Patty Rappa, the founder of LA's Premier Fashion, Food and Lifestyle Vlog turned social game, Skwikee (Sk-wik-ee), developed this unprecedented concept shortly after moving to the Los Angeles area last year. She says she wanted to share and document her adventures of living and working in tinsel town after getting signed by an agency to do commercials for the Latino market. Rappa started by creating a blog, but thought that reading about her adventures would simply not be as captivating for her followers as the opportunity to vicariously experience her journey alongside her with a vlog. To make things even more entertaining, Rappa decided to turn the whole thing into a social game that ties directly into Facebook.
As a Business 2.0 consultant with more than 14 years in e-business and strategic marketing experience, Rappa then quickly recognized the opportunity to feature brands on her vlog that were unique to LA, and thought, "What woman wouldn't want access to the things and people celebs love out here." She also decided to use this idea to test vlog based social games for the purpose of business development and social commerce opportunities. To keep it simple and close to home, she chose to target middle class women between the ages of 35-55.
Rappa says Skwikee's viral market sustainability is fueled by the power of recommendation through all the major social sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube). As the first of its kind, Skwikee's utilizes the advertainment (Advertising as Online Gaming Entertainment) website to provide a platform for players to participate in the product story on an informal, social level; it can be through anything from video-based scavenger hunts, solving mysteries to even co-creating story endings. As the level of expertise grows, the player collects various badges, leveling designations, and points that are good for virtual products and events awarded by the advertiser.
Rappa touts that the creative development interface of the Skwikee advertainment offers vloggers the tools to take an advertiser's video based message to a brand new level of brand interaction with the fashion jackets online playing audience." She says vloggers check the Skwikee Que regularly, to find out the latest project requests posted by the advertiser or business community. Vloggers then log into a password protected area to understand the objective of the advertiser, for example:
- Clothing Boutique - Launching of a new product line
- Restaurant – Sharing a new recipe or announcing a new menu
- Design Firm – Sharing interior design ideas
- Hotel – Advertising an upcoming event
- Radio Station – Advertising a listener contest
Why Advertisers Need It:
Moreover, Rappa believes this new social commerce will give companies a powerful new tool to help them connect with their target audiences being that it has become increasingly difficult to gain the attention of customers using interruption or push marketing. And during these challenging economic times for small to medium sized businesses, she says that reports show that audience created advertising messages, containing entertainment value, are one of the most viral cost effective ways to get a message out quickly and effectively. "This new social commerce opens up the landscape for invaluable brand interactions for businesses with their vlogger's audience by inviting them to participate as social game developers, while encompassing their brand," she declared.
Rappa says Skwikee also gives advertisers a way to "test camp" their message by utilizing the overwhelming popularity of amateur video in a way that makes its products the center of attention.
For any public relations inquires, please contact Jodi Unruh at (541) 954-1667 or jodi(at)jodiunruh(dot)com.
http://www.skwikee.com
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