Really, how many more badges do we really want? It seems that most brands entering the location game think that badges are enough to get players interested? Yes, they are definitely a way-in right now, however, players are going to want more from the interaction. Starbucks is slowly testing out the waters with Foursquare right now by simply offering up badges. Eventually, one would hope that they will roll-out other more tangible rewards for their customers. Free Wi-Fi anyone? Or how about a free breakfast sandwich? I really like this latest example on the Gowalla platform with the New Jersey Nets basketball team. In the "game" spirit of these location-based platforms, Gowalla will create a scavenger hunt encouraging players to find hidden digital tickets at various sporting locations around the NJ area. The digital tickets can be redeemed for an actual ticket to attend the last game of the season. Once there, Gowalla players will also be able to unlock badges that can also be redeemed towards Nets merchandise. I don't follow the basketball, but I would suspect that there's a universe of people on Gowalla in the NJ area would find this compelling and perhaps get them to participate, no? Brilliant. You are giving me something of real, tangible value for my participation and making it fun for me. Thank you. As companies start to explore and experiment with these new location apps, the challenge will be to understand the playful-like behavior of people in this space and then providing them something of tangible value, beyond just a digital token. Beyond the badge.
