Last summer we wrote about a Facebook application that lets users of the popular social network send real flowers to their virtual friends, and now The Light Agency has expanded on that idea with a Mars-branded widget that makes it possible to send real candy.
Launched on Valentine's Day, Celebrate allows UK users of Facebook to choose from a range of Mars confectionery gifts from the Celebrate Sweet Shop online. To send one, they simply select a friend, add a message and pay for the gift via tokens on their PayPal account. A message is sent to the gift recipient requesting their mobile number, and a unique Celebrate Voucher ID and gift details are then sent to them via SMS text. To collect the gift, the recipient just visits one of more than 12,500 participating PayPoint retailers and shows the Celebrate Voucher ID.
As the lines dividing the real and virtual worlds continue to blur, consumers will increasingly value the ability to bring niceties like real-world gift-giving to the virtual realm. With just a few contenders so far, the sky's still the limit on opportunities—one to get in on early!
Website: www.thelightagency.com
Contact: lynettecowen@thelightagency.com
Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen
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Starfruit.ch also do this in the virtual world of Second Life. You can buy flowers, chocolates and even Swarovski crystals in-world with virtual currency, and get the item sent to your friend in real life. We're just at the beginning of finding out what business models can be applied to virtual worlds!
For the latest news from Second Life and the metaverse, check out The AvaStar: www.the-avastar.com.
Unfortunately Mars (along with Nestle, Hershey, and other major chocolate companies) all support the force labor cocoa farmers (aka slaves) in Africa.
http://www.purefood.org/starbucks/chocolate.cfm
I hope people are conscious of who they chose to give their money to, and consider what they are okay with supporting.
Please research Fair Trade chocolate.
@ Mo.C
Perhaps Mars aren’t the most responsible company in the world - I don't know - but the essence of the story is on a higher abstraction level. It's not about the product; it's about the business model.
this sucks
This idea is quite old. CloettaFazer together with SuomenPosti has used a similar idea in Finland 2-3 years ago.
Unfortunately Mars (along with Nestle, Hershey, and other major chocolate companies) all support the force labor cocoa farmers (aka slaves) in Africa.
http://www.purefood.org/starbucks/chocolate.cfm
I hope people are conscious of who they chose to give their money to, and consider what they are okay with supporting.
Please research Fair Trade chocolate.
Mo.C | February 27, 2008 7:12 AM