One of my main problem with check-in services like Foursquare is that the rewards normally aren’t that interesting. I’m not going to fight to be the mayor of a place to get a buck off a latte. But SCVNGR is offering something near to my heart: free NBA season tickets.
Unfortunately, it’s season tickets to the Boston Celtics team but I still think the concept is cool. You simply download the SCVNGR app for Android or iPhone and then you have to trek around the city to certain locations. It’s part of the company’s rewards program and completing the SCVNGR hunt will potentially enable you to get some free season tickets to the Celtics team.
This is definitely something I would participate in and it’s a very high-profile partnership for the location-based company. It also recently partnered with AT&T on a geo-location promotion for the Captivate but it’s unclear how successful that was in driving traffic to the stores.
Quick aside: One of the best sports viewing experiences of my life was in an Irish bar in San Francisco during Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The rowdy Boston fans were not quite so boisterous once Ron Artest sunk that three. You know which one I’m talking about (hoops talk over).
The SCVNGR promotion seems pretty cool and it does point the way for future deals which will spring from this company and other location-based players. Despite what I said earlier, Foursquare has nabbed some impressive deals with the likes of The Gap and it will be interesting to see how if it can continue to deliver the goods.
Of all the check-in services I still think Facebook Places has the most potential because of its wide user base and its mainstream appeal. I saw a movie this weekend and every single trailer (and many of the movie posters) directed users to a Facebook page. It may just be a matter of time before businesses do the same.
Check out this quick promotional video of the SCVNGR Celtics promotion.
