• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, February 1, 2010

Bravo Media has tapped location-based social network Foursquare for a co-branding initiative, which debuted Monday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The partnership includes virtual Bravo branded "badges," and prizes for Foursquare members who "check-in" via mobile device at various Bravo themed locations.

Bravo is inviting marketers to participate through promotional elements such as partner sweepstakes, which will be tied to users' unlocking various Bravo "badges."

Ellen Stone, Bravo Media's SVP of Marketing, described the deal as "unique and engaging," and "the perfect extension of Bravo's core areas of food, fashion, beauty, design and pop culture."

The deal represents a huge boon for Foursquare, which has quickly established itself as a leader in the white-hot field of location-based social networking.

The Union Square Ventures-backed startup is facing increasing competition from deep-pocketed rivals like local review site Yelp, which recently released its own "check-in" feature. Facebook, meanwhile, is rumored to be working on a feature for its mobile users to "check-in," and "broadcast" their location to friends a la Foursquare.

For Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley, tying up with flashy media brands is one way to fend off rivals.

"Foursquare offers entertainment brands an opportunity to interact with their customers on both a personal and local level," said Crowley. "By extending on-air, this partnership also allows us to reach beyond the tech-early-adopter crowd and introduce an entirely new audience to foursquare."

Bravo will create on-air spots that drive users to "check in" to Foursquare from various locations across the country that have been featured on Bravo series, as well as venues recommended by Bravo talent.

The network will offer a series of branded "badges" specifically designed around series that include "The Real Housewives," "The Millionaire Matchmaker," "Top Chef," "Top Chef Masters" and "Shear Genius."

Viewers can compete to be the "mayor" of Bravo related locations by unlocking badges for a chance to win prizes provided by the network.

The "branded experience" can be accessed at Foursquare.com/Bravo, where users can sign up and "check-in" from the foursquare mobile application on Blackberry, iPhone, Palm Pre and Android, or on Bravo's Guides By Bravo iPhone application.