Foursquare, Baby, Foursquare.
MG Siegler
Mar 2, 2010

Foursquare may still be relatively small (around 450,000 users), but wow have they been able to woo certain areas of the mainstream quickly. We already know about the deals with Conde Nast, Marc Jacobs, the New York Times, and others — some of which are pulling in revenue. And then there’s the Bravo deal, which has already included a commercial spot. But now, Foursquare is getting love in the bright lights of Vegas.

Yes, the pictures above and below were taken at the Miracle Mile Shops attached to the Planet Hollywood hotel in Las Vegas. As you can see, the huge ads entice users to check-in at the mall. If you do so, they might highlight your check-in, any tips, and even show who the current mayor (the Foursquare user who has checked-in most often) of the mall is prominently.

Planet Hollywood was actually one of the first venues to take advantage of the “check-in deals” that Foursquare has been offering for some time now. These deals allow visitors who visit the venue and check-in to get something like a free drink.

These ads were apparently done with the help of place-based social media site, LocaModa.

[pics via flickr/dpstyles and twitpic/tristanwalker]

Advertisement
  • Related Topics
Advertisement
  • josh

    Good thing I’m straight, or I’d be all over this…

  • http://www.meetingwave.com jb

    Still small, and likely worth a writeup on TC here and there, but hardly merits a nearly daily writeup.

    Do you have any metrics showing how often this sub 500K startup is written up vs other startups?

    What’s up with that MG? Seriously. I think a legit question.

  • http://jippidy.com George

    The real question is: Is this a result of the TC effect or their Silicon Valley connections?

  • Joe

    Is there wifi in that mall? If so, it would be a nice place to sit an sniff 4sq account credentials since they pass them in the clear – http://intrepidusgroup.com/insight/2010/02/im-in-ur-4sq-snarfin-ur-password-part-i/

  • http://parislemon.com MG Siegler

    they’re arguably the hottest startup in a very hot space right now. feel free to vote for less coverage by not reading :)

  • http://parislemon.com MG Siegler

    well, they’re NY-based so…

  • Justin

    Any idea who provides connectivity to their outdoor boards?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=9351324 Ed Zitron

    What other social media company has penetrated advertisement like that? We only just started to see Facebook pages in trailers and Twitter feeds in ads and such.

    This is a big enough deal for a post. Dang, commenters.

  • Edward Domain

    NYC and Silicon Valley are pretty well connected to each other. Its the rest of the country that is treated as “fly over”

    I personally find fousquare annoying but agree its a hot are and we are all likely to see a lot of growth here.

    What I don’t like is the twitter people I follow talking about being at the store, or their house, etc, etc, etc. Meh.

  • http://www.meetingwave.com jb

    Hottest? By what measure? Still under 500K and gets an almost daily writeup from you. If referring to hot because of your daily writeups, ok, its hot.

    I’m not disputing its a hot startup, etc, but seems like a highly unusual number of posts about a single “relatively small” startup.

    Yes, I do generally ignore these pr posts and will continue to do so unless looks interesting. I liked the neon lights and decided to take a look.

  • jimjerky

    They’re hot because MG likes their service and because he writes about them — almost every day, not because they have a great idea or a terrific innovation.

  • http://www.lostremote.com/2010/03/02/bravo-airing-foursquare-partnership-spots/ Lost Remote | Bravo airing Foursquare partnership spots

    [...] not the only publicity for Foursquare these days. The Miracle Mile Shops in Las Vegas now feature big electronic signs urging users to check in at the mall. The signs also show the current mayor [...]

  • George Nimeh

    Keep it up MG. Cover those who will be covered by everyone else later. Stay on the edge.

  • http://www.locamoda.com Greg
  • http://zweegy.org Brian P.

    Hey MG I’m on your side buddy! I’m loving Foursquares potential + execution.

  • http://www.theweboutside.com Jayne

    LocaModa provides the connectivity to the outdoor boards. more pics and a full explanation on the LocaModa blog: http://bit.ly/cNnGnt

  • http://www.tehdik.com David Klein

    I don’t know. I’ve been using Foursquare for a while now. Friends aren’t joining. I have a ton of badges. It’s getting boring already.

  • Raj

    I wonder when we will start seeing location-based hooker services popping up on the Strip?

