Pepsi is centering its summer marketing this year around mobile video with a sweepstakes that gives Beyonce fans an incentive for mimicking the singer?s famous dance moves.

The soft drink giant?s new summer initiative leverages the brand?s commercial with spokeswoman Beyonce to add a promotional element to its video efforts. Pepsi?s campaign points to the growing interest from brands to incorporate user-generated mobile video to engage with consumers.

?Our approach always stems in connecting with our consumers and engaging with them where they work, live and play,? said Rishi Daing, senior director of marketing at Pepsi, Purchase, NY.

?A contest available through mobile was a natural choice for us, as it allows fans to participate anywhere and anytime this summer,? he said.

Dance on mobile
Pepsi has created a microsite for the campaign at http://www.pepsi.com/en-us/d/danceforachance.

Via the site, consumers are encouraged to watch Pepsi?s latest commercial and check out Beyonce?s dance moves. The site pulls in an embedded minute-long video from Pepsi?s YouTube account.

Then, users submit their own ten-second videos by choosing a part of the commercial to replicate.

The ten-second time limit is an interesting component to Pepsi?s campaign because it fits between the length of a Vine and an Instagram video and forces consumers to get straight to the point about their content.

Consumers first fill out an entry form with basic information about themselves, including their name, date of birth and email address to enter the sweepstakes. To speed up the entry form process, consumers can sync up the microsite with their Facebook account to automatically fill in some of the sections.

The video is then uploaded via YouTube, and users are asked to copy in a YouTube URL to submit their video.

The entry form also lets users check off if they want to receive additional email promotional material from Pepsi in the future.

Additionally, consumers can view other submissions via the site.

Pepsi will then narrow down the video submissions to eight grand prize winners, who will receive trips to New York City. The winners will have the chance to appear in a video with Beyonce as well as score tickets to the singer?s concert on Aug. 4 at the Barclay?s Center.

Social media and Web components are also being used by Pepsi to get the word out about the campaign this summer.

The campaign runs through Aug. 8, although the submission for videos ends on July 20.

Mobile gulp
Pepsi has been making a name for itself in the mobile space for quite some time.

Specifically, the company turns to mobile Web for promotions and always optimizes content for mobile devices.

For example, Pepsi launched a mobile game in May that drove awareness of a new product by doling out mobile coupons. The marketer gave out 400,000 coupons via the initiative (see story).

Additionally, the company optimized its Super Bowl campaign this year that encouraged users to upload photos of themselves to be included in a commercial during the big game for mobile (see story).

The chances of a consumer accessing content on their mobile device is especially high during the summer, and Pepsi is smart to always think about the mindset that a consumer is in when he or she is interacting with the brand.

"This summer Pepsi has set out to help our consumers have their most iconic summer ever with prizes and experiences that only Pepsi could deliver,? Mr. Daing said. ?The chance to win this once-in-a-lifetime Beyonce experience is a perfect example of that."

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