When Stanley Works, the hand tool maker, offered an iPhone App that turned the phone into a level, its goal was to create young loyalists to the Stanley brand.
The company does not know if the iPhone app drove a single sale or fostered any brand loyalty. But based on the 400,000 downloads, Stanley declared the iPhone level a resounding success and is now looking for other tool apps. “It was low-risk experiment,” said Todd Langston, a company spokesman.
Other companies are experimenting as well. Gap gives away an app called....