Posts Tagged ‘technology’
Poll: Will Facebook Places Kill Foursquare?
Thursday, August 19th, 2010SCVNGR: A New App That Hunts for Consumer Engagement Treasure
Monday, July 26th, 2010There is a cycle to all popular trends, regardless of industry. There are the first to market, either classics with staying power or fleeting successes, and then followers are guaranteed. Sometimes, these are cheap knock-offs, but other times, even better versions than the original. For instance, for all you basketball fans out there, the “Big 3” in the NBA originally consisted of Boston Celtics Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett, and the league is now led by LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade who have teamed up in South Beach for the Miami Heat. In the social media space, Friendster led to MySpace which was eventually followed and overpowered by Facebook.
The curve for social media trends seems to be shorter than in other industries, new apps are popping up daily. SCVNGR is a great example of this; the increasing popularity of FourSquare and other location based social apps led to its creation. According to its website, “SCVNGR is a game about doing challenges as places.” Much like FourSquare, you are able to check in at various locations using the app on your smart phone. However, with SCVNGR checking in is not enough, the experience is more interactive. With this new app, you can go to your favorite local spots to check-in and once you’re there, you will be prompted to complete different tasks or challenges to gain points. You may have to take a photo at a park, solve a riddle at a museum, scan a QR code at a theater, or do some other kind of adventurous activity. The points you earn for completed challenges are redeemable for bragging rights as well as unlocking badges and other features. Companies can create their own challenges or hunts as a cheeky way to involve adventurous consumers with their brand.
Recently, the New England Patriots tapped SCVNGR for a promotion to get fans excited about the upcoming football season. They have created their own “Trek” and compiled a list of themed challenges for fans to complete at various locations throughout New England, in order to help Patriot player Vince Wilfork find his “stolen” Super Bowl ring. The campaign has received much press for both the NFL organization and the application itself. Other SCVNGR adopters include major universities (such as Duke University and Princeton), city tourism councils (the City of Rochester and Boston are both users), and several museums throughout the country.
Marketers are just starting to jump on board the location-based social media app train, with good reason. The interactive nature of these applications lend themselves to promotions – put an incentive behind these behaviors and the usage rate will surely soar. FourSquare, Loopt, Gowalla and now SVCNGR are great new platforms to attract, engage and reward consumers and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Goooal! Catch World Cup Fever with Visa GoFans on YouTube
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010In celebration of the current 2010 FIFA World Cup, Visa has created a GoFans YouTube Channel enabling soccer fans to express their support of their national teams by showcasing their passionate “Goooal” calls, in the spirit of world famous Argentinean soccer announcer Andres Cantor. Cantor himself appears on the Visa GoFans page to provide fans with the tutorial on how to emulate his famous call. The GoFans World Cup Fever is really catching on; within the first two weeks of the Visa GoFans YouTube Channel launch, there have been over 2,000,000 page views, and the channel is in the top 3 of all pages viewed on YouTube!
Now through July 11 2010, soccer fans can visit www.youtube.com/visagofans to upload and view videos of enthusiastic fans screaming their longest “Goooal” shout. Fans that submit videos are emailed links so that they can easily share their submission on various social media outlets.
Visa also supports its partnership with FIFA in the Visa “Watch Your Way to Brazil” Sweepstakes. Fans that view “Goooal” videos have an opportunity to win a trip for two to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, or one of 60 $100 Visa gift cards. Strobe supported Visa with this epic promotion by providing content moderation, record/view functionality, email messaging/links, sweepstakes administration and web hosting.
Show your support for Team USA as they move to the top of Group C and advance in the race for the 2010 FIFA World Cup by checking out the Visa GoFans YouTube Channel! Go USA!
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photo credit: FIFA/Getty Images
The New Group Dynamic
Thursday, January 28th, 2010We are learning so much about the group dynamic these days. I mean the REALLY BIG group dynamic…What does it say when a record amount of money is donated in a record period of time during a time of economic uncertainty?
