When partnering with brands for you location-based network, it’s probably best to choose companies that are ubiquitous. As in, Starbucks ubiquitous. With over 17,000 store locations around the world (including over 11,000 in the U.S. alone), the chain, as everyone knows, is everywhere. So it looks like Brightkite chose wisely.
Brightkite has a new deal with with coffee chain that with give users of the service deals on drinks. They’ve also worked with Starbucks to create branded badges for the first time, moving into the virtual good realm that rivals Foursquare and Gowalla have been exploring for a while. Brightkite says it’s the biggest brand integration they’ve done so far.
So what’s the deal? Brightkite doesn’t want to give away all the details at the risk of ruining some surprises, but one aspect is that if you check-in (or post something like a note or image) at a local Starbucks during “Frappuccino happy hour” (that is, 3 PM to 5 PM until May 16th), you’ll get half-priced Frappuccinos. You’ll also unlock other features and rewards, including Frappuccino badges that you can pin to your profile.
Again, this is nothing new in the world of check-in services, but it shows that different brands are getting more interested in striking deals with many of the players. And why wouldn’t they? All of these different services offer ways to get more customers in stores.
Brightkite says to expect more deals like this in the future.
