While I was in Kuala Lumpur a few weeks ago, I had wifi connection and thought I’d fire up Foursquare and check in. I was slightly surprised to see the Specials yellow icon show up with 15 Specials in my area, though I checked it out as I usually do, out of curiosity for how location owners are promoting their services via Foursquare.
I have no idea how many people use Foursquare in Malaysia, I’m guessing not that many, and the amount of people using a phone with a Foursquare application (Android or iPhone – even though, yes I know one can use Foursquare via any old phone, but that requires more commitment than I suspect the average user has). The interesting thing is that’s it was the first time I see pretty luxury brands / companies advertising on Foursquare.
In London I’d see either chains of eateries (Domino’s, Pho, Pret, etc) or independent small businesses (local pub or sandwich shop). In Kuala Lumpur, it’s the Sheraton. I may have missed the fact that Sheraton has signed some sort of deal to advertise on Foursquare worldwide, though I thought it’s an interesting point. What kind of advertisers to do see Foursquare Specials from in your area?
