The Flavor Quest promotion extends three months, during which new flavors from around the world will be featured. Customers will be able to use the app to find which locations offer their favorite flavors, and can scan the in-store QR codes to earn a free yogurt.

“Yogurtland fans are adventurous flavor-seekers on the go,” said Charlotte Lucich, director of marketing at Yogurtland, Irvine, CA.

“They tend to be young consumers – 14 to 34 – who use their smart phones to find their next adventure and share it with their friends,” she said. “An app was a natural.

“Flavor Quest is the ideal platform to launch the app and plays a complementary and vital role in the overall promotion.”

Flavor Finder feature
Yogurtland locations will feature new flavors such as Maqui Berry Tart from Patagonia, Polynesian Vanilla from the French Polynesian islands and Mexican Hot Chocolate from Mexico.

The chain sent specialists to Patagonia, India, Japan and New Orleans to research new flavors and ingredients, with the trips chronicled in a series of videos.

Yogurtland’s new mobile app complements the Flavor Quest promotion and has a Flavor Finder feature that lets guests find their favorite flavor at the nearest Yogurtland location.

Users can search flavors in three ways. They can search by name, search by using a location to find flavors nearby or find the location of the nearest Yogurtland and see what flavors are currently being served.

The Flavor Finder will be updated daily to provide real-time information about which flavors are being served at Yogurtland shops across the country.

“The feature we are most excited about is the Flavor Finder, which is something no one else offers,” Ms. Lucich said. “You can click your favorite flavor or whatever you’re craving, and the app will geotarget your current location and tell you which store is serving that flavor.

“Or you can look up stores and see what they are serving,” she said. “The Flavor Finder will be updated in real time so if the Yogurtland near you changes flavors, you can find out.”

Free yogurt
During the Flavor Quest promotion, guests can also use the app to scan the QR code on cards posted in stores describing the flavors.

Users can earn a free five-ounce yogurt after scanning five new flavors. Customers will be limited to one scan per day and one scan per flavor.

After scanning all ten of the new flavors, customers will receive a free ten-ounce yogurt and be entered to win a chance to receive free yogurt for a year.

The app can also be used to name, describe and share a user’s own frozen yogurt creation through social media outlets.

Yogurtland is chain of more than 200 frozen yogurt locations across the United States, Guam, Mexico, Venezuela and Australia.

“Flavor Quest is about a culinary adventure around the world, one spoonful at a time,” Ms. Lucich said. “With the app, Yogurtland fans can take their taste buds on an adventure and share it too.

“There is also an important traffic driving element to this and overall, this becomes the foundation for our evolving loyalty program,” she said.

“We want to encourage the global exploration theme with fun videos, and more country-specific aspirational videos will be added throughout the promotion.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York