The Coca-Cola Company said it plans to introduce Sprite Yard, a mobile social networking site, to the U.S. later this month, according to a report in The New York Times.

Officials at Coke hope Sprite Yard, which debuted in China last week, will give the brand a foothold with younger consumers, which is a key tool for reaching the teenage demographic, according to the Sprite marketing team.

"Being with them on their mobile phones is absolutely essential," said Mark J. Greatrex, senior vice president for marketing communications at Coca-Cola. "[Sprite] is trying to establish an omnipresent, on-the-go, everywhere relationship with teens."

But some marketers see Sprite Yard as folly, likening it to Anheuser-Busch's Bud.TV, which has struggled to establish itself as a media destination.  

"Nobody wants to go hang out with Sprite," Chad Stoller, executive director of emerging platforms for Organic, a digital advertising agency in the Omnicom Group, told The New York Times. "It takes a lot for a brand to ask that of a customer. You really have to be getting something compelling in return."

While Coke may not appreciate the comparison to Bud.TV, the soft drink maker has made a firm commitment to mobile. In early May, Coke teamed with AdMob for a new click-to-video mobile campaign.