Source: http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/

NEW YORK, July 8, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Appetizer Mobile, a leading mobile application development and consultancy, today announced a partnership to develop and launch a suite of branded applications featuring David “Big Papi” Ortiz and Mariano Rivera over the coming months. The iPhone apps will range from novelty to entertainment and integrate their philanthropic efforts as well as existing and new corporate partners for various promotional tie-ins.

“We knew there was a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with David and Mariano, to create a new channel to leverage their commercial appeal,” said Cheo Vidal, co-founder of Appetizer Mobile, who started the company with Jordan Edelson last winter.

“As seen with our NBA partnership, one of our core competencies is working with celebrities and brands to port their properties onto the mobile realm in an authentic manner,” Edelson added. The first apps are scheduled to be launched later this month.

About Appetizer Mobile

Appetizer Mobile is a leading mobile application development and consulting company specializing in creating branded apps for corporate/celebrity clients. Appetizer Mobile provides proprietary mobile solutions and platforms for clients to generate new revenue channels from existing brand equity and assets.

If you love bobbleheads, but don’t have any space to display them, maybe a virtual bobblehead is for you.

Last month, a company called Appetizer Mobile entered into a partnership with the NBA to design virtual bobbleheads — the heads moving the same way a real bobblehead does.

Jordan Edelson, a 24-year-old tech entrepreneur who runs the company, says Apple, has sold thousands of them at 99 cents each since the moving images of 10 players — including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Yao Ming — hit the iPhone App store last month.

People think something like this is cool to show to their friends,” Edelson said.

As an added bonus, anyone who buys a bobblehead can click on a link and get 10 percent off merchandise of that player from NBAStore.com. The NBA says that sales of LeBron’s virtual bobblehead are slightly outpacing the virtual bobblehead of Kobe Bryant and that plans are in the works to unveil 11 more players by the playoffs.

Edelson, who typically gets paid an upfront development fee and then shares sales revenue with the client, said his goal is to work with other leagues to further leverage their brands on the mobile handset platform.

Said Edelson: “Given what’s happening with our economy, this allows a company or brand to utilize their intellectual property at a minimal cost.”

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