Hip to be Square

We’ve seen from Chatroulette how a simple digital concept can adopt a life of its own. (Who knew that an online chat tool could become the hottest party game since Guitar Hero?) In the case of Foursquare, the check-in service is evolving into more than just a location-based social networking game, as businesses, marketers and consumers alike are exploring new ways to use the service. In honor of the quickly approaching Foursquare Day conceived by one exceptionally passionate Floridian, we feel the time is ripe to highlight a few of them that are, without a doubt, more constructive than just showing off how many times a week you go to the gym.

College Campus Graffiti: While colleges like Harvard and UNC Charlotte are attempting to use Foursquare as digital tour guides – hopefully that doesn’t mean those backwards-walking admissions gurus will become obsolete – some students are conceiving their own uses for the service. Unofficially tagging college campuses with virtual data, students are using it to generate their own “underground” campus guides that include everything from the inside scoop on professors to dorm gossip that may or may not include I Just Made Love-worthy info. Excluding the latter example, we think virtual graffiti may bestow more useful knowledge than a class like The Art of Walking 101 ever could.

Bing Maps: Microsoft recently announced plans to integrate Foursquare into its Bing Maps function. Layering real time data over Bing Maps, Foursquare will provide an interactive way to explore areas based on the suggestions of locals. Fortunately for those concerned with privacy issues, users’ real-time locations will be omitted and only quick tips will be visible on maps. Similar to how the most popular articles on Digg rise to the top, the Bing Maps service will rank tips based on Foursquare user reputations, with those who have unlocked certain badges gaining celebrity status within the service. For those of us who are directionally challenged, we hope that the next time we’re hopelessly lost, we’ll discover that someone was kind enough to tag “the best comfort food in the world” around the corner from wherever we’re stranded.

Starbucks Rewards: The coffee retailer is one of many marketers hoping to engender customer loyalty by using Foursquare. Currently with every check-in at a Starbucks location, patrons are one step closer to unlocking their very own Starbucks Barista badge. While you might only earn bragging rights and the title of “mayor” for spending abhorrent amounts of money on your coffee fix now, Starbucks is experimenting with a rewards program that offers devoted customers prizes like invites to special events. That might just motivate us to put down the Le Whif and start buying daily lattes again. * References to products and services in trendcentral do not imply our endorsement, but rather are intended to provide objective insights into emerging trends and examples of those trends. trendcentral is published by The Intelligence Group, a trend research and consumer insights company focusing on youth culture. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated Cassandra Report studies, please contact Noelle Weaver at 212-277-5244 or via email at nweaver@intelg.com.