• by February 15, 2001

By Adam Bernard

Anyone who’s ever been to a sporting event knows that their ticket is good for two things: it gives you a place to sit in the stadium, and there’s a coupon on the back. Most of the time, that coupon is a discount offer at a store or a restaurant. That’s about to change.

Enter ZebraPass, a DC-based wireless ticketing and mobile commerce company. ZebraPass has developed an electronic ticketing system that also makes for an “infinite back-of-ticket ad,” according to CEO Richard Tworek.

ZebraPass’ first client - the Richmond Braves - are on deck to try out this new concept of offering mobile tickets and fan rewards directly from their website in the upcoming baseball season. The Braves open their 2001 home schedule on April 12, at which time ZebraPass will begin a trial program. With ZebraPass, an R-Braves’ fan purchases a ticket directly from www.rbraves.com and then picks up the "perpetual ticket," the DiamondPass, at Will Call. At game time, the fan flashes the DiamondPass at a ZebraPass gate where a souvenir ticket with seating information is printed.

What makes this concept interesting for advertisers is that the back of the ticket is no longer limited to the space on the paper rectangle. If an advertiser is associated with a ZebraPass team, the DiamondPass holder can take his card to any merchant that has a Z-Pad, and the pad will print a custom coupon for that holder.

Through this program, advertisers can track which customers are swiping their DiamondPass at which locations and customize coupons depending on the data.

- Adam Bernard may be reached at AdamBernard@mediapost.com