Guinness has launched a new mobile app based around offering rewards to customers derived from a variety of social media metrics. The app was launched yesterday by Irish rugby international Rob Kearney and the first three major rewards are all based around ‘memorable experiences’ connected to the Guinness series of international matches over the coming weeks.
The app itself is downloadable from the iTunes and Google play store. The first of the rewards, which will be a surprise, will be redeemed by all users that have ‘checked in’ to their local pub by Saturday November 9th, but only if Ireland beet Samoa in the match itself.
The second will require a similar action on the part of the user and the reward will be to attend the Ireland All Blacks match at the Aviva Stadium with three friends and present the Man of the Match Award.
The third, in advance of that game will be for a chance to win the opportunity of meeting a rugby legend in your local pub, again with three friends, and chat about the Guinness Series matches and all other rugby matters.
There are free pint redemption codes for users as well and the whole package is neatly designed for a specific niche market that is the reason for the sponsorship in the first place.
The role of international matches in attracting overseas visitors will be a key element at the Sport for Business Sports Tourism Seminar in Dublin on November 7th. To find out more and book one of the few remaining places, click here.
The rapid penetration of smartphone usage in Ireland makes a play like this suitable for the mass market, and a key benefit is how easily it can be spoken about and shared among friends.
There is an ability to let friends know where you are which requires access to your contacts. This may prove a hurdle for some who would not be sure how those contacts might be used, but the vast majority of the key young male target audience are generally free of those inhibitions and willing to share so they can hook up with friends more easily.
From a marketing point of view the app is a good mix of small frequent benefits such as the pint redemption, albeit only Monday to Thursday, together with the ‘money can’t buy’ experience that the brand can access and deliver through its relationship with the sport at international level.
Heineken’s activation around the Heineken Cup has been muted so far this season with clear uncertainty around the future of the event and whether they will be involved from next season. Elsewhere today we write about that brand’s extension of support for the UEFA Champions’ League but for the next month at least the main brand association is going to be with Guinness.
The brand has chosen to focus on the international side of the sport and has close associations with the English and Scottish Rugby Unions as well as the IRFU, all of which roll through to beyond the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
“Guinness is a proud sponsor of Irish rugby and the Guinness Series,” said Guinness Senior Brand Manager Christopher Wooff. “The 2013 Series promises to be one of the most exciting yet with Samoa’s exciting flair rugby, our first match against the Wallabies since our win in 2011, and a final match against the World Champions, New Zealand.”
“The Guinness Plus App is a new way for us to reward pub goers around the country and the Guinness Series experiences we have announced will enhance rugby fans’ pubs visits during the tournament and bring them closer to the action.”
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