  • photoshopper

    I’m not saying they are – but, those photos look a little ‘shopped to me.

  • deleo

    TC has a pretty good history of writing about start-ups until the readers here are sick of them, but then they end up becoming household names a year or two later. I am not sure if Foursquare is on that path, but their investors must be excited with each new TC headline.

    I think Twitter and Facebook will do their best
    to fend them off though. Do we need another household name with social networking?

  • mike

    agreed. ive been using now for a few months, and the novelty is quickly starting to wear off. they need to figure out the long term value to not only bring in new users but retain existing. In its current iteration, they’ve got me for another 1-3 months before I completely tune out.

  • JP

    Check this great presentation. Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Jesse Schell, starts with talking about games / game design and at the end dives into a vision of future badge / point collecting for nearly everything that sounds like Foursquare on steroids: http://g4tv.com/videos/44277/DICE-2010-Design-Outside-the-Box-Presentation/

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=108100024 Gregory Stellato

    Yeah, we do need another household name with social networking. It’s the new media and Facebook & Twitter are perfect examples. How many old media companies were household names?

  • http://www.tehdik.com David Klein

    they’re definitely trying but it’s too confusing. they haven’t conveyed what these new partnerships (bravo, zagat) actually mean for the service.

  • http://parislemon.com MG Siegler

    most talked about, already making revenue, tons of huge mainstream deals, etc.

  • chfats

    @ Michael Arrington: enough is enough, stop him, please!!
    @MG Siegler you write about 4sq almost every day, you are brothering us, I feel safe to say it.
    Yes Fred Wilson is NY based, and they also have people from Sillicon Valley,
    see here http://foursquare.tumblr.com/post/208524941/announcing-the-foursquare-angel-roster
    Are you still sure they don’t have any connection with SV guys?

  • David

    I never hear anything about Foursquare anywhere but on this site. Is it really as popular as TC hypes them up to be or is this just another social network gimmick? I tried using it the other day and think it’s an interesting idea to earn badges by visting places, but i’m not too sure about their long term appeal.

  • http://parislemon.com MG Siegler

    i happily take all the credit.

  • http://parislemon.com MG Siegler

    exactly – my world in a nutshell :)

  • http://parislemon.com MG Siegler

    that’s true. and i’ve long thought foursquare could be one of those, since before my TC days.

    but you’re dead-on. we (and me, personally) heard the same things over and over about twitter. and facebook. and youtube. etc…

  • http://parislemon.com MG Siegler

    i agree that they do have to work on the social gaming aspects, to further engage people – which i believe they are.

  • David

    I just did a TC search on Foursquare and it’s only Siegler posting about the service. I wonder how many people got into the service because of all the articles here?

  • anon

    The long term play of all of these mobile/geo services is obviously data mining, and involves end users exchanging personal information to receive targeted offers. The problem is that it’s going to take time before the incentives are large enough to encourage mass adoption, and most people will still be freaked out by the loss of privacy and large amount of spam they will receive as a result of using the service (I know that I would pay a premium to conceal my habits from boardrooms across the globe). That said, most people are suckers, and the gaming aspect seems to be successfully working as a ploy to cover up the fact that users are allowing themselves to be data mined.

    The space is interesting, and there is definitely something there, but I don’t know if Foursquare will emerge as a frontrunner unless they make some major changes to the service. It’s too early to tell. What I can say is that I’m in my 20′s, live in NYC, and don’t know anyone who uses Foursquare.

  • http://parislemon.com MG Siegler

    well bravo, planet hollywood, conde nast, etc, etc, etc. clearly think there is something to it. or maybe they’re all just reading TC too. hard to say :)

  • http://parislemon.com MG Siegler

    well im glad you feel safe to say it. phew.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=3312238 Aaron Mathew Crayford

    agreed. It’s one of the if not the hottest space. Next Google potential… ppl showing up at a place is displaying conversion its the next click through. Keep writing about them MG.

  • anon

    True, but as I mention just above, the gaming aspects are only there to cover up the fact that users are allowing themselves to be mined. Once Foursquare and similar services turn on their business model (targeted offers), people are going to be turned off. Discounts and freebies are great, but at what cost?

    Who knows though … the youngest generation seems to have no conception of or care for privacy, so maybe they will be willing use services like this. Their willingness to share and general irresponsibility will lead to incredible debt (they are marks after all), and society will suffer.

