Coke's New Spin on iPhone Advertising

By Mike Schuster Feb 06, 2009 11:15 am

Brief scrutiny of today's headlines.

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Coca-Cola (KO) has developed an iPhone app that could potentially generate loads of free advertising.

The latest app is a proprietary take on the classic "Spin the Bottle" game. "Spin the Coke" -- designed for Apple's (AAPL) iPhone or iPod Touch -- features a Coke-bottle image that can be spun on a variety of backgrounds. Coke describes the program as a way to "break the ice - or to give that someone special a not-so-subtle hint."

Fortunately for the frugal hopeless romantic, Spin the Coke -- like similar apps offered by Kraft (KFT), Target (TGT) and Nike (NKE) -- is free to download.

Designed by Sapient (SAPE), Spin the Coke comes just one week after the company's first iPhone foray. The beverage giant previously released an electronic version of the fortune-telling Magic 8-Ball. The "Magic Coke Bottle" featured an image of a Coke bottle -- classic or modern version, your choice -- which is shaken, then opened to provide users with answers to their burning yes-or-no questions.

Unlike the original Magic 8-Ball -- which clearly had supernatural powers -- the electronic version has some users doubtful of its ability to accurately predict the future.

Kraft released a program that helps users create shopping lists and find the nearest grocery store, while Target's app allows users to search for gifts in its store according to price and gender. Nike went a step further, working in conjunction with Apple to release an iPod accessory to measure and record jogging distances.

With such a tried-an-true method of targeting the 18-34 demographic, expect to see an onslaught of brands looking to slap their logo on iPhone apps.Twitter: @mcs212