Mobile has a prominent role in the promotional and marketing activity lined up to support DreamWorks Animation?s Madagascar 3 movie, including 100 million QR code-enabled stickers on Dole bananas in stores.

This is the third Madagascar animated family film from DreamWorks following the adventures of animal friends who have escaped from a zoo. The mobile components of the marketing support for the film, which is in theaters on June 8, include QR code integrations from Dole and Sun-Maid, mobile games, a mobile app, a partnership with Draw Something and mobile ticketing.

?Mobile plays a significant role in the overall efforts for Madagascar 3: Europe?s Most Wanted,? said Jason Alex, head of digital marketing for DreamWorks Animation, Glendale, CA.

?The difference from the first two films in the Madagascar series is a real paradigm shift happening in the mobile and tablet space - more and more of these devices are driving traffic to our Web sites,? he said. ?This gives us more opportunity to expand and create in that space.

Bananas for mobile
For Dole, stickers with QR codes have been placed directly on 100 million bananas in North America. The QR codes bring users to a co- branded mobile page (www.dole.com/madagascar) offering recipes and other information as well as a link to the official Madagascar mobile app: Madagascar Join the Circus!

QR codes on branded Sun-Maid raisin packaging direct consumers to a site which includes a variety of film-related activities.

Sun-Maid will also use the QR codes to promote a sweepstakes to win a trip for four to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park or one of 100 copies of The Complete Madagascar Collection DVD set.

?QR codes serve to deepen consumer engagement with our brands and provide them with experiences beyond the initial product purchase,? Mr. Alex said.

The circus-building Join the Circus! app was developed by D3Publisher and is available for iPad, iPhone, and iTouch. The app allows players to become the Ringleader of a traveling show that tours Europe on its way home to New York City.

Dole?s ?Go Bananas? campaign is being supported with mobile and social ads and a cross-promotion in Walmart produce departments.

Mobile game Draw Something is also getting in on the action with a new game, Draw Something: Madagascar, which features four Madagascar-themed words that players can draw. Users can also sketch characters from the film and share their drawing on Twitter.

DreamWorks will also be advertising in the Draw Something app, enabling players to explore video trailers for the film.

Where the audience is
Other mobile components of the strategy for Madagascar 3 include the mobile compatible game Melman?s Memory game and the "Wig Out" promo mobile app. Fans can download the free app, add a rainbow wig to photos and upload their photos to social pages.

DreamWorks also created a theater ticketing module that enables users to choose a ticketing Web site and preorder tickets for the film. The ticket module appears on the official flash and mobile Web sites for the film as well as Facebook and YouTube fan tabs.

DreamWorks? goals for these mobile efforts is to resonate with an audience that is increasingly consuming a variety of content types via mobile devices.

?More and more users utilize their mobile and tablet devices to access our film properties,? Mr. Alex said. ?We see that in our traffic metrics, so we develop more mobile compatible and lighter HTML Web sites and applications to suit those needs.

?Programs like QR codes allow for quick mobility and the ability to access great content from wherever you may be, with only the device in your pocket needed to explore,? he said.

?We also utilize mobile ads on relative mobile sites to drive ticket sales week of opening.?