  • Doug

    its a niche audience meant to appeal mainly to the city dweller crowds. this is a very interesting advancement, agreed w the other reader. for a brand to dedicate billboard space and their media message to foursquare is very impressive. i know a lot of ppl who use it and to have your face on a billboard is enough motivation for most to check in and feel rewarded. bragging rights gone billboard

  • igniman

    my bonehead facebook app is more profitable than foursquare. Come on, for once admit you’re doing a favor to some friends.

  • http://www.guidespot.com Phil Harding

    I agree these guys get a huge amount of press. Do you know there revenues? certainly not profitable

  • igniman

    facebook was pretty big when you started writing about it. don’t remember about youtube. don’t flatter yourselves so much

  • http://sammyvdwal.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/get-on-the-bandwagon/ Get on the bandwagon « The Evil grin

    [...] March 3, 2010 · Leave a Comment Yes it fun to not be privacy aware, were others are not eager to share there location Foursquare, http://foursquare.com/, encourages you just to that. Here is a nice article on Tech Crunch on how Planet Hollywood use’s it to attract clients. Have fun reading. http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/02/foursquare-vegas/ [...]

  • Annoyed

    @MG

    Your hubris is astonishing. I used to scan the daily Four Square articles just to read the complaints. I can appreciate your dire to help a friend’s company which you may actually believe, but the smugness of your responses seem to indicate your true character.

    As you suggest, it is time to boycott your articles and vote by not reading any of your PR.

  • http://www.twitter.com/rajsarkar Raj Sarkar

    Techcrunch should change their name to webcrunch or appcrunch or hotcrunch. Most of the coverage is around the following: Google, Twitter, Facebook, Apple or anything related to it. Seriously guys, there is lot of innovation happening elsewhere which is worth a mention like this:

    http://venturebeat.com/2010/03/02/tabula-startup-tries-to-go-where-many-have-failed-in-programmable-chips/

    If you really want to be a tech blog, then you need to report about every single tech industry than blahing blahing web/app all the time…

  • http://www.mobileinc.co.uk Murat

    Try and sell in a campaign for a brand that uses another service that only has 450k users.

    Once the dust settles people will realise that the hype around Foursquare has been generated by tech blogs and very active Twitter users.

  • Anonymous

    “It’s the rest of the country that is treated as fly over”

    Not necessarily true– Brad Feld is doing a pretty good job of putting Colorado on the map. Killer startup or app is more important than location… the only reason Silicon Valley or NYC get covered the most is because that’s where the most people have a tech background.

    ChatRoulette, which has received plenty of attention recently, is definitely outside of the typical geographical location…

  • MP

    I may take interest the day I see even a single venue listed for my area; until then I just don’t get it.

  • http://www.locamoda.com stephen randall

    LocaModa enable place based social media on over 15 thousand digital out of home screens in USA.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=400566 Albert Ko

    Keep up the posts MG. Ignore the naysayers.

  • meena

    Foursquare allows registered users to connect with friends and update their location. Points are awarded on weekends and non-business hours for “checking in” at venues. Users can choose to have their Twitter and/or their Facebook accounts updated when they check in

    Currently this one is starting to dominate the way how you discover geo-targets in USA (using social media and game) More details: http://bit.ly/foursquare-detailed-review

    Don’t see any reason why TC wouldn’t want to write about this one…

  • http://www.apeofsteel.com/1211/game-mechanics-followup Game Mechanics Followup | Dave Concannon

    [...] Dave McClure thinks "checkins" (The main 'game' component of foursquare and gowalla) will become a commodity within a year. It would seem to make sense – It's an original idea, but in terms of defensibility there's no real barrier to prevent people adding this sort of function to any software.  How useful are 'checkins' to more serious software? It remains to be seen.  Steve Blank's latest post on this sort of competitive analysis driving feature sprawl has an interesting summary of why this may not be such a great strategy. It's not just the nuts and bolts of what you do, it's the ecosystem you build around it. [...]

  • http://www.besttoddlereducationaltoys.com/discount-shopping-for-kids-clothing Discount Shopping For Kids Clothing |

    [...] Foursquare, Baby, Foursquare. [...]

