At least it will when they roll it out in the UK.  US only for now

Basically there are now two versions:

1) Check-in deals – aka the “old” kind – these are mobile centric and operate like regular coupons – ask for it, get it, numbers can be capped.

2) Social deals are just like Groupon/LivingSocial – these have to be pre-purchased and not based on being in a certain place at a certain time (unless your appointment says so!). The difference is that you can (not forced to) pay for these via Facebook credits.  If you do that’s 30% to Facebook straight away. Smart Facebook. Look out for more credit plays from them – this is a huge part of their future.  This is a big deal as virtual currency can now mean real-world benefit in a scaleable way.
Key point of differentiation – there are no %s with these deals ala Groupon and pals – it’s more about social experiences (natch… this is social remember!). [Screenshots]

Some other interesting bits/bobs:
You can like Deals without buying them.
You can privately select friends to – this is being seen a lot more in their products – a key way of reducing spam/noisy behaviour.
Deals will come through the newsfeed as well as email and ads.
There will be no caps on how many times a deal can be bought – this is a big differentiator from other services.

Examples:

1) 20% of a Mazda by checking-in to a dealership = Check-in deal
2) VIP access to a concert in Los Angeles with the Rolling Stones = Social deal

More info here.

Related articles:

• Facebook Deals Unveiled, Goes Head-on with Groupon (hubspot.com)
• Facebook Deals To Launch Tuesday, Taking On Groupon, LivingSocial (blogs.forbes.com)
• Facebook “Social Deals” Are Indeed ‘Social’. Don’t Expect Typical Groupon Deals (techpluto.com)
• Facebook vs. Groupon and LivingSocial – You Win! (bradsdeals.com)
• Facebook Deals to launch in five cities tomorrow (intomobile.com)

After the somewhat anti-lovefest social media received from Max Clifford I was interested to find out what other big names in the industry really thought of social media and how they use it personally and professionally.  Do they practice what they preach? I grabbed a few minutes with Mark Borkowski of Wispa fame and shot the proverbial with him.  He’s almost the exact opposite of Mr Clifford.  Borkowski talks about the hardships of doing business today than say twenty years ago along with the changes in technology and how he sees PR evolving in the future.  Interesting chap.  Read the rest of this entry »

Nothing like returning from a trip to give you back some perspective of how fast things change in the social media landscape and how far we’ve come.  I’m seeing a real groundswell of activity in the CRM, CMS and general management tools available to brands and agencies.  It’s making me happy. We’re getting the tools the…um…tools deserve. No-one has cracked it yet (in my opinion) but look back a year ago and then look at today and you’ve got a recipe for evolution baking.  Tweaks to Objective Marketer (and Meltwater too, Echo’s real-time comments, Zendesk, Involvers’ Amp, Facebook/Outlook integration (yoikes – updated your SMP yet?) and Bearhug are but a few of the recent growth spurts giving me cause to smile.

Leave a comment about what’s impressing you right now.

It’s no secret that BP is having a smidge of a crisis right now. It’s an unprecedented ecological disaster being compounded by somewhat old school thinking but moreso sad economic times and frustration.  But I think for all the roundups, pov pieces etc the world (and BP) seems to be missing the point.  Saying sorry isn’t enough in this social media/web 2.0 world.   Read the rest of this entry »

You can’t deny either ladies’ history of controversy or use of the internet to push their projects but recently I’m seeing a much smarter use of social media from the pair (and the music labels in general).  Rather than protect and takedown it’s tease and release.  From multiple image and video teases, specific site breadcrumb postings, how-to, behind-the-scenes, reaction video batting-ness etc the game is being upped and I like it.  I like it not only because it uses the network loops and viral nature of controversial material but it uses the fans to juice the platforms not the other way around.  It’s creating a richer experience for all concerned – a story, a journey.  Would this work with every video out there?

Read the rest of this entry »