Are you in on the fun?

If you've been keeping up with new trends, then chances are that you've heard of foursquare. Some of you might be thinking "Why is there another social media tool? We have enough." Though you might be thinking that society is on social media overload, for advertisers, new doors are opening quick. We can now interact in real space while facilitated online. The beauty of mobile applications is that we have the opportunity to do things online without having to actually sit in front of the computer. 

So what is foursquare you ask? This new mobile app is based on geo-location in which you can explore your city with friends in a brand new way. You can rack up points and earn virtual badges for checking-in to different venues. As you can see from the picture above, I am currently the Mayor of 10 places in Tallahassee! Yes, this might seem crazy. But let's face it, I'm competitive and I think it's pretty awesome that I can call myself the "Mayor of University Center Club." If you're ever bored, feel free to join in the game and fight for the mayorships!

In addition to engaging users with a bit of fun, this app also encourages people to continue coming back to these venues they've checked into. This is great for marketers because now companies can reward their customers for checking in. Some restaurants offer free drinks to the mayor of the company. Some hotels offer a 25% off discount if you check into the hotel multiple times. These are incentives for people to continue using foursquare and to visit specific places. Foursquare reached over 300,000 check-ins last week, which proves that they are an exceedingly growing company. If I were you, I'd keep my eye on this new mobile app--it's going to be a huge marketing tool.

-Arielle