Time Inc.?s Sports Illustrated is revving up sports rivalries with a Coke Zero-sponsored application for the iPad, iPhone and Android platforms that targets passionate football fans.

The goal of the Football Rivals app is to excite football fans for the upcoming season with content that emphasizes famous rivalries with a mix of interactive features and curated editorial content. In addition to the app, the partnership between Sports Illustrated and Coca-Cola Co.'s Coke Zero will also be rolled out with four special-edition Sports Illustrated print publications.

?The obvious target is both college and pro football fans,? said Scott Novak, vice president of communications at Sports Illustrated, New York.

?Some of the rivalries the app explores date back more than 100 years and focuses on the social events of the time, like the first Army-Navy game in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy being assassinated,? he said.

The Sports Illustrated brand includes a variety of branded content, including the original print publication, SI.com and special-edition products.

The Coke Zero sponsorship includes a banner advertisement in the top right-hand corner of the app. Coke Zero is also maximizing its social media presence with an icon on the bottom of the app that lets consumers "like" the brand on Facebook. 

Fierce fans
Sports Illustrated is expanding its mobile efforts, which also include digital versions of the magazine, special-edition apps and a mobile-optimized Web site.

The Football Rivals app marks Sports Illustrated's most ambitious mobile project thus far with 300 pages of football-related content.

Examples of football rivalries include the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas, and the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.

Consumers can learn more about a rivalry by viewing an interactive timeline that marks specific dates and news for the sports teams.

Sports fans can view extensive content about football rivalries

Each timeline date includes Sports Illustrated content, such as videos, photographs and articles.

Sports fans can also learn more about their favorite teams by taking quizzes and viewing charts that break down the teams? game statistics.

Here's an example of a quiz on the app

To further hone in on sports fans, the app?s video components are narrated by Friday Night Lights actor Kyle Chandler.

Branding a legacy
Sports Illustrated has proved that it is a force to reckon with in the mobile space by rolling out 20 apps in the past year.

The publisher also recently brought its annual swimsuit issue to life with Microsoft Tags (see story).

By using the brand as an anchor for all of its mobile efforts, Sports Illustrated is able to leverage its editorial history to target both long-time readers and young sports fans.

?Sports Illustrated?s philosophy remains to be that we want to produce and distribute award-winning content wherever our fan base resides,? Mr. Novak said.

"We develop products across a number of platforms on a daily basis, including smartphones, tablets and HTML5,? he said.

"Stemming from that experience, we have evolved into an elite app developer within the publishing industry, and we will continue to push the bar in the mobile space next year.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York