• Tech Crunch, Monday, April 11, 2011 11:48 AM

A 7-month-old mobile ad startup named Kiip is pioneering what TechCrunch calls "an entirely new model for in-game advertising, one that offers users value instead of fighting an uphill battle for their attention." Kiip (pronounced Keep) sees the moments when players experience in-game achievements -- like advancing to a new level, completing a challenge or amassing a certain number of points -- as the ripest for user engagement.

Unlike Tap.me, however, Kiip doesn't just show an ad when those moments are achieved, TechCrunch explains. Rather, Kiip has partnered with big brands like Vitamin Water, Dr. Pepper, and GNC to offer players actual real-world rewards like product vouchers. "Achievements are the universal currency for accomplishment and every game in the world has achievments," 19-year-old Kiip co-founder Brian Wong tells TechCrunch. "The achievement itself isn't the cool thing, it's the moment."

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