Spare Cash Becomes A Powerfully Disruptive Marketing Phenomenon

June 11, 2014 - PRLog -- I was walking along the Las Vegas Strip today, going after what is called a SpareCash Marker. These are virtual icons that show up in a camera view of whatever you point your cellphone at. When you get close enough to these markers you get to claim the cash value they contain. It's a technology known as Augmented Reality, and the SpareCash App is one of the few that have been able to break away from the negative stigma and produce a truly unique app and experience for AR.

But, back to my story, I'm coming closer to the SpareCash marker which shows that it's about 1.3km (about 4000 feet) away.  As I approach, the marker seems to be hovering over Lake Bellagio, and is clearly marked “Bellagio.” When I tap the marker it shows a message on a slide out screen that says, “Welcome to Bellagio Casino And Hotel, come inside and search for $20 in Spare Cash. The dollar slots are nice.”  I come to the entrance of the Bellagio Casino and still my target is 840 meters away.  It appears to float above the patio of the outside bar.

Foolish me, I enter the casino, continuing my hunt for the elusive SpareCash marker. when I reach the marker I’m beside the dollar slots next to the outdoor terrace and bar, Now I understand what they meant by, “The dollar slots are nice.”

The message area on my screen, that I was seeing before, showing the distance to the marker, now has a button that reads “Scan Inside.” When I press that, the phone shows me a small icon of an image I’m supposed to be looking for. I easily spent more than an hour looking for this tracking image.  I had to stop because my cell phone was dying.  All the while, I had thoroughly explored the magnificence that is, The Bellagio Casino. I scanned inside nearly every gaming room, played some slots along the way, I explored the shops and the restaurants, even the patios and the pools. I understand why SpareCash says their game is an adventure, because regardless of whether you explore a marker in a city or somewhere in a forest, you experience some unexpected wonders every time.  I even went as far as to watch some of their digital signage, trying to see if they hid the image in their advertising loop.

But finally, I’d given up, I explored the entire casino and couldn’t find the marker. So I called back into Dale Scott Marion, the founder and president of SpareCash SRL and asked him if there was actually a tracker image inside the Bellagio.

“Yes there is, it’s in the area by the outdoor bar where the dollar slots are.” Dale said.

I told him I had searched high and low there and that there was no tracker image.

“Point your phone at the carpet,” he said, “and start the scan again.”

I finally saw, the pattern in the carpet, It was the same as the tracker image on my phone.  Instantly an image began to float above the carpet, on my Smart phone screen.  of the casino floor.  It was a billboard with a picture of a slot wheel and a message that read. “Thank you for coming to the Bellagio Casino and Hotel, we hope you enjoy your stay, please accept this $20 as a gift from us for visiting our fine establishment. This Cash Drop is sponsored by SpareCash and in no way is affiliated with Bellagio Casio.” Then $20 and a button that read “Collect” when I pressed the collect button, my phone verified I had collected the $20 in Spare Cash and brought me back to the augmented reality view where I saw other markers I could explore.

My immediate reaction to Dale on the phone was one of excitement and gratitude both for the cash and the opportunity to experience something I never would have, without SpareCash, a most amazing Casino.

When I asked about the possibility of a deal with Bellagio, Marion stated “They haven’t returned my call, but the neighbouring casinos, who we did speak with, are all looking at how we can move forward together.”  he also explained that the marker is there at the Bellagio as a prototype proof of concept, and for SpareCash it’s an advertising expense.

As the sun was setting over the strip, I began thinking about just how powerful this technology really is. When a media company half way around the globe can put in place an experience so vivid and engaging, in a place that millions of people visit daily. The fact that it works every single time, perfectly.  I began pondering how disruptive this is, having the power to drop cash markers anywhere in the world, at any time, during any event, and promote anything you want.

I began imagining how Tony’s Pizza can end up in the hands of thousands of football fans by dropping cash markers in a stadium during half time, Without having to pay millions to be a sponsor. How event promoters can drop spare cash markers on a crowd during a concert, maybe add album download codes or online purchase coupons.

Or, how a small online startup can gain massive exposure by piggy-backing onto the viral success that SpareCash is seeing right now by creating and promoting their own SpareCash tournaments or cash hunts.

I spent the rest of the night just thinking of the enormous possibilities that this company possesses.  I have a deep respect for the founder, because I’m sure he understands this already, just as I have come to understand this now.

For more information about SpareCash visit their website: http://www.sparecashapp.com you can sponsor your own promotions and fund and distribute your own SpareCash markers anywhere in the world, promote them on your own and create your own media buzz.  Who knows, even the people using this to drop their own cash markers could very well go viral.  If you just want to follow along and hear about the latest cash drops, (because they are all over the globe.) Check out SpareCash’s Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/SpareCashApp