MyTown is a location-based game from parent company Booyah. The company’s founders have games like World of Warcraft to their credit, so they know gaming.

 

MyTown is the dark horse in location-based services. It receives relatively little press compared to Foursquare or Gowalla. This is partly because it’s not so much a social networking app as a mobile game where real-world places are central to how users play. MyTown isn’t taking on Facebook, nor does it have a direct competitor to generate the tension and drama that feeds the tech press. What MyTown does have is more than 3 million users, each of whom spends an average of 65 minutes per day in the app, according to the company. This translates into 62 million checkins per month, the vast majority of which are in the US because the company only recently expanded to select international markets. And it’s only available for iPhone at the moment.
 
MyTown functions much like the Monopoly board game. Users earn rewards (virtual items) for various activities, such as checking in, and can use them to purchase real-world locations such as a favorite bar or restaurant. When other users check-in to those places, the owner collects virtual rent. And so the game continues on an infinite loop. Because MyTown is primarily a game, it can be played in rural, suburban, and urban environments with the same level of consumer value and fun factor. Unlike social networks, the user experience isn’t dependent on scale or critical mass.

MyTown recently launched a product checkin feature, whereby users can scan product barcodes and earn rewards. This simple engagement mechanism is highly valuable to any CPG company, especially when a coupon or promotion can be attached to the action as part of a campaign.

Successful campaigns have been run by brands such as H&M (retail clothing stores), Pantene shampoo, and the Disney film Sorcerer’s Apprentice. In each case, brands leveraged the ability to targe by time of day, location categories, proximity to certain locations, and certain types of validation.

MyTown does not have an API. Developers cannot build on top of it like Foursquare, Gowalla, or Facebook. It’s also not possible to push one’s MyTown activity to Twitter or Facebook (at this time). Nevertheless, the size of its audience and depth of engagement make it one of the largest and most valuable properties in the LBS space, and it should absolutely be on the radar for any national brand.