Trying to explain the thrill of creating a new technology, startup, user experience or integrated marketing tactic is hard to do with just words. But that excitement is ramped up tenfold when you're creating something that affects the real world. Such is the case with the new patent-pending technology that is being released by Starmark. This is the integrated advertising agency that I call home. Here I get to play with some of the most amazingly talented individuals that I've ever had the pleasure to battle for the best ideas. However,  when we were challenged to construct the technology that would reward people in the real world, it was a new level. 

Enter stage left: FANWI.SE

The beauty of FanWise is in its simplicity. We, the consumers of the world, approach a vending machine, arcade game, parking meter, ticket machine, snack machine…. you name it…. and we reluctantly dump what little cash we have into it to receive our “reward.” First of all, I don't know about you but do you really carry cash anymore? I know the last time I had a pocketful of cash I felt like I should either be in route to a strip joint or I was playing a minor role and gangsta rap video. Spittin' fire SON! That being said, when FanWise is integrated into a machine, it allows you to recite a posted “social mention” and you are immediately rewarded with a credit for goods from that machine – BOOM!

Did you see just what happened here? That's right, there are endless brands out there that want you to talk about them. So why shouldn't you be rewarded for your social influence? You should be. The new social economy is skyrocketing, every last one of us can smell advertising coming from 10,000 miles away. What matters now is trust, authenticity, engagement and tapping into one's social Rolodex. 

Arguably, you could say “well isn't this a false social comment, given that I'm being told what to say?” I can most definitely see your point in this regard. However, you are engaging in a brand that you want a transaction with. Therefore brand loyalty has already been instilled in you. 99.9% of the media that is pushed against you are not your words. So, getting a discount for a product you already want by tapping your social connections seems like a fair exchange. And think about it this way, how many online contests, sweepstakes, registrations have you knowingly entered giving away far more profiling data with an infinitesimal fractionalized odds of winning that product? At least in this case FanWise, you actually get rewarded in real time.

For marketers, FanWise is an incredible opportunity to tap into a pre-existing user base. By leveraging the brand equity that you already have in your products and services, you're simply asking to be reciprocated by the consumer that is pre-existing. By utilizing the technology you have online, you have administrative access to assigning how many times the reward can be sent to a single user. As well as the ability to change, randomize and optimize the social mention you wish the user to distribute.

Of course we all have Masters. And understanding this we have also implemented an analytics tool that will allow you to see the users that have distributed a social mention in order to obtain a reward. And for those of us who do complex integrated marketing campaigns, FanWise offers us a unique opportunity to customize what the technology goes into. We're not bound by the nature of the product, in fact the reverse is true. We have as many options as you have vending-based machines. We have had countless concept meetings as it pertains to what FanWise could be utilized in –the possibilities seem limitless. Therefore the technology allows you full control of where you place it. Pretty damn cool in my opinion.

So the next time you're having a tradeshow and you'd like a spike in social, think FanWise is a possible avenue for the conversation. Have a high traffic area in your hotel, showroom, restaurant and on and on and on. I think I see the gears turning. Give us a shout at FanWise and be involved in the beta test rollout of this exciting new social conduit.

I would love to hear your thoughts! You're all about to be the first to know. Now you can squirrel that away like a nut for winter or you can tell your friends, fans and followers to keep an eye out for a FanWise integrated solution. Happy hunting!