Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. is sponsoring GQ magazine’s new mobile application in an effort to promote the preppy retailer’s fragrances.

GQ Style Picks, the application for the iPhone and iPod touch, is powered by NearbyNow and features style tips and options from the men’s magazine and a “click-to-find nearby” and a “click-to-find online” commerce option. Polo has a channel within the application that includes tips and videos from the preppy retailer.

“It makes fashion easy for men,” said Scott Dunlap, CEO of NearbyNow, Mountain View, CA. “NearbyNow and GQ both found that men like short and concise fashion advice.

“The GQ Style Picks app does just that with over 100-plus short style tips, some carefully selected products to view and some videos.”

Mr. Dunlap said to simplify things, the application lets consumers click on a product they like so they can buy online or click-to-find nearby. If the consumer uses the feature to find the item nearby, a concierge team will locate the closest store that carries the consumer’s size and put it on hold.

Condé Nast publishes GQ, a men’s fashion and lifestyle magazine.

Fashionably mobile
The application features style tips and videos from GQ, a database of fashion items that is searchable by category, brand and price, product descriptions and store maps of nearby locations.

The concierge team works via text and email. If a consumer puts a product on hold, the team will tell the consumer the name of the salesperson to ask for when picking up the item.

Consumers can select from GQ Picks, The World of Polo Ralph Lauren Men’s Fragrance and Videos from the homepage of the application.

The Polo section includes grooming and fragrance tips such as how to moisturize the face, Polo fragrance picks and Polo downloadable videos.

Mr. Dunlap said most men’s fashion sites and applications have too many products, so the GQ application has pared down the content with the help of style experts.

“Men are always on the go when they suddenly want fashion advice,” Mr. Dunlap said. “Maybe they are shopping, maybe they are getting ready for a big date, maybe they are at work.

“A mobile app allows them to keep the advice of GQ experts with them at all times,” he said. “Mobile is a good media for concise advice that has a mix of text, pictures and video.

“Add the ability to buy online or find nearby, and it achieves what we were hoping for – making fashion easy for men.”

GQ recently launched an application that is a direct reproduction of its December issue (see story).

Mr. Dunlap said GQ was developing the two applications at the same time, but they had two different purposes.

The Men of the Year application put the whole magazine on the iPhone and costs $2.99.

Mr. Dunlap said NearbyNow’s mandate for the GQ Style Picks application was more utilitarian. GQ wanted NearbyNow to create a free application with simple, useful fashion advice.

“We find that most magazines are developing multiple apps, each with its own goal and monetization method, rather than one app to rule them all,” Mr. Dunlap said. “It’s a brave new world.”