Yogurt company Chobani is helping parents educate children on health and wellness with a multichannel marketing campaign that includes mobile and augmented reality components.

The Chobani Champions campaign will teach children that health is about more than just eating right. In addition to mobile, the campaign also involves a bus tour, digital initiatives and promotional product packaging.

?[Mobile is] hugely important, especially as smartphones become more and more a part of the everyday consumer experience,? said John Heath, vice president of innovation and new ventures at Chobani, Norwich, NY.

?We seek to bring value and resources to our fans as much as possible and mobile apps are a great way to do so,? he said.

Under the lid
The campaign is being marketed on the Chobani Champions line of yogurts.

To participate, users must download the Chobani Champions app, which is available on iPhone devices and will soon be available on Android.

Once downloading the app, parents can play with children to complete activities that focus on four adjectives the campaign hopes to build in children ? imaginative, courageous, active and caring.

After completing an activity, users can earn points that accumulate to virtual awards.

Virtual awards include medals and trophies with a reminder for children to stay active.

Children can win virtual awards from playing games

In addition to playing games, the app also unlocks augmented reality content under the lid of Chobani Champions products.

Once users scan the lid, it pops to life with a virtual medal for children to collect.

?Our app encourages parents to engage with their kids and take part in the Champlify experience together,? Mr. Heath said.

The campaign is also heavily being promoted with Chobani?s social media presence Facebook and Twitter.

Mobile is king
Using mobile in conjunction with a larger campaign is a smart move for Chobani, especially with an interactive campaign that is directed at children.

Recently, T.G.I. Fridays also targeted kids by placing QR codes on childrens menus (see story).

Mobile gives an added bonus to children because of the rich and interactive features it provides.

?It is particularly necessary to use apps in larger marketing campaigns because they allow for organization, monitoring and performance evaluation of all the important marketing metrics on an ad-hoc basis at any given time regardless of where you are,? said Simon Buckingham, CEO of Appitalism, New York.

Mr. Buckingham is not affiliated with Chobani. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

?This means you can be in transit or on the road and still be entirely able to manage your marketing campaigns," Mr. Buckingham said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York