electronics

Samsung Pushes Sharing Through Social Game

Samsung mobile/Thr!ve On

People are sharing everything on Facebook: what they're doing, where they're going, what music they're listening to and photos from all these various activities. As the maker of one of the devices (camera phones) that facilitate such sharing, Samsung Mobile has created a new application that promotes even further sharing, while walking the line between social game and social utility.

The game, called "Thr!ve On," is available through Samsung's Facebook page, and is intended to add to the number of things people are already sharing on Facebook (status updates, photos and videos), by compiling all of these updates into a custom-build environment. As users add more items through the application, it builds a profile of colors and images that better defines the users (say, as a sports fan).

"If sharing is a means to self-expression, this Thr!ve space is all about self-expression," Blake Harrop, vice president and group director at agency Digitas, tells Marketing Daily. The program works like a game by awarding people badges based on certain things shared or how much is shared, he says.

The app, developed by Digitas in New York, is intended to enhance Samsung Mobile's commitment to social networking and sharing, Harrop says. As it is used, the company will figure out the things that are important to digitally engaged consumers.

"Rather than just do an ad placement within a social game, we thought there was an opportunity to really be about sharing," Harrop says. "We wanted to do something that was useful and playful."

Given that social gaming is a relatively new space for brands to enter, Samsung has relatively modest expectations for the Thr!ve On game. Ultimately, the agency and company want to see if users download the app and how they react to the game.

"Samsung Mobile is about what you share," Harrop says. "We hope that through engaging with the game, [consumers will] understand more about Samsung Mobile."

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