Lotus Vodka realizes the benefits that mobile offers brands and that is why it is deeply immersed in the channel.

The company sends outbound SMS blasts to promote events and 4Info powers these messages. Also, Lotus does regular TwitterBerry updates relating to company developments for its database of opted-in consumers.

"Mobile is a perfect fit with the Lotus consumer," said Rob bailey, founder of Lotus Vodka. "We are seeking the 25-35, highly educated and affluent consumer and these individuals are definitely living the mobile life.

"I worked at Yahoo doing international strategic mobile deals before starting Lotus and many of my friends have started mobile companies," he said.

Lotus is a gourmet vodka brand that was launched in 2007. Mr. Bailey spent three years working with master distillers and vodka specialists around the world to develop Lotus.

Lotus Vodka launched in a few gourmet restaurants in San Francisco in the fall of 2007. Word spread quickly and soon hundreds of high-end restaurants, hotels and lounges in northern California were carrying White and Blue Lotus.

Within a few months, the spirits industry began to catch on to Lotus. World renowned spirits expert Anthony Dias Blue gave Lotus high ratings in his Tastings Panel Magazine. Other magazines and bloggers followed.

The vodka maker also does in-event marketing with timed SMS blasts to attendees and both 4Info and Frengo have helped with these.

"Mobile is just getting started," Mr. Bailey said. "I don't think we've really found the killer app yet for how to use mobile marketing to really change consumer buying behaviors, rather than just do brand building."

Mr. Bailey said that it's hard to predict the future in mobile marketing.

"It seems like we are always two-to-three years away from big money," Mr. Bailey said. "Ten years ago I wrote a business plan for a local advertising LBS platform, but the consumer and telco adoption wasn't really there."

Mr. Bailey is still waiting for LBS to take off as an advertising revenue opportunity.

"We will continue to use SMS messaging as a great way to reach our consumers," he said. "We plan to leverage the iPhone platform to roll out some applications that help build our brand once we've raised our next round of fundraising."