By: Mike Boland

Mike Boland — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 06:28:17 +0000

Thanks for the comments Mary and sorry for the delayed reaction. Very good points. I think like we saw in online marketing of various formats, some of these mobile marketing tools will eventually move down market. That’s where the real opportunity will lie!

By: Mary McKnight

Mary McKnight — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:51:25 +0000

Very salient point that Facebook Places brings the idea of checkin to 500 million people. And while I don’t think that Facebook’s Places will kill either Foursquare or Gowalla, each will have to find ways to leverage an ad network that will survive against Facebook’s existing ad network comprised of both big multi location brands and small local brands. Foursquare and Gowalla have been smart to target large franchised brands like Gap and American Eagle first because there is where they can prove the model results in traffic and sales. Those brands also have huge ad and PR budgets to promote their events. Just look at the deal American Eagle struck with Foursquare, a towering billboard in Times Square promoting Foursquare checkin! And while I love that big brands are embracing the idea of monetizing checkin, when it comes to local, you need to also monetize the small business market. I’m really interested in how FS and GW will position themselves to smaller businesses with lesser known, more local brands that do not have large ad budgets to support a campaign.

Comments on: Innovation Amid Commoditization: A Conversation With Gowalla

By: Mike Boland

By: Mary McKnight