CBS, SCVNGR Launch Spy Game at SXSW. Nissan Launches Location-Based Promotion With SCVNGR. What better partner for a location-based service than a car company?
That's the thinking behind a new promotion for the Nissan Juke with SCVNGR, which challenges consumers to "Juke the City" in various U.S. cities for the chance to win the car. The effort, which kicked off on January 3, takes place in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Residents of those cities who complete challenges at select places with SCVNGR Rewards are entered into a drawing. The Hangover Sequel Launches SCVNGR Hunt at 7-Eleven. The Hangover Part II doesn’t hit theaters until May 26, but consumers can start playing along Monday in a SCVNGR promotion at 7-Eleven.
The convenience store chain is hosting a mobile scavenger hunt based on the application. To play, consumers download the app and then amass points by checking in to stores and completing tasks for points, like taking a picture with a Super Big Gulp featuring a character from the movie. Fans can cash in points for prizes including temporary tattoos, T-shirts, 7-Eleven gift cards, movie tickets and a chance to win a Las Vegas trip. Another component of the 7-Eleven tie-in includes a Get Well Card app on 7-Eleven’s Facebook Page where fans can make and send a card by choosing a message and still from the movie.
The original Hangover, released in 2009, grossed more than $467 million, and there’s a lot of interest in the sequel. SCVNGR, which just completed a promotion with Reebok, helped publicize a movie opening before. Virgin Mobile Starts Preloading SCVNGR on Android Handsets. SCVNGR's location-based mobile game will be automatically preloaded on LG Optimus V handsets beginning later this month, thanks to a new partnership with Sprint announced Tuesday.
The SCVNGR app will sit alongside the YouTube application on the homescreen (as pictured), and will be incorporated into LG Optimus V device packaging. "This is the first handset in what will be additional models with the Virgin Mobile USA carrier prepaid brand," says a SCVNGR representative. The pre-loaded application promises additional exposure for the service that just secured $15 million in Series C funding. Virgin Mobile USA, a Sprint Nextel brand, offers consumers prepaid and no-contract pricing alternatives. The LG Optimus V — a Virgin Mobile device similar to the Optimus S — is a slim Android phone with a 3.2-inch touchscreen priced at $149.99 without a contract. Last we heard, SCVNGR was approaching 1 million members. SCVNGR Pilots New Hybrid Mobile App for Local Merchant Deals With Game Mechanics.
Location-based mobile game startup SCVNGR is releasing Thursday a second mobile application for iPhone and Android called LevelUp. This release is meant to serve as a pilot in the Boston and Philadelphia areas and test a new approach to merchant deals that better drive customer loyalty. LevelUp plays in the same sandbox as Groupon , LivingSocial and the myriad of other daily deals sites, but the product attempts to reengineer the formula with game mechanisms and location — two areas SCVNGR knows well — to benefit both the consumer and the merchant.
“LevelUp is a new type of location-based interaction. It combines the best parts of the check-in, the challenge, and the reward into one bite-sized unit,” says SCVNGR founder Seth Priebatsch. Here’s how it works: LevelUp users can locate nearby deals — say $10 for $20 worth of food — through the iPhone or Android app. The idea behind LevelUp is that first-time diners will turn into regulars as they go through the leveling-up process. SCVNGR Secures $15 Million in Funding. SCVNGR, the location-based mobile app that bills itself as a game layer for the real world, has closed $15 million in a Series C round led by Balderton Capital, a European early stage venture firm.
Original investors Highland Capital Partners and Google Ventures also participated in the round. As part of the deal, Balderton Capital partner Barry Maloney is joining SCVNGR's board; his addition will help the team build a foundation for international expansion. The round is quite large for a startup that claims to have a solid business model in place with "revenue through the roof" — SCVNGR has upward of 1,000 paying partners who use the platform for mobile campaigns. Just yesterday, SCVNGR closed its biggest deal to date, according to CEO and founder Seth Priebatsch. Priebatsch explains that the infusion of cash will enable SCVNGR to grow faster and will be used specifically to expand the team, build for additional platforms and ramp up research and development around game mechanics. SCVNGR Surpasses 1 Million Users. Once the upstart underdog in the location-based checkin arena, SCVNGR is announcing that it has surpassed 1 million users Tuesday and is making a strong case for itself as a top contender in the space.
SCVNGR's 1 million user milestone news follows a few startup-defining moments, most notably $15 million in Series C funding and a Sprint partnership that guarantees its Android app placement on LG Optimus V handset homescreens. User acquisition, on the whole, is trending upwards for the startup. SCVNGR hit 500,000 users in less than six months and 1 million users in less than nine, which shows a healthy pick up in traction. "User growth has been picking up like whoa this year," says founder and CEO Seth Priebatsch. "We added some new sharing features that have made our users a lot more vocal and they're getting their friends involved faster. Priebatsch will be keynoting at this year's South By Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas. Priebatsch hopes to make a big splash.