Popchips is marrying social media and mobile with a campaign that helps speed up the sweepstakes entry process by syncing to a user's Facebook account.

The Popchips ads are part of a broader campaign to promote its products while also giving consumers a chance to meet singer Katy Perry. The Popchips mobile ads are appearing in the VH1 mobile site.

?Our overall approach to marketing is to build our brand one snacker at a time,? said Brian Pope, senior vice president of marketing at Popchips, San Francisco.

?We want to reach our consumers where they're spending their time and to communicate in the format they prefer,? he said. ?Today that means on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.?

Popchips is a line of low-fat popped chips that are available in more than 10 flavors. The company claims that its products are available at more than 20,000 retailers in the United States and Britain.

Mobile pop
Popchips is using the mobile ads as part of a larger campaign with Katy Perry that is primarily fueled through a Facebook app.

Copy for the ads feature a picture of the singer and a pack of Popchips. The ad encourages consumers to tap to ?meet Katy Perry.?

When users tap on the ad, they are directed to a mobile site for the campaign that lets users enter a contest by syncing their Facebook account. The site then fills in an entry form for consumers.

Consumers can also type in their information including name and email to be entered into the sweepstakes. 

One grand prize winner will receive two round-trip airline tickets to Los Angeles, the chance to meet Katy Perry and a two-night hotel stay. The sweepstakes runs through Oct. 31.

The mobile entry form

Social ads
The Popchips campaign is an example of how social media is increasingly playing a role in mobile campaigns.

By tying the entry form to a Facebook account, the campaign lets users enter quickly. This is especially important for mobile users who are most likely crunched for time.

Using a sweepstakes as the main incentive to lure users to tap on an ad gives consumers a time-sensitive reason to interact with an ad right on the spot. However, it is critical that the campaign is laid out so that it is easy for consumers to enter.

For a consumer-packaged-goods brand, mobile plays a critical role in how consumers interact with a brand, which can ultimately drive impulse purchases.

Popchips claims that nearly 20 percent of user interactions for the brand come through mobile. This grows even more for specific campaigns. For example, Mr. Pope said that the amount of traffic from mobile devices is closer to 30 percent of interactions for efforts such as the Katy Perry sweepstakes.

?Mobile usage is only getting more widespread, so everything we do digitally going forward will incorporate a mobile experience and when we can, that means as full and rich of an experience as you'd find on the desktop,? Mr. Pope said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York