Online Achievements…Real World Rewards

As media becomes increasingly fragmented and consumers gain more and more control over their advertising consumption, brands and retailers are faced with escalating challenges in having their marketng noticed by potential customers. This is especially true of mobile advertising, where the small screen may not lend itself well to arresting the consumer’s attention for a prolonged period.

One company has developed what it sees as a potential “game-changing” solution to this problem.

Kiip (pronounced keep) is an app that allows brands to provide rewards to consumer’s within the context of the online games they play (and statistics show we’re playing a lot of games). The platform focusses on rewarding gamers at what co-founder Brian Wong calls, the “achievement moment” – precise instant that the user is happy and receptive to receiving a reward for what they’ve accomplished within the game. This might be a high score, a new level or some other milestone.

For example, let’s say you’re running using the Nike + app and you beat your best time. Through Kiip, Nike can now send the runner a coupon for 50 percent off a new pair of running shoes. The contextual relevance of the reward makes it tremendously sticky and interesting to the user.  In other words, the ads not only get noticed but consumed.

Kiip appears to be extremely well funded and supported and is rapidly gathering rewards partners and game development companies. I expect that Kiip represents the tip of the iceberg, in what will be an ongoing blurring of online experiences and real-world commerce.