Johannesburg - A social media game called Gotcha has been launched in SA by Vodacom and Primedia Broadcasting.
It will allow listeners in Johannesburg (94.7 FM) and Cape Town (94.5 FM) to chase down a virtual wallet, called Smart Money, in an attempt to win their share of R700 000 split between the two cities.
By downloading the Gotcha! app, the companies say in a press release, players may track the virtual wallet and take possession when they get within 100 metres of it. The player holding the wallet at the right time trades in the virtual wallet for real cash.
“Our increasing listenership is that of techno savvy and digitally advanced individuals and we are excited to be at the forefront of interaction with them,” said Ravi Naidoo, station manager at 94.7 Highveld Stereo.
The name of the game is to be as creative as possible in evading other players and hanging on to the wallet for as long as possible. Presenters at 94.7 Highveld Stereo and 94.5 KFM will keep listeners up to date over the air waves, interacting with players in real time.
“The pace of technological development in SA is moving so fast that we sometimes miss important milestones,” said Enzo Scarcella, marketing executive at Vodacom.
“The Gotcha competition speaks volumes about the level of smartphone adoption in the country, the sophistication of our mobile networks, and how readily we’ve embraced social media. More important, it’s the first concrete example of how technology is changing the way South Africans interact with traditional mass media.”
Scarcella said there were almost five million smartphones on Vodacom’s SA network, and the number was growing at more than 40 percent a year.
“Gotcha! is a great test case to see whether SA has passed the tipping point in smartphone adoption, whereby brands change from broadcasting to consumers to interacting with them one-to-one.”
Gotcha! SA is available for download from the Vodacom Apps store and Apple, BlackBerry and Android app stores, to listeners who have access to an Android, BlackBerry or Apple smartphone. The game begins on August 13 and runs until September 8. - The Star