Yes I have an obsession with Foursquare. Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Foursquare and to celebrate, they announced an interesting new partnership with Starbucks who will now be offering a barista badge after five check-ins.
The New York Times reports “Starbucks plans to use Foursquare data less for business intelligence and more for getting feedback about what customers like and do not like. Frequent customers will also get rewards and more meaningful prizes, like invitations to special events, photo-sharing or online reputation scores.”
What makes this partnership so interesting is that Starbucks is the first national retailer to partner with and provide a loyalty program on Foursquare. Lots of local/regional bars/restaurants/etc. have tapped into the potential of Foursquare, but the Starbucks partnership really seems to legitimize the opportunity for big brands to connect with their fans on Foursquare.
Both Mashable and The New York Times have provided nice coverage of this announcement.
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