Reuters is reporting that Coca-Cola is creating a mobile social network for teenagers. Similar to MySpace or Facebook, the new network will “lure more youngsters to its sodas and flavored drinks,” but will only be available on cellphones.
Coca-Cola plans to launch the site in the U.S. on June 22. It’s already available in China, and the company “is eyeing other markets,” according to the article.
They’re also planning to use the site to push their Sprite brand with free music and video clips. To do this, consumers will have to key in pin numbers that they find underneath the bottle caps.
The company is hoping that these kinds of offers will push music fans to overcome their aversion to using social networking sites on small cellphone screens. There was no mention of the other kind of aversion: the one that causes people to avoid blatant advertising.
I love the implicit “Burn!” at the end of this news blurb.
Is interesting to see though. I am watching with much interest as to the affect that Viacom’s move into the virtual world space is affecting general customer uptake of the medium. A big player like Coke MAY have an impact on the cell phone social networking medium. I do think that the majority of the general public do need a large brand to come into the space in order for them to check it out.
technorati tags:coke, cell, mobile, advertising, social-networking, online-community, virtual-worlds
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Joi Podgorny 