"Hold on, I have to check into Foursquare." That is not a phrase you hear very often from your friends anymore. Gone are the days of check-in deals, swarm badges and knowing where each of your friends is at 11p.m. on a Tuesday.
After making a splash in the world of social media in 2009 (The Guardian called it 'the coolest social networking tool in the world'), Foursquare seemed here to stay, with over 4 billion check-ins, 35 million users, and high-profile partnerships with brands such as American Express. Then, all of a sudden, people just stopped using Foursquare. So what happened?
There are many theories. Some say it was the abrupt departure of co-founder Naveen Selvadurai. Some say people just don't like-and have never liked-their contacts knowing where they are at all times. No matter the cause, one thing is true: Foursquare is not the power-player it once was.
If you were an avid Foursquare-er, you knew change was coming. Every time you "checked in," a pop-up alerted you that a new app, Swarm, would be taking over the check-in portion of Foursquare. (The Swarm app itself has been available for manual download since May 2014.) Don't worry, you were told, your past check-ins, friends and photos will automatically be available in Swarm. Users also received an email reiterating the change and detailing plans for the future Foursquare.
The discussion every marketer and advertiser has been having since Foursquare's reboot is whether it is of any value anymore. Back in 2009, when the social media landscape wasn't so cluttered, Foursquare's concept had great potential. With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and countless other apps offering a check-in feature, and emerging apps like Pinterest, Yo!, Snapchat, Vine and Hyperlapse vying for our attention, is it too late for Foursquare? What is the social network trying to achieve here?
I'm a moderate Foursquare user. And if you're like me and just clicked through the pop-up messages, you didn't pay much attention to what the new Swarm update was all about. I found out pretty quickly when it was downloaded to my iPhone during a routine app update. To my surprise, I opened my phone one day and not one but two new apps appeared-one local, one global.
Swarm vs. Foursquare: A Tale Of Two Apps
Swarm
The old checking-in function of Foursquare
"The fastest way to meet up with your friends."
- Allows you to tag friends and add emoticons, update statuses
- Chockfull of interesting facts about places around you, that pop up whether you want them to or not
- Allows you to preview places
- Runs faster than the previous version of Foursquare
Foursquare
New and Improved
Captures information about your location to help you make decisions on places you'd like to try.
- "Personalized local search" analyzes your past check-ins and history and continues to build recommendations for the user...Yelp? Did you get a makeover?
Has Foursquare Seen The Last Of Its Glory Days?
Foursquare suddenly reemerged on the pages of Fast Company, Mashable and more; but what will become of CEO Dennis Crowley and his once hungrily sought-after social app?
It's no secret Foursquare is struggling to carve out a successful niche to hold on to its relevance in an industry in which it once flourished. Back in 2009, when it launched, was the perfect time to capitalize on its success and keep the momentum going. But will a re-branding effort that includes the debut of a new logo and color scheme and the launch of two new apps give it the comeback it so desires? It can get there.
To be a competitive player, it needs a solid strategy. In its early days, it was the poster child for how quickly you can rise to the top with a unique idea. However, without a diverse strategy in place, it also became a prime example of how quickly things can fall apart, illustrating the importance of having ongoing innovation anchor all core efforts.
Today, you need to grab and keep your audience's attention within mere seconds of them seeing your content. We are so ADD, we often watch TV, browse Facebook and Twitter on our computers, and text and Snapchat our friends, all at the same time. We now have more power than ever-brands are at the mercy of our wants and needs. We need to be convinced that we have a need for something, a desire we didn't even know we had. In order to have any success now, let alone in the future, Foursquare needs to use big data to figure out how to uniquely address our wants and needs, something that's constantly evolving with each innovation that hits the market.
With Foursquare 2.0, what the app really wants now is a piece of the big data industry. The network is less worried now about providing value to you and more concerned with culling as much data about you as possible: what you like to eat, where you like to hang out for happy hour, where you like to buy your shampoo. Its goal is to hit it out of the park later with personalized recommendations. Is this angle strong enough for Foursquare to succeed? There are a few things to consider.
Brand Partnerships
Back in the day, Foursquare had a black book of partners to really be envious of. Are there any new partnerships in the works and how can it best capitalize on them in the market?
CEO Crawley reported a 600% increase in revenue for 2013, and similar numbers for the first quarter of 2014. Foursquare signed a deal with new investor Microsoft to be featured on Windows and Windows Mobile services. With the $15 million licensing deal from Microsoft, Foursquare is used as the default location device on Windows and on each Windows phone.
A More Influential, Tech Savvy Audience
And a new study says that in the past year, Foursquare enjoyed the largest increase in adoption in the social media space-a whopping 42%, beating out Pinterest (27%) and Instagram (12%). Those adoptees include 254 Fortune 500 companies. Could this mean businesses are the earliest adopters of the new Foursquare?
Don't pour the champagne just yet-Foursquare ranked 457th in the overall app category, and 51st in the social networking category as of March 2014.
When people find out I still use Foursquare, I get teased. Foursquare has to make itself cool again. And good, clever marketing can sway me. Where is that?
Now that Swarm has assumed responsibility for Foursquare's claim to fame-the checking-in function-are there other niche areas it can focus on that other social media networks haven't?
Maybe the tips and suggestions based on your GPS location that appear on your mobile phone could create more opportunities for brand awareness and even profit. Perhaps a local wine bar just received a new case of bold reds and is holding a "secret wine tasting" for Foursquare users? Secret menus at your favorite sandwich shop? Would this specialized targeting call for an entirely different audience?
Time will tell.