Have you ever sent someone a virtual gift on Facebook? You know, like a football or rose for Valentines day? If you haven't, you're in the minority. Virtual gifts are immensely popular on the site. Applications exist for users to create their own, there are gifts for sports teams, random holiday's, products - everything.
However there is one problem with them - their virtual. They don't really exist. Practically, their useless.
But now things are starting to change. In November 2008, a new application launched on Facebook called GetThemin. The application, for UK residents only, allows users to send virtual gifts to users than can then be redeemed for the real thing at over 1500 locations across England.
Why is this cool? Because the gifts are for booze - hard liqour, beer, spirits, whatever. Just download the application, select the gift you want to send (and buy it or flip over a voucher) and in less than seconds, your friend has it. They can print off the voucher and walk to their nearest pub or store and down their pint...all from you.
The applications for turning virtual gifts into real products are vast. For one, it's much easier to send through a virtual promotion than print out a card to have street teams hand them out in the street. It's also way harder to lose (think about the number of random promotions that you get as bills or gift cards or whatever that you lose within a day or so).
Smart brands will start to allow consumers to send their virtual products to their friends for real-life benefits. Beer is only the start.
As for North America, it doesn't look like an application like this exists yet. More incentive for the right brand to come in and dominate.
Read more about Get Themin here.
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