• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, July 15, 2013

In late June, Thrillist launched its inaugural “Best Day of Your Life" campaign, which encouraged its mostly young and male readership to skip work and participate in a “crawlable” itinerary of Thrillist-approved activities. Special deals and giveaways were offered across 17 local markets from L.A. to the U.K.

On the day of the event, thousands of guys heeded the call to slack off, according to Thrillist. There were more than 2,000 user-generated social posts shared; 5,000 #BDOYL Foursquare lists saved, and over 2,000 “#BDOYL Badges” unlocked on Foursquare over the course of the day.

Ben Lerer, Thrillist Media Group co-founder, is pleased with these results -- and believes brands and local businesses should be too.

The campaign, said Lerer, “was a real-world example of Thrillist’s ability to get guys out spending their time and money on the things we recommend.”

Not about to stop there, Thrillist plans to follow up with a “Best Night of Your Life” event in December. “It’s pretty unbelievable to witness the energy created by 17 simultaneous [locally based events,” Lerer added.  

Last summer, Thrillist Media Group secured its first capital infusion since its launch in 2005. The round, totaling $13 million, was led by Oak Investment Partners, along with Lerer Ventures -- which is run by Ben Lerer and his father Ken Lerer.

Last year, Thrillist was on pace to turn a profit on $60 million in revenue -- up from $33 million in 2011.

"Two friends having a beer" photo from Shutterstock.