The Offer: T.G.I Friday’s, in a partnership with digital cash and incentive company CashStar, allows users to send their Facebook friends a beer in the form of an ?e-gift card, turning virtual goods into real goods.??
The Data: T.G.I. Friday’s “Buy Your Friend a Beer” Facebook page is separate from the brand page, but still had more than 13,000 monthly users by the beginning ?of September, each of whom must pay $5 per virtual beer. The app collects contact, credit card and billing information from the buyer, and the recipient gets a ?blast on his or her Facebook wall and news feed.?
The Channel: The offer is promoted prominently on the restaurant chain’s website homepage, which links directly to a Facebook page featuring the campaign. When a user hits the “Like” button, he or she is able to buy five beers for any Facebook friend who is of legal age to drink alcohol. The “Buy Your Friend a Beer” offer ties in well with T.G.I. Friday’s existing Facebook-centric “Better with Brew” campaign.?
The Creative: Users are prompted to “Click ‘Like’ to saddle up to the bar,” making buying a beer for a friend a “real” experience in a virtual landscape. Bright images of frosty beers lure users in, and buying a beer results in a post on the user’s Facebook wall. ?
Verdict:
Steve Kerho is SVP of strategy, analytics, media and marketing optimization at Organic. He was previously the director of interactive marketing and media for Nissan North America. Kerho is based in San Francisco.
A novel concept for a campaign that translates social gifting into a real-world experience. Yet, I’m not sure many people will be comfortable entering their credit card information into a Facebook application. ?
