Seek Launches New Augmented Reality Mobile Platform With Real Rewards for Users

HIGHLAND, Utah, Dec. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At the risk of sounding like Blackbeard, I have news for you: there are treasure chests everywhere--hundreds of thousands of them dotting the country. An augmented reality, location-based treasure hunting app has been created and released within the United States that rewards users with real prizes, similar to Pokemon Go but with the chance to win actual things instead of goofy digital beings.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161206/446022

Welcome to the world of Seek.

"There is no inherent value gained from playing Pokemon Go," said Jon Cheney, founder of Seek. "You catch digital creatures and then you're done. We're basically going to get rid of the Pokemon, bring in treasure chests, and add rewards. You go out and capture treasure chests, when you open it up you have a randomized chance of winning something."

Seek began as a physical treasure hunt under a different name, attracting people to come out and search for prizes like a bunch of modernized pirates. Looking to capitalize on the interest and maximize their ability to grow, the Seek team began exploring avenues to make this happen.

"We thought, 'We can do this bigger and better and faster with an app'," Cheney said. "We started down that pathway, did a couple of whiteboard sessions, and then a couple weeks later, boom, Pokemon Go hit the world."

As the Pokemon Go craze overtook humanity and Americans began congregating around stops and lures in the hopes of finding a rare addition to their Pokedex, Seek began transferring their idea of a physical treasure hunt into the world of augmented reality. They beta-tested with 1,000 users to rave reviews and have now officially launched with a recipe they believe is built for success.

Here's how it works. I hop on my phone, download the app, and now the adventure begins. Treasure chests have been placed throughout the world that I can capture with my camera, requiring me to venture to the physical location and capture them digitally. Unlike Pokemon Go, capturing treasure chests can have tangible value — $1,000 here, a big screen television there, a GoalZero kit everywhere. Seek is also forming partnerships with multiple businesses that allows them to engage with consumers and draw more people to their location.

"We give businesses the ability to drop a treasure chest right outside their store, put whatever they want inside it, and attract customers to come open it, vying at a chance to win something," Cheney said. For example, Times Square has a GoalZero Chest and a Blendtec Chest, waiting with exclusive discounts and the opportunity to win free product from their respective companies for those that download the app to go find them.

Whereas Pokemon Go's user base initially skyrocketed, then dwindled into just remaining diehards, Seek believes that they will be able to continue to engage users because of these actual rewards. You can only capture Pikachu so many times before that loses its luster, but capturing treasure chests that contain rewards, cash, and items/discounts from various companies? That should continue to attract users for years to come.

And from the business side of things, Seek can provide companies with valuable information that can then be used to help direct their marketing approach.

"We know the gender, age, and interests of all the people that are using our app," Cheney said. "With that information, we can say to a business, you had 185 people come and open your chest today, here's who they are. Not specifically because we value the privacy of our users, but we can share demographics. You had this many males and females, here's your age distribution, here's what they were interested in. Now businesses can start to understand who's coming to their store and what type of stuff they should put in this marketing tool."

You don't have to sail the high seas to find treasure. With Seek's launch, treasure is now everywhere, it's just a matter of downloading the app and setting out on an adventure. Who knows, you might even win a sweet camera….

Media Contact:
Jon Cheney
801-850-2182
[email protected]

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oNgjRxcE7I

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SOURCE Seek