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=682901533 Sir.Nathan Stassen

    I really wish that Gowalla got more publicity. It is a much better application.

  • marke

    Jesus, MG, your constant foursquare reach-around is starting to make me feel needy.

  • gregorylent

    engagement for the dumb, the equivalent of twitter trending topics popularity .. mass mind is always mediocre

  • faceyspacey

    fuck the rest of the country. it’s worthless.

  • http://techbistro.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/march-2nd-daily-special-top-6-in-tech/ March 2nd Daily Special: Top 6 in Tech « Tech Bistro

    [...] Foursquare, baby, Foursquare A post in TechCrunch discusses the growing use of FourSquare in mainstream areas. I don’t [...]

  • oihiohHIOH

    “most talked about” i never hear anyone talk about this

    then again im not around M.G. and his lame companions

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=503041989 Josh Lewis

    whats your app?

  • http://webtempsreel.com/morning-web-8-237 Morning Web #8

    [...] liens de l’épisode : MacHeist Nano Bundle2, Pub Foursquare à Las Végas, De plus en plus de temps passé à jouer en ligne, Le bug de la PS3 résolu ! blog [...]

  • xtraclick

    Enough already with the foursquare!!

  • http://Www.kyleporter.net Kyle Porter

    I enjoy foursquare, but I am really bullish on LocaModa. This is only one example of the type of apps they offer to the digital out of home advertising industry which will explode over the next few years. The “the web outside” (which btw is LocaModa’s blog name) will be exciting, relevant and interactive-bringing eyes to the screen so that ads are effective. More often than not, it will integrate with your handheld…and this is the domain of LocaModa.

  • Tom Lang

    Do you have some interest in foursquare? Friends work there? Otherwise, why all the attention to this useless, intrusive, bullshit “service” ?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=676354363 Michael Langer

    People

    M.G. writes awesome headlines that get your attention and a post that we read. I you enjoy it, he’s done his Job. If you hate it, well then you read it…..and he’s done is job.

    Is it fair? Who cares? If M.G. wouldn’t polarize he wouldn’t be a good writer. If 4sq or Blippy didn’t polarize with their idea, they would be just another “it’s like __________ on steroids”, company.
    Which is why I would imagine 4Sq appeals to him and why people need to create disruptive companies.

  • JP

    Stop this useless bashing. Let’s get back to work. Did anybody check the presentation i posted earlier in this …ehm, i keep that…. thread?

  • http://chinawiz.xoom.it/?p=2179 Foursquare的商业价值 « 最新最热网页游戏报道

    [...] 在上面这张图里你看到了什么?是的,这是位于拉斯维加斯闹市的购物中心Miracle Mile Shops,上面的大屏幕是在Foursquare中Checkin这个地方最多的用户、用户们在Foursquare上对这个购物中心的点评。这个大屏幕的效果不言而喻,Foursquare的用户为了出现在这个大屏幕上,会不断地光顾商场来Checkin;而光顾商场的人们,也知道可以通过Foursquare让自己出现在这个大屏幕上。 [...]

  • Andre Condurache

    What about Gowalla, Loopt, Whrrl, Platial, Brightkite…these start ups are probs doing better off…

    its pretty obvious foursquare has some serious ties with you guys…

    i luv foursuare, but come on… not fair to all the other location based social networks who are also better off and growing faster

  • Brian kroub

    It is not fair for all other LBS companies that dont get coverage. It has almost become in your face kind of coverage.
    You are pawning you entire career on writing about one company. How do you think it looks on your resume? you get an A for being so objective and fair.

  • Brian kroub

    Michael, I think the ramifications go very much beyond fairness. Every reader that I know now seems to think that you guys are engaged in “Write for hire” type of work.
    And no, I dont think he is doing his job. As readers we are owed interesting stories about the industry and trends and new technologies, not about PLAY by PLAY activities about their daily operations. This is Wrong and I am filing a complaint with the SEC.

  • http://www.1142pm.com Tim Duke

    In the picture you can see “Tim Duke is the Mayor”

    It’s interesting that I’m still Mayor of the Miracle Mile Shops because I haven’t been to Vegas since December. Though I think when I’m finally ousted I’ll get a little notification email announcing it.

  • Scott Johnson

    Feels like a nice feature of existing social nets to me more than a stand-alone company.

