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Coca-Cola?s vitaminwater uses mobile to court consumers

Coca-Cola Co.?s vitaminwater and rap artist 50 Cent are partnering for the launch of 50?s Sound Lab, a branded application for Apple?s iPhone and iPod touch intended to engage beverage consumers and music fans.

Through Romplr, the interactive music platform developed by Moderati, fans of vitaminwater and 50 Cent can enter a sweepstakes by creating and sharing their own mixes of ?Baby By Me,? the first single off of 50 Cent?s LP ?Before I Self Destruct,? currently available via iTunes and in stores. Launching branded applications, especially for the iPhone, has become a growing trend among brands, but how effective are they as a marketing tool?

?Branded mobile applications can be a good way for companies to reach out and engage the mobile consumer, but on the other hand, if you don?t come up with an engaging experience, it may not prove that successful,? said Neil Strother, Kirkland, WA-based analyst at Forrester Research.

?The key is to create an application that is not only valuable to the end user but can bring value to the brand?if it reinforces the relationship you already have with them and you can engage them, that?s great, then you?re getting value,? he said. ?But if you put an app out there that people use only occasionally or if you don?t put enough of a marketing push behind the app, it may not be a well-thought-out enterprise.

?It might make sense if your audience is engaging around iPhone applications, but ask yourself if is there is enough volume on the iPhone platform to justify it?if you have a large-enough audience on that platform, it?s fine.?

Energy Brands, also doing business as Glacéau, is a privately owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola Co. based in Whitestone, NY, that manufactures and distributes various lines of enhanced water.

Founded in 1996 by J. Darius Bikoff with an electrolyte-enhanced line of water called smartwater, Energy Brands initially distributed its products to health food stores and independent retailers in the New York area.

Adding fruitwater and vitaminwater to its line in 1998 and 2000, respectively, the company expanded to nationwide distribution in the early 2000s.

By 2002, the Glacéau line of waters were the top-selling enhanced-water brand in the United States, with the company's vitaminwater being its best selling product.

Rap artist Curtis Jackson?known as 50 Cent?obtained a 10 percent share of the company as part of an endorsement deal.

Moderati is a digital content agency that helps media companies and consumer brands connect with their consumers through the creation of entertainment experiences. It is best-known for the Virtual Zippo Lighter iPhone application (see story).

The company is a subsidiary of the Japanese branded entertainment production company Bellrock Media, backed by Yoshimoto Kogyo, which has interests in TV, talent representation, film, music, physical venues and consumer products.

Mobile remix
There is a call-to-action within the application for iPhone users to buy 50 Cent?s ?Baby By Me? single via iTunes. Users are then asked to remix the single to enter the contest.

In addition to being able to remix the new single, 50 Cent is giving one fan a chance to show off their skills with him in the recording studio.

Once all of the vitaminwater remixes have been uploaded via the iPhone application, 50 Cent will scout out the best remix of his latest single and invite that person to meet up with him.

The 50?s Sound Lab application is powered by Moderati?s Romplr remix platform. Romplr lets fans interact with music by creating their own versions of tracks by their favorite artists, thereby becoming part of the creative process themselves.

The 50?s Sound Lab application gives fans unprecedented access to the key elements of the original recording and provides creative tools to connect with and personalize the new single.

The application is available as a free download in the App Store.

Consumers can record and share their personal mixes via the iPhone application, Facebook, email or the online interactive music companion site at http://www.50soundlab.com.

?If you can say, ?I have a big-enough audience and they do download and engage with apps,? and this application does provide value to you the brand, either by providing new customers or strengthening the relationships you already have with customers, then it makes sense to launch a branded application,? Mr.Strother said.

?The hard part is coming up with a clever, big idea to capture consumers? imagination and engage users at least on a somewhat-frequent basis,? he said.