Social Rewards

High-Level Overview

Social Rewards is a social media-based loyalty marketing platform that enables brands to identify advocates, reward users for social engagement, and enhance CRM data through viral sharing and points systems. It primarily serves hospitality and consumer brands like Planet Hollywood, Bally's, and Las Vegas properties, solving the problem of low social media interaction by incentivizing shares, posts, and photos in exchange for rewards such as gift cards or discounts.[1][2][3][4][7] The company has shown early growth by exceeding funding goals and pivoting its core product to "Selfie With Me," a free green screen photo booth with facial recognition for events, now operating under that name with reported revenue of $5.2 million and under 25 employees in Los Angeles.[1][2]

Origin Story

Social Rewards was founded in 2012 in Torrance, California (later moving to Los Angeles), by digital marketing veterans Joseph Morin and Mike Uesugi. Morin, with experience in search marketing for companies like Boost Search Marketing and new car buying services, and Uesugi brought expertise in online strategies to create a platform blending deals, social media, and metrics.[2][3][4] The idea emerged from recognizing brands' need to track and reward social engagement for loyalty; it gained early traction by launching a viral marketing loyalty program and exceeding funding goals shortly after inception.[1][3]

Core Differentiators

• Rewards for Authentic Engagement: Users earn points for sharing brand content (e.g., tweets, Instagram photos), redeemable for gift cards or discounts across networked brands like Planet Hollywood and Flamingo, with anti-spam limits like three shares per day to ensure quality.[1][4][7]
• Viral Data Capture: Integrates CRM enhancement by identifying advocates; pivoted product "Selfie With Me" uses facial recognition at events for free photo booths, capturing data for retargeting without user cost.[2][7]
• Cross-Brand Points Transfer: Points carry over between partner brands, encouraging sustained promotion without siloed efforts.[7]
• Ease and Metrics Focus: Simple user accounts for brand selection; brands gain trackable insights into engagement, spending patterns, and feedback, outperforming traditional loyalty programs in social contexts.[4][5][6]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Social Rewards rides the rise of social rewards programs amid shifts in consumer behavior driven by social media and mobile tech, where 95% of 18-34-year-olds follow brands online and demand personalized loyalty beyond discounts.[6] Timing aligns with post-2012 social platform booms (e.g., Instagram, Twitter), enabling low-cost viral marketing when traditional CRM struggled with engagement; market forces like millennial expectations for community and feedback favor it over costly point-tracking systems.[1][3][6][7] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering data analytics for fan rewards, inspiring modern gamification tools and event-tech like facial recognition booths, though its pivot reflects adaptation in a competitive field.[2][5][8]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Social Rewards' evolution to "Selfie With Me" positions it for growth in event marketing and AI-driven data capture, potentially expanding beyond hospitality as social commerce surges. Trends like one-click rewards and privacy-focused facial tech will shape it, with influence growing via partnerships if it scales anti-spam and redemption efficiency. Watch for revenue climbs past $5.2M through high-traffic events, tying back to its core strength: turning casual shares into loyal advocates.[2][6][7]