This seems NOT to be about party politics or religion, but about humankind displaying a reflexive reaction to the tragedy in Haiti. Thanks to all modes of digital communications, people can direct their giving immediately, by texting, tweeting, posting, through e-donating and e-buying. And these channels, being what they are, provide an immediate accounting of this flood of goodwill. As of this writing, The Red Cross alone has raised $147 million in the US, including $25 million from text messages. That needs to sink in… $25 million (and counting) in two weeks, raised by individuals, reacting on impulse and TEXTING their donations, $10 at time. And that does not take into consideration other channels and organizations, such as this past weekend’s “Hope for Haiti Now” fundraising concert which donated funds to Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation, Oxfam America, UNICEF, the United Nations World Food Program, the recently formed Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation, as well as the Red Cross.
The channels to communicate and contribute are as unfettered as they could possibly be for our time. If 9/11 was the opening chapter of technology-driven news, and the Tsunami (2004) and Hurricane Katrina (2005) relief efforts demonstrated how the internet could serve as a viable donation response channel, then perhaps the earthquake in Haiti is the event that will mark the coming of age of social media. During the past two weeks, “Haiti” has been a consistently trending topic on twitter and ever-present on facebook statuses worldwide. People all over the globe are using social media and mobile channels to come together and help others in desperate need. Never have so many offered so much, so quickly. Over the next weeks and months, we will learn whether or not governments and corporations can mobilize as quickly as the masses that have surged to support the relief effort.
The stories of death and destruction continue to mount in what surfacing as one of the singularly most horrifying natural disasters in history. That our society is attempting to respond in equal magnitude, through untested channels is a testament to the human spirit, and a reason to have unbounding hope.
Strobe’s Merry Memory Game
Friday, November 20th, 2009Are you still planning for the holiday season as Thanksgiving rolls around? You’re not alone. Don’t tell anyone, but many marketers are procrastinators somewhere deep down, or are just swamped with day-to-day business. We often answer calls for last minute marketing strategies & thought we would be a little more proactive this year. So, we designed an interactive holiday-themed matching game to help you, or any brand, increase consumer engagement during this key season. We’ll simply replace the matching game messaging with your products or images. Gain trial, increase sales & reward your loyal consumers with a fun matching game. It’s all wrapped up and ready to go, so you can say happy holidays without all of the headaches.
Play our Merry Memory Game now to try it out. Plus, you’ve got a chance to win an LCD HDTV or an iPod Nano! After all, who would we be if we didn’t take our own advice? Enjoy!
Augmented Reality Check: Brands Bring AR to Life
Monday, November 9th, 2009A couple of interesting articles surfaced this week, talking about an uptick in brands applying augmented reality to their online marketing campaigns. Augmented Reality is a sort of digital “trick photography” that can convert a two
dimensional, monochromatic image into any sort of 3D holographic looking image by simply holding it up to a webcam. Burger King jumped on board the AR train with a banner ad that converts a dollar bill into menus from their dollar menu.
And then there’s Kia, Nestle, Wise Foods and Frito Lay all mentioned here as players in the AR game. As promotions go, this tool will engage the consumer and increase time spent with the ad and with the brand. The real immersion occurs only among consumers with webcams, but those with it can get a sampling through online videos that demo the AR experience.
It gets the promotion wheels in my mind spinning. Augmented Reality ads are all about immersion, about spending time with the brand, in a fun and engaging way. And wouldn’t you know, that’s where promotions can shine! The chance to win, the ability to share or the opportunity to get something for free are all proven conversion levers. In fact, a promotion can draw the consumer even closer, motivating them to provide data or to opt-in. With an augmented reality experience as the “hook”, a strong promotion offer as the “line” and a great prize as the “sinker”, you’re certain to land your consumer.
Augmented Reality is one of the latest digital innovations to bridge the gap between the real and the virtual, leaving so little to the imagination… except imagining new ways to engage!
Poll: What type of mobile phone do you have?
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009It seems the focus of the mobile marketing discussion has changed from SMS campaigns to apps in the blink of an eye. We want to know if you, as readers and marketers, are keeping up with new technology. Tell us what you’ve got!
