networks, however -- as the niche retailer's official Facebook page had only 5,345 fans as of the afternoon of July 29, compared to The North Face's 46,323 fans. Orvis, however, had only 1,821 fans. The L.L.Bean Facebook page launched in November 2008.