  • http://seankellyblogs.com/?p=18 Internet Marketing for Baby Boomers/Introduction – A Baby Boomer's Journey Toward Internet Marketing with Sean K Kelly

    [...] Foursquare, Baby, Foursquare. [...]

  • http://solvrs.com/?p=384 Baby Bedding as the Basis for Your Nursery Decor | Solvrs.com

    [...] Foursquare, Baby, Foursquare. [...]

  • http://x.leesum.com/2010/03/59.htm Foursquare的商业价值 « 博启网

    [...] 在上面这张图里你看到了什么?是的,这是位于拉斯维加斯闹市的购物中心Miracle Mile Shops,上面的大屏幕是在Foursquare中Checkin这个地方最多的用户、用户们在 Foursquare上对这个购物中心的点评。这个大屏幕的效果不言而喻,Foursquare的用户为了出现在这个大屏幕上,会不断地光顾商场来 Checkin;而光顾商场的人们,也知道可以通过Foursquare让自己出现在这个大屏幕上。 [...]

  • http://sixx.se/nextgen/2010/03/08/kommenterat-av-stenbeck-10-03-07/ Kommenterat av Stenbeck – 10-03-07 — Next Generation Internet

    [...] Foursquare, Baby, Foursquare. [...]

  • http://blogpuntocero.com/?p=30 Foursquare: El mundo como un tablero : Blog Punto Cero

    [...] Desde entonces el interés por esta aplicación no ha parado de aumentar. Foursquare cuenta con 450.000 usuarios, y cada vez son más los negocios que participan activamente en su sistema de puntos y recompensas. La empresa ha conseguido varias menciones importantes en prensa y ha aparecido en anuncios de televisión y vallas de publicidad interactiva. [...]

  • http://www.microblogging.it/2010/03/il-punto-sul-microblogging-27-03-10/ Il punto sul microblogging – 27.03.10 – Microblogging.it

    [...] [credits] [...]

  • http://imfloralau.com/?p=75 Flora Lau blog – Stay Hungary Stay Foolish

    [...] Hey baby,那是Foursqaure!TechCrunch如此讚嘆道。(圖片來源:Flickr) [...]

  • http://www.damndigital.com/archives/8010 从崭露头角的foursqure,看移动社群 | DamnDigital | 互动中国

    [...] Hey baby,那是Foursqaure!TechCrunch如此赞叹道。(图片来源:Flickr) [...]

  • http://bakg.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/a-%ea%b7%b8%eb%a3%b9-%ec%84%b8%eb%af%b8%eb%82%98-%ed%9b%84%ea%b8%b0-mobile-technology-and-trends/ A 그룹 세미나 후기: Mobile Technology and Trends « Bay Area K Group

    [...] 현재 사용자 수: 450,000 (Mar 2, 2010) (http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/02/foursquare-vegas/) [...]

  • http://bakg.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/mobile-technology/ A & B 그룹 세미나 후기: Mobile Technology and Trends « Bay Area K Group

    [...] 현재 사용자 수: 450,000 (Mar 2, 2010) (http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/02/foursquare-vegas/) [...]

  • http://sungmooncho.com/2010/04/09/mobile-technology-and-trend/ Mobile Technology and Trends « Sungmoon's Blog

    [...] 현재 사용자 수: 450,000 (Mar 2, 2010) (http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/02/foursquare-vegas/) [...]

  • http://www.phelaninteract.com/2010/04/foursquare-gaining-pop-up-video-momentum-from-vh1/ Foursquare gaining momentum from VH1  | Phelan Interact

    [...] their growth. Not only are the History Channel, Bravo, and VH1 promoting them, but even hotels in Vegas are as [...]

  • http://hanmiventure.com/2010/04/30/mobile-technology-and-trends-and-trends/ Mobile Technology and Trends and Trends | hanmiventure.com

    [...] 현재 사용자 수: 450,000 (Mar 2, 2010) (http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/02/foursquare-vegas/) [...]

  • http://18kgoldchain.net/ 18k gold chain

    Seems like nice app but how far it'll go, time will tell.

  • http://www.changingstation.net changing station

    Great job. Good article I must say.

blog comments powered by Disqus
Advertisement
Got a tip? Building a startup? Tell us