McAlister?s Deli is tapping mobile this year for a promotion that targets college sports fans by encouraging them to download an application and register their email address for a chance at winning prizes.

The fast casual chain has partnered with Atlantic Coast Conference and Raycom Sports to sponsor the ACC Football Challenge mobile gaming application. The partnership also includes online and on-air components and will run through the entire football season.

?We expect McAlister?s appeals to a wide variety of consumers, and we score well with millennials,? said Frank Paci, CEO/president of McAlister?s Deli, Alpharetta, GA.

?We feel like because of our broad channel, we have to have multiple ways to appeal to our audience, and one of those ways is mobile, so we wanted a multiplatform partnership,? he said.

McAlister?s is a restaurant chain famous for soups, sandwiches and salads. It operates 320 restaurants in 23 states.

Mobile touchdown
The ACC Football Challenge mobile app is available for free download in Apple?s App Store and Google Play.

The McAlister?s brand pops up several times throughout the game, including a logo splashed across the screen when the app is first opened and a call-to-action at the top of the screen.

Consumers can pick their favorite ACC team to play live against other fans and complete challenges for a chance at winning prizes from McAlister?s.

To register for the sweepstakes, consumers enter their email address, which is tied to a coupon for a free cookie that consumers can redeem in-store. McAlister?s is additionally collecting the emails to retarget consumers in the future.

The game also lets fans post scores on Facebook and Twitter and monitor their team?s overall standings via a leaderboard.

The grand prize in the campaign is a VIP trip to the ACC Football Championship. The trip includes airfare, hotel and two tickets to the game in Uptown Charlotte, NC.

Other prizes such as gift cards are also being given out to winners.

McAlister?s partnership with the ACC also includes on-air call-outs and a promotion on the sports organization?s Web site that prompts consumers to download the app each week throughout the football season.

Sponsor on mobile
The McAlister?s campaign is focused on college markets where the brand has a large footprint, and with millennials glued to their mobile devices, the medium is a natural way for the restaurant chain to reach consumers.

In addition to the current promotion, McAlister?s also has a mobile app that lets consumers place orders for food.

?This is the first time that we have done something [mobile] with another entity,? Mr. Paci said.

?Obviously it has to be something that is right for our brand, but we are certainly trying to be more mobile-friendly,? he said.

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