#2 Top Five Social Media Campaign of 2011
American Express and Foursquare Pilot a Super Social Campaign
This is one of my favorite social media campaigns of the year and one that radio could adapt very easily. Foursquare, a location-based mobile platform, partnered with AmEx to initiate a small test in March at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival: link your AmEx and foursquare accounts, spend at least $5 at a local merchant in Austin, and get a $5 savings applied directly to your monthly statement. The initial response was so great the two companies launched it nationally.
Small Business Saturday
The next step included offering discounts at Sports Authority and H&M which added to the program’s success. The program most recently was tied to what American Express called “Small Business Saturday”…the Saturday after Thanksgiving. AmEx offered a $25 credit at any participating small business that accepts their card as part of the foursquare partnership. It was also offered as a Klout perk and promoted via the AmEx Facebook page.
The Radio Tie-In
The radio tie-in seems pretty obvious to me but may ruffle some feathers with existing coupon based 2 for 1 programs presently offered by lots of stations. The most obvious would require a three-way partnership with AmEx, foursquare and the radio station. The station will offer on air and additional digital support extending the reach of the campaign. This in turn will increase the number of new business advertisers for this social media campaign, increase the number of synced or activated American Express cards and finally increase the amount of local advertising revenue for the station as a result of this partnership.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think radio can take advantage of the relationship between foursquare and AmEx? Can you think of a better way for radio to get involved with a location based mobile platform? We are listening.
