Coca-Cola is the latest brand to prove that the mobile check-in fad may not be over yet, with a new campaign that drives awareness and funds for ten nonprofits in New York.

The soda giant has teamed up with Global Poverty Project on the ?Movement for a Movement? campaign that involves a scavenger hunt throughout New York leveraging mobile check-ins to educate consumers about social issues and trigger donations. The campaign runs through Sept. 15.

"Coca-Cola is committed to bringing people together to inspire physical activity and positively impact the community,? said Caren Pasquale-Seckler, vice president of social commitment at Coca-Cola, Atlanta.

?Mobile check-in technology is a great fit for the 'Movement for a Movement' campaign as it drives people to get out and get active while learning about these great organizations that are working to make New York City healthier and more sustainable,? she said.

Give on  mobile
The goal behind the campaign is to promote active, healthy lifestyles to fight poverty in New York.

Ten different nonprofits, including organizations such as the Police Athletic League, are included in the effort. Each nonprofit correlates to a location that consumers can use their mobile device to check-in.

Mobile check-ins can be made via Global Poverty Project?s Global Citizens platform through a mobile microsite at http://www.globalcitizen.org/movement or through the Global Citizen iPhone app.

Consumers can sync the mobile site and app with a Facebook account and view a list of locations and hints that must be matched up to find a check-in location.

Users who check in at all ten locations will unlock a digital badge and be entered to win tickets to the Global Citizen Festival as well as additional prizes from Coca-Cola.

Each mobile check-in also triggers a $5 donation from Coca-Cola towards the nonprofit that is linked with the location. Coca-Cola will donate up to $800 at each check-in spot.

?Mobile plays a big part in this campaign,? said Stefan Portay, campaign development officer at Global Poverty Project, New York. ?One of the cornerstones of 'Movement for a Movement' is the idea that active individuals are a key part in building the social movements that change our world and improve our communities.

"By participating in Movement for a Movement, participants will visit, learn about and support 10 of New York?s important nonprofits whose missions vary from community health to poverty eradication,? he said. 

To promote the effort, Coca-Cola and Global Citizen are running ads within Pandora?s iPhone app that direct consumers to the mobile-optimized microsite.

According to Joe Carbone, director of partnerships and innovation at Eye, New York, using both mobile Web and apps is a smart way for Coca-Cola to include consumers in the campaign.

?Mobile is still very segmented, so by casting a wider net around mobile Web and apps you are reaching a larger portion of people that have a preference checking in using one over another method,? he said. ?This will ultimately lead to an increased awareness of the cause.?

Making a comeback?
Coca-Cola?s "Movement for a Movement" campaign is an example of how marketers are increasingly looking to leverage mobile check-ins, even after some argue that the technology has been waning.

For example, Best Buy and JC Penney are a couple of retailers that leveraged foursquare for back-to-school campaigns this year (see story).

In addition to ensuring that a consumer actually visits the location, Coca-Cola?s campaign will also likely increase brand awareness.

?This campaign will also enable the brand to associate their message with a consumer action and a good cause,? said Alistair Goodman, CEO at Placecast, San Francisco.

?Everyone benefits from this, both the retailer and the brand can build good will with the consumer, and people who participate can feel good about helping a nonprofit,? he said.

Coca-Cola?s mobile effort also points to brands wanting more control of the data that is collected from mobile check-ins to improve future mobile campaigns.

Foursquare and other third-party apps are one option, but leveraging a marketer?s own mobile site and app is also appealing for brands.

?Since check-ins rely on location and timeliness, they are an ideal way to drive brand engagement in real-time,? said Eric Newman, vice president of products and marketing at Digby, Austin. ?As a result, they are perfect for promoting customer interaction or powering customer service.

?With this in mind, it makes perfect sense for a soda company to use check-ins for something like a scavenger hunt,? he said.

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