GetGlue Expands Super Bowl Efforts

Working with Pepsi and Hulu on major second screen campaigns for Feb. 4 game

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/1/2013 3:44:44 PM

Second-screen player GetGlue will have its biggest Super Bowl push ever with major campaigns from Pepsi and Hulu. The Hulu second-screen campaign will include an exclusive offer for a free month of Hulu Plus for new subs.

The Pepsi campaign marks the launch of GetGlue's new "Promoted Entries" product. During Super Bowl XLVII, Pepsi will be the exclusive sponsor of these units, but GetGlue founder and CEO Alex Iskold says it has lined up sponsors for future campaigns.

Pepsi has worked with GetGlue on four campaigns since 2011. The promoted entries product will allow Pepsi to post any kind of content, from videos to messages, that will appear on top of the GetGlue feed. The product also includes like and comment buttons that can help the content go viral by sending it to the feeds of their friends, Iskold notes.

Iskold believes the product would be particularly appealing for networks and movie studios promoting movies or TV shows because it would allow trailers to be put on pages that are already being visited by fans that like similar content.

"These ad units feel very native to the content and are part of our focus on blending content and ads in a way that feels very natural and create a positive experience," he noted.

For the Hulu campaign, users who check in with GetGlue would get a free month of the service, an offer that is not available anywhere else.

On GetGlue, users can also access the Hulu player where they can watch all the Super Bowl XLVII ads.

The efforts come only a few weeks after GetGlue announced that it would not be going ahead with the previously announced merger with Viggle. They are part of a major push by GetGlue to ramp up its product offerings and second screen activities, notes Iskold.

"This is a much bigger [Super Bowl presence] for us than last year," Iskold says. "This is our signal to the world that we are stepping on the gas and doing big things...to seriously monetize the service and continue to grow."

He added that they will be launching a new iPhone app next week, with a new Android version to follow in a few weeks.

Users of the GetGlue service are currently approaching four million.