Pop Secret has released a mobile game called Poptopia that lets consumers earn Labels for Education points for their schools to redeem free products such as pens and yogurt.

Poptopia asks users to pop kernels as they fly across the screen and feed them to the big mouth in the sky. Users can also earn points for schools that are registered with Labels for Education until Sept. 30.

?Poptopia is part of a larger strategy for Pop Secret called 'kernels',? said Trevor O'Brien, executive vice president and executive creative technology director at Deutsch LA.

?Our goal is to become the most talked about popcorn brand on the Internet,? he said. ?Each 'kernel' is a smaller bet that we create and put out into the world as quickly as possible. If we find that users respond well to a kernel then we focus on evolving and growing that one.

?Ultimately Pop Secret is trying to make things for users that are a mix of fun and entertaining and useful.?

Pop Secret worked with Deutsch LA on the app.

The land of Poptopia
Pop Secret describes Poptopia as a ?strange and delicious land where popcorn kernels dream of being perfectly popped and fed to The Almighty Mouth God.?

During the mobile game, kernels fly across the screen and change color. Users need to use the color to determine the perfect time to pop them.

Players earn points by tapping the kernels and feeding The Almighty Mouth God. If they do not pop the kernels in time, they burn and the mouth gets upset.

Poptopia is available for free download in Apple?s App Store.

According to Mr. O?Brien, the company has found that iOS users tend to be more active and faster adopters when it comes to apps, so they decided to start there. If the initial release on iOS is successful, Pop Secret will follow up with an Android version.

Pop Secret created the mobile game in-house as a part of Pop Secret Labs, which works to reach tech-savvy consumers.

Mobile good
In addition to offering a fun and entertaining app, Pop Secret decided to also give back to the community and help schools.

Until Sept. 30, users can earn Labels for Education points for their school. The three schools with the highest game scores will share five million points.

These schools can then use the points to redeem merchandise such as a minivan, flat screen TVs, tablets, instruments and other school supplies.

Users can either play for a school or just for fun.

According to Mr. O?Brien, Pop Secret plans to add a new component to the game once the ?playing for good? option ends.

?Research shows that people consume lots of popcorn when watching content and relaxing at home,? Mr. O?Brien said. ?We also know a lot of these people have their phones by their side or in their hands at this time. So we want to be part of that experience.

?However, we don't want to interrupt users, but rather be useful (check out PerfectPop) or entertain them with an experience like Poptopia,? he said. 

?Mobile is an incredibly important part of the mix, shortly in the U.S. mobile web traffic will surpass desktop.?

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York