uPumpItUp is the Kraft Women’s Social Network With Spokesperson Mandy Moore

Kraft Foods is announcing the launch of a social network aimed at women called uPumpItUp. I’ve been down this road many times before — consumer brand wants to reach out and engage their customer so they create a Web site around a topic. Let’s see what uPumpItUp has to offer besides Mrs. Moore’s intro video. The smart idea here was to create a very basic site that looks more robust than it is but requires users to constantly return and report in on progress. Way smarter than just a content offering.

There are four experts on the site, each one focused on a different area: fasion, entertaining, fitness and television. The site appears to be targeting younger women – ages 21-49. There are way too many flash videos of each expert in the "non-video" discussion style that auto start with sound on. uPumpItUp offers "challenges" for women — each challenge section is based around one of the expert areas listed above. You can register and share your challengest, that’s about the extent of the social networking functions.

The site has a variety of how-to instructional tips (these should have been the flash component and leave the experts as text) but they are in layer windows which can’t be forwarded, saved or printed.

uPumpItUp is a promotional social network — nothing wrong with that but it’s important to recognize. There’s no doubt that sponsoring brand Crystal Light will begin to push into the site at some point. The key for these promotional social networks is to push the woman into purchase (and of course help her with a topic area).