Wine Gets Its Game On: Introducing VinPass
First-ever cross-platform social game is a fun way for wine lovers to share wine reviews, win badges and earn real rewards.
Napa, CA, May 31, 2011 — VinPass, the first cross-platform social game created for wine, brings wine lovers together to win badges and earn rewards by sharing wine reviews. By leveraging existing online and mobile wine communities, VinPass expects to directly reach over 900,000 engaged, socially-savvy wine consumers, with the potential for a viral campaign through social sharing. VinPass makes technology strides as well, becoming the first-ever social game created to be played across multiple web and mobile platforms.
VinPass is the brainchild of VinTank, a digital think tank for the wine industry. “Our goal was to create a fun, engaging way for wineries to connect with people who already love both wine and social media,” says Paul Mabray, Chief Strategy Officer of VinTank. “VinPass helps people learn more about wine while having a great time.”
VinPass’ lead sponsor is Wines of France/French Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, which has sponsored 10 badges representing different regions and wines of France including “Alsace, Great Whites,” “Beaujolais–Cru Master,” “Life Gets Better with Bordeaux,” “Burgundy: 1000 Years of Heritage,” “Champagne: Drinking Stars,” “Southwest: a New Direction for French Wine,” “Languedoc-Rousillon–Yours to Discover,” “The Loire: a River of Wine,” “Provence: the Dry Pink,” and “Rhône Valley Wines: Always Right.”
“We are excited that France will be a pioneer in social gaming for wine,” says Anabell Bassat, managing director of Sopexa USA, a marketing agency dedicated to the promotion of French and European food, wine and lifestyle on the U.S. market. “Wines of France saw this as an innovative, modern and convivial way to reach a broader target of wine drinkers and also help consumers learn more about the many wonderful wine regions of France.”
In addition to Wines of France/French Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, other VinPass sponsors include wine personalities Gary Vaynerchuk, Leslie Sbrocco, Evan Dawson and Joe Roberts (1WineDude) as well as regional associations New York Finger Lakes Region, New York Long Island Region and Vibrant Rioja. Wineries include Brancott Estate, Cornerstone Cellars, Cosentino Winery, Folie à Deux Winery, Girard Winery, Hanzell Vineyards, Hirsch Vineyards, Hospice du Rhône, Jacob’s Creek, Keller Estate, Kendall Jackson, Kenwood Winery, Kuleto Estate Winery, Marita’s Vineyard, Meteor Vineyard, Middle Sister Wines, Rutherford Hill Winery, TwentyFour by Charles Woodson, Vintage Wine Estates, Von Holt Wines and more.
VinPass is easy to play: you just taste wine, write a review on any of the five existing wine sites or apps partnered with VinPass, and unlock badges that show your expertise in everything from Cru Beaujolais to cool-climate Sonoma Pinot Noir. Real rewards that come with earning badges offer consumers tangible value including coupons on e-commerce stores, MP3s, ringtones, event tickets and more. Current partners include mobile wine apps Drync, Hello Vino and iRhone, and wine social networks WineLog.net and Addega.com. Later in 2011, VinPass will launch additional platforms expanding to other wine social networks and mobile applications.
Jason Coleman, co-founder of WineLog.net, was considering implementing a badge system last summer. “By partnering with VinPass, we've ended up with a user badge experience that we couldn't have accomplished on our own,” he explains. “We’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback from our users and we’re excited about it.”
“We are so excited to be launching VinPass in Drync Wine,” says Brad Rosen, Drync’s founder and CEO. “VinPass adds a new dimension of fun to the app for our users, and gives wineries a much more targeted, engaging way to reach customers. Now not only can you access the largest database of wine in the world from your phone, record tasting notes, and share favorites with friends, but you also get rewarded for doing it!”
So it’s “game on” for wine! Cheers!
About VinPass
VinPass was created by VinTank, digital think tank serving the wine industry--providing strategic consulting and business development wherever wine and technology collide.
Website: www.vinpass.com
Twitter: VinPass, #vinpass
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