Just like that, without even a conscious thought about it, I stopped checking in.
Days later, I was sitting in my truck in the parking lot of the train station, waiting for the 6:08 a.m. train to pull in. I am the mayor of this particular station, thanks to my having diligently "checked in" there several times over the last several months.
I should point out that I'm also the mayor of my office, my own house, the two places in New York City where I most often buy lunch and, most importantly, the only bar in my neighborhood that's worth going to -- Butcher Boy Bar & Grill. At one point, I was mayor of my local Home Depot, and I'm sure it wouldn't be terribly difficult to become the mayor of my local drycleaner, or the auto parts store, or any of the other lame-o places I tend to visit.
If Foursquare had debuted when I was 25, and still living in Manhattan instead of out in the 'burbs, and still going out to bars on a regular basis, maybe I'd still be using it. Being the mayor of Red Rock West, Brother Jimmy's, or any of the bars I used to frequent might confer some bragging rights, and thus convey some value. But now that I'm older and somewhat lamer, bragging rights don't count for much. No one cares if I'm in contention for the mayorship of the Radio Shack around the corner, or if I earned a "crunked" badge for visiting four places in one night. (I feel lame for having earned said badge by visiting too many home improvement stores in a short period of time.)
I don't want to get down on myself too much. I did, after all, see this coming. I saw in Foursquare what many have seen in things like Farmville. The notion of jumping through a series of low-effort hoops for a series of tiny digital rewards is tremendously addicting. It's what made several video games like Diablo II wildly successful. I predict Foursquare will continue to grow, especially among the urban 21-29 set.
What would really set Foursquare ablaze, though, would be if the venues would get on board. If I owned a bar right now, I'd let my Foursquare mayor drink unlimited free drafts during his term as mayor. That would pack the place with contenders pretty consistently, and the promo would get better as Foursquare grew in popularity.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm now older and lamer, with my fraternity-style drinking days behind me. I want some tangible benefit from Foursquare. When I check in at Home Depot, I want 10 percent off power tools. Become the mayor? I want a $100 gift card.
Without the incentive, Foursquare becomes just another "tap the button, get a food pellet" game. While those types of things can be addictive and fun, they get tiresome after a while. If Foursquare wants to get in it for the long haul, it should be sending ambassadors to different venues in New York and other cities where the app has gained traction. Sell venues turn-key promotions and coupons. Then this whole thing gets really compelling.
It's not even that difficult a sales proposition. I was explaining it to Tracy, the bartender at Butcher Boy Bar & Grill. "Whoever 'checks in' here the most becomes the mayor. If people want to be the mayor, they have to come here to do that. Incentivize your mayor with drink specials and you've got something that drives traffic to the bar."
I think she got it.
That beeping you hear off in the distance is the dump truck of money that is preparing to back up into Foursquare's driveway. I hope they use some of that money to put some feet on the ground to sell some promotions.
Tom Hespos is the chairman and president of Underscore Marketing and blogs at Hespos.com.
On Twitter? Follow Tom at @THespos1 or @_MarketingLLC. Follow iMedia Connection at @iMediaTweet.
