One of the factors that makes Foursquare appealing is the game component, which rewards users with points and “badges” for checking into certain places.
While this aspect is just for fun and doesn’t usually reap any actual benefits, most enjoy checking in to accumulate these “rewards” and compare with friends. Badges are rewarded in various genres, e.g., if you check into five different coffee spots, you earn the Barista badge; if you check into five different airports, you get the JetSetter badge; if you attend ten different art galleries, the Warhol badge is yours, etc.
Many restaurants are taking advantage of Foursquare and offering check-in deals and mayor rewards, which is awesome.
Last week, a new opportunity arose for destination marketing organizations: Foursquare unveiled city badges, rewarding users for visiting numerous attractions in certain cities. By visiting the corresponding links, you can get an idea of the kinds of places you’d have to visit to earn each badge.
To discern the various locations that must be visited in order for each city’s badge to be unlocked, Foursquare looked at the tens of millions of places where people have checked in, along with tapping into the collective knowledge of Superusers. They’ve subsequently included well-known spots, local favorites and lots of options in between: everything from hotels, restaurants, museums, malls and more.
To find out the places you need to go to be a local foursquare expert for a certain city, head over to their website. Follow the lists, and, next time you make it to the city (or if you’re there already!), check in to five of the places to unlock your badge.
This is a great opportunity for destinations to get some unique marketing. By creating a city list for users to achieve that city’s badge, they are thereby:
- advertising for major city attractions [for free/comparatively cheap]
- getting free exposure whenever someone checks into each place, as their friends/followers are alerted of each check-in
- giving people an incentive to frequent your city and its hot spots
- setting up authentic promotional opportunities (free hotel night for people who have your city’s badge, maybe?)
If you’d like your city to be considered for its own badge, fill out Foursquare’s city badge request form.
For which cities are you most looking forward to seeing badges?
Debbie do you know how municipalities will go about the process of setting up their badge?
Yep, via this link: http://ow.ly/7YeZk It looks like there’s greater focus thus far on users proposing cities, rather than destinations suggesting themselves, though I assume it wouldn’t hurt one to do so.
Very cool, I don’t see a lot of activity in my city but I might have to be the one to make foursquare popular in the Inland Empire.
Thanks for commenting, Robert! You should fill out the suggestion form for IE and see if they pick it up. Do you work for a CVB out there?
Have a Fantastic Wednesday
Seems like Foursquare has been lacking on the Badges lately. Glad to see them come out with these new ones.
I’m going to send the link to my city connections anyway. They can figure out how to get the suggestions flowing in to Foursquare
I wonder what the Redondo Beach badge will look like….
Well, now that they’ve won the battle with GoWalla, they can concentrate on stuff like this….
What if you live in a fairly small community that is not likely to have its own badge any time soon?
Looks like a great excuse to visit Europe. Weeeeee
Ha, I agree!
Any city is eligible to fill out the suggestion form. If there are enough active users in the smaller community, it seems there could still be a shot.
Definitely! These offer a lot of possibilities and attention for numerous venues at one time, too.
Any suggestions? 😛
Great! Something else for me to be obsessed about in social media! Really exciting concept. Yippeee! 🙂
I’m glad they’re stepping up the game a bit. I was getting tired of the badges and having acquired most of them already. I hope this will roll out here locally.
“We don’ need no steekin’ badges!” (Couldn’t resist.)
Let’s hear it for gamification! While collecting badges and mayorships can be fun, I really like discovering new places nearby, and learning about the interesting tips from people who’ve “checked in” previously. I also like getting discounts, too, but sometimes it’s too difficult — like having to be mayor of a Starbucks just to save a buck or something.
I’m shooting for visiting Starbucks in every city I visit. So far I haven’t travelled to far away places…yet. Paris, Greece, Tokyo for me, please.
This is such a wonderful idea. I never got into foursquare, but something like this will definitely make me consider using the social network. I use sites like HereStay.com to book vacation home rentals all over the world for work and personal vacations and I like this idea because it’s a clever and fun way for me to track and remember my travels via social networking.
Thanks for commenting! There’s some great potential for destinations to take advantage of Foursquare and other similar location-based services. Another good option for vacation home search is JoeOptions, too: https://socialhospitality.com/2011/10/joeoptions-vacation-rental-social-network/
I like where your head’s at – I’d be happy to accompany you on this journey! 😉
Thanks for the great commentary, Mitch. Discovering new places nearby is definitely fun, and this works great for locals, too. I’ve noticed more frequently lately businesses are offering deals for everyone who checks in — eg. the Peet’s at The District offers a free medium beverage to anyone who checks in. The outward cost to them is probably small, but as soon as I discovered it, I told people about it, so the word-of-mouth marketing potential is huge.
Hopefully! Definitely a lot of fun potential for locals as well as travelers.
Glad you like it!
Nice idea by foursquare…Another network that is ever evolving…I like the discounts in the area, but dislike where doesn’t pick up your exact location…Looking for more from them in 2012….
I am now following the badges cities page. Nothing for Los Angeles yet. I heard there isn a badge for the fitbit, but I have no idea how to find it.
Hmm, weird. I imagine when they start more heavily introducing more cities, they’ll make some sort of large announcement.
Yeah, hopefully they’ll work out all the glitches.
“Badges? I don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” – Blazing Saddles