IceBreaker Inc., announced a new interactive mobile advertising feature called Golden Ticket which is now an integral part of the Crush or Flush community. Crush or Flush is a social network where members meet people, chat and flirt by browsing real picture profiles and decide whether to ‘Crush’ or ‘Flush’ them.
Members average 100 page views per day in the Crush or Flush community and with the introduction of Golden Ticket, members can discover sponsored branded picture profiles while exploring other member profiles. More unique and engaging than traditional banner ads, Golden Ticket profiles gives marketers the ability to deliver high value brand impressions through an immersive experience that is targeted, relevant, exclusive and provides members the choice to engage directly with the brand or dismiss it.
“Mobile advertising has great growth-potential and we predict that advertising revenues within on-deck mobile social networking services can reach $102.6 million by 2012,” said Vikrant Gandhi, a senior analyst with Frost & Sullivan. “The model presented by Crush or Flush is innovative and promising by allowing people to interact with brands as if they were real profiles on the site while also opening a new revenue channel for online and mobile social networks.”
During testing phases earlier this year, the feature received positive feedback over the duration of a highly visible Valentine’s Day promotion. Five Golden Ticket sponsorships ran in the community and on average, 82 percent of the site’s members chose to ‘Crush’ the brands. Each brand was coupled with a special Valentine’s Day promotion which offered members an incentive to interact with the brand. Specifically, the 106.1 KISS FM Golden Ticket gave members an extra entry to win a vacation package, flat panel TV, and invited them to sign up to become a KISS VIP. This mobile promotion was tied into an on air promotion and both Crush or Flush and 106.1 KISS FM saw a high level of brand engagement.
“The Crush or Flush service is a good match for our target demographic” said Marc Apple, Promotion Director, 106.1 KISS FM. “We were pleased with the Golden Ticket results which were a twist on our traditional integrated marketing communications plan and drove brand awareness, loyalty and sign ups for KISS VIP.”
Golden Ticket sponsored profiles consist of a photo of the brand and tags describing the product. For example, a member with the tag ‘music’ may come across a branded profile promoting KISS FM, giving the member the option to ‘Crush’ or ‘Flush’ the profile. If the member crushes the profile, they have the option to engage further by clicking a link to sign up for a KISS event, download a song, or join a VIP program.
More details on the Golden Ticket feature:
* Exclusive availability: Golden Ticket placements are exclusive by category: automotive, elections, fashion, games, movies, music, mobile, sports, and travel. New categories will open based on market demand.
* Cameo appearance: the site programs how frequently members see sponsored profiles. Based on real time performance, market demands and campaign goals, Crush or Flush and marketers can adjust the frequency.
* Inviting brands to your circle of friends: The Golden Ticket allows marketers to find customers who are willing to promote their brands within their peer groups.
"We're excited to launch an immersive 'opt-in' brand experience and open up a new revenue model," said Josh Levine, vice president of marketing for IceBreaker. "Advocacy is the holy grail of advertising and brands are clamoring to move beyond awareness and usage metrics to ultimately find customers who are willing to promote their brands within their peer groups."