An article in today’s New York Times announced a new partnership between Foursquare (the growing, location-based online game) and Bravo TV. According to the article, the partnership, which begins tomorrow, will allow Foursquare players to receive Bravo badges after checking in at any of the 500 plus Bravo locations.

Potential pros and cons:

Pros

  • How cool would it be to get a Top Chef badge?
  • The partnership will raise awareness for Foursquare and increase users.
  • It could create more brand evangelists for Bravo as long as the badges are closely tied to specific shows.

Cons

  • What kind of badge could The Real Housewives offer?
  • For some reason the idea of a TV network partnering with Foursquare rubs me the wrong way. I'd rather see a company like TGI Friday's, Target, Chase or Southwest Airlines partner. I can visit a restaurant, retail outlet, bank or airline. A TV network? Not so much.


What do you think? Is this a good move for Bravo and Foursquare? Do you want a Bravo TV badge?

UPDATE: Mashable has posted an article on the partnership that outlines a few more specifics.

2 comments:

Seems like they're getting recommendations from the "stars" of their shows and tying the badges to them. I think it's a cool idea, but seeing as the badges are big-city centric (a big criticism of Foursquare overall), it's a bit of a step back towards accessibility. I think it's a huge step forward in product awareness, though, which Foursquare needs with the likes of Gowalla, My Town and especially now Yelp adding location check-ins.

February 1, 2010 at 9:53 AM  

Glenn, I just read an article on Mashable that offers more details. I agree with your big-city comment. On the upside, it could help tourism organizations promote their cities. Maybe the Bravo TV celebrities can incorporate local spots to tie-in some lesser known cities.

It seems other networks will be joining Foursquare soon. It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

February 1, 2010 at 1:29 PM  

Newer Post Older Post Home