Coca-Cola Co. and Walt Disney Co., two of the most recognizable brands in the world, have teamed up to launch LiveCycle, a location-based mobile game promoting Coke Zero and Disney?s ?Tron: Legacy? film.

Coke Zero?s LiveCycle game merges the real world with the world of Disney?s Tron: Legacy, which debuts in theaters Dec. 17. Consumers can download Coke Zero LiveCycle to Apple?s iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 to engage in Light Cycle battles as they move around the real world.

?Our strategy was pretty simple?do something innovative with Tron,? said Susan Stribling, director of public affairs and communications for North America at Coca-Cola, Atlanta. ?Disney wanted to market the film in a nontraditional, breakthrough way?two qualities endemic to Coke Zero marketing since we launched the brand.

?The goal was never ?Create a game? or ?Reinvent location gaming,? which gave Coke Zero, Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Disney the freedom to explore this new and unfamiliar space,? she said. ?Coke Zero?which made it possible to enjoy real Coke taste with zero calories?has always been about making things possible.

?This game gives people a chance to step into the world of Tron in an active, fun way.?

Crispin Porter + Bogusky created the concept and powered the execution of the LiveCycle application with Coke Zero and Disney.

CP+B and Moxie Interactive are helping the brands extend awareness of the application through social media and digital outreach.

LiveCycle requires a compass and accelerometer to work, and therefore is not compatible with the iPod touch or iPhone 3G.

LiveCycle strong
Teaming up to launch and promote an application makes sense for both Coca-Cola and Disney, as the combined reach and marketing muscle of the two brands create a formidable force.

Coke Zero and Disney issued the following warning to users who play LiveCycle:

?Coke Zero LiveCycle should be played on foot and in large, open areas. Never play while operating any kind of motor vehicle. For best results, play the game outdoors and hold your phone vertically, not horizontally.?

The target demographic for the LiveCycle application is Millennial youth ages 18-24.

LiveCycle is just the latest of various mobile initiatives that Disney has run to build excitement for its Tron: Legacy film.

In addition to LiveCycle, Disney also has its own Tron application for the iPhone and iPod touch, which the company began promoting in July at the San Diego Comic-Con International Convention (see story).

Disney is also working with Google to extend some of its offline marketing to the mobile Web via the Google Goggles image recognition application.

As part of a Google Goggles marketing experiment, Disney has ?Goggles-enabled? some of the print ads, movie posters and other media related to Tron: Legacy (see story).

To get the word out about the LiveCycle iPhone, Disney and Coke Zero are supporting the application through digital banner media, mobile banners, social media, blog outreach, events such as pre-screenings and in-theatre video at concessions stands and lobbies.

?The game is a new connection point to engage people with Coke Zero in an immediate way where they live and play,? Ms. Stribling said.

?We're giving people something fun and engaging to do that they can only get through the association between Coke Zero, Tron and Disney,? she said.

Final Take

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