Tag Archives: mobile

The Gaps in Facebook Places

11th November 2010

Last weekend, Facebook launched the ever hyped Facebook places deals and in true Facebook fashion, they had some of the best deals available with their launch partners. Naturally, I set out to explore and try my hand at a few to see how it all worked, here are my reactions:

1. Ease of use: 8 out of 10. Finding the deals was fairly simple, just login to Facebook places and similar to Foursquare if you are near a deal location, it pops up before you even check in.

2. Claiming the deal: 6 out of 10. Here’s where things got tricky, it was easy to check in and get the deal, but it looks like Facebook may have rushed on getting this out (surprised aren’t you?). The verbiage for “claiming” a deal is pretty much the same from place to place, so there is no way of knowing if the deal has run out.

For example, I checked into Gap around 7 pm expecting the deal for the first 10,000 customers to be sold out, however, when I checked in, I was shown a screen saying I had in fact gotten the deal and there were “over 100 remaining.” when I showed this to the cashier, he explained the deal had run out in a matter of minutes that morning, was no longer valid and despite what my phone said, he couldn’t take it.

I wasn’t too upset to not receive the jeans, I wasn’t expecting them, but since Gap had set up the promotion to end at a specific time rather than after a specific number of checkins, it left many customers out in the cold, and VERY upset.

However, at a visit to H&M where the deal was 20% off a purchase, a deal that also ended on a specific date but had no limit, it worked perfectly.

3. Sharing: 6 out of 10. Upon checking in, the deal is shared on your Facebook profile. As Facebook places has higher priority in a person’s newsfeed, this is excellent for the variability of a brand. However, when it backfires, as Gap did for me, it gives false information to friends.

4. Expectations: 7 out of 10. If Facebook can fix bugs like deal availability when brands create them, Facebook places has the potential to be a game changer. But, if Facebook continues to keep Places as a top priority in the news feed and continues to automatically publish to a users wall, the spam nature a Facebook deal diva may turn some people away from the tool all together.

What are your thoughts on Facebook Places deals? Have you used them or are you sticking to Foursquare for your location based sharing? And if you did score a pair of these elusive jeans, let me know in the comments 😉

Foursquare: Earning badges without checking in

18th October 2010

Last month, RunKeeper became the 1st Foursquare partner to allow users to earn badges without checking in. Users can now earn badges by completing tasks rather than heading to a physical location.

I’m a runner myself and although I’m generally a Nike+ user, my sensor recently died and I decided to give RunKeeper a shot. The process could not have been simpler, just connect your Foursquare account within RunKeeper like you would Facebook or Twitter and you’re all set. The app does the rest. For speculators of location based services, this could be a game changer. By earning badges for activities, users are still using the fundamental idea of “exploring” but without the added hassle of remembering to check-in.

Foursquare has stated it will soon be testing out this feature with other partners, a leap that will allow the service to jump into the action based realm of many other location based applications.

Imagine making a reservation for your favorite restaurant and automatically receiving a  reward? Or scanning a receipt from a boutique and getting a discount? The possibilities and user base are opened much wider with this expansion. What do you think? Will more people be open to using LBS with these integrations?

How QR Codes are heading sky high in Denver

6th October 2010

On my way through the Denver International Airport this weekend, I came across a great QR code brand integration. We have been talking about QR codes for quite some time now in DIG and while cool, like most things technology related, if it doesn’t serve a user purpose, it won’t be adopted.

Here are four reasons 1st Bank’s Ad display scores.

Education: Often times, people may not know what this giant barcode is let alone how to use it. The advertisement clearly calls out not only what it does, but how to make it work by suggesting a reader to download.

Purpose: Sure it’s fun to scan, but no one wants to scan a code to the bank’s website to learn about opening an account. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest missed opportunities for brands in uisng technology whether it be an app, a code or a game.

By allowing users to download books for a flight, users not only have a motive to download and receive a free book, but they have a greater chance of remembering who gave this service to them in the first place, creating a sense of brand affinity and loyalty without ever pitching a product.

Real life integration: We all love the web, but for social, mobile and new technologies to grow, we must rely on new and creative mediums to spread our messages. In this case, transforming a traditional ad to something any consumer could interact with and experience beyond a picture.

Placement: This ad was placed directly to the right of the security lines. What else are you doing while waiting in line for security than checking your phone and people watching? There is no better opportunity to grab a consumer than in this airport situation.

What are your thoughts? Are new mediums such as QR code integration still too advanced for the average consumer? Or has 1st Bank it a homerun with their placement and tech-savvy traveler target?