Foursquare is gradually rolling out post check-in intersticial advertisements, according to reports in Ad Age and About Foursquare, with Captain Morgan rum as an early taker.
The ads work based on the type of venue a user checks in to. Users who check in to bars see Captain Morgan ads suggesting that they order a Captain and Coke. Users who checked in to local pools have also seen ads for Toys R Us.
Foursquare has said it won’t allow competitors to try to lure users away from the venue they have just checked in to. For instance, KFC wouldn’t be able to target a deal promotion to users who check in to McDonald’s.
Foursquare has been under pressure to generate more revenue. It is apparently readying to sell ads off its own platform, for example.
But the company must continue to generate check-ins as the basis of any of the proposed supplemental businesses it has explored.
The ads are not likely to scare users away, said Gartner’s head of research, Brian Blau. In fact, if they are done correctly, they could encourage users to check in more.
“Typically users don’t pay attention to advertising, but in some cases when the ad is targeted and more relevant to their personal situation then user engagement rates for ads start to rise,” he said.
Provided Foursquare can sell its ad spots to a broad range of businesses, the spots have the opportunity to serve up very relevant ads.
Foursquare users’ main activity today is to check-in at their favorite locations, making them more likely to be interested in ads that either come from those businesses directly or from related and nearby businesses – Blau said
Related Stories:
This article was originally published on Social Times
You might also like
More from Foursquare
Foursquare Swarm Is Back With Its Biggest Update Ever
Foursquare just released Swarm 5.0 last week, bringing its biggest update to-date, and taking the spin-off app in a brand …
Checking In On Swarm Is Finally Actually Worth Something
If you're a Swarm addict like me, you've probably been checking in all over the place lately, and have earned …
Swarm Makes Checking In Fun Again
Things are getting interesting! Swarm - formerly known as Foursquare - is now adding Perks and Challenges that will reward users for their check-ins and loyalty.First …
You Can Now Order Food And Alcohol Through Foursquare
Foursquare was very popular a few years ago and then it decided to split into two separate apps for no …
You Can Use Your Swarm Coins To Buy Upgraded Stickers
Swarm was born as a spin-off of the old Foursquare. Back then, this created an uproar of unhappy users. And they …
In October, Every CheckIn Saves A Kitten On Swarm
Attention, this October, every time you go somewhere, you may be able to save a kitten. How? Simply check-in on …
Foursquare Integrates With Open Table
If you don't have plan for tonight, then you shouldn't worry. You just need to use your Foursquare app and book …
Retro-Checking In On Swarm: It’s Here!
Swarm gained a lot of his former glory back with the re-introduction of mayorships and check in rewards system. The Foursquare …
Swarm Brings Gaming Back
After pulling the plug in mayorships and leaderboards back in 2014, Swarm has now made a quasi 180 degree turn …