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National Entertainment Network & GamerGreen Announce US Rewards Program
The National Entertainment Network (NEN) announce that it has partnered with GamerGreen to power an innovative new rewards program across the US and hopes to spread the idea internationally. NEN currently boasts over 135,000 coin operated machines in 20,000 popular retail and dining establishments both across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico.
The idea is quite simple: Players go to any GamerGreen-enabled redemption arcade machine, and when they win a prize they will also win a unique digital code; players then go to the GamerGreen app or website to enter the code and get the corresponding number of points banked into their digital wallet. These points, called G’s, can then be redeemed for prizes at the location.
The program was launched this year with the goal of building a globally recognized rewards "ecosystem" using GamerGreen's free program, which allows players to track wins, bank points (called "G's") and redeem those for prizes. The premise of the program is all about connecting with players and rewarding them for being loyal.
NEN and GamerGreen have wrapped up testing across the country. The test originally started with 400 machines, but eventually expanded to 3,000 due to the phenomenal success of the testing. The program is now about to go live this week in all of NEN's plush locations, which will cover a total of 15,000 machines.
"Since our testing began in April, we've learned that players will play more when they're rewarded," said Denise Garcia, VP of Digital Marketing for NEN. "We've also been proving that we can drive players back to the machines. The test was much more successful than we expected."
GamerGreen founder and CEO Philip Marzullo, who is also President of Top Notch toys (a major supplier of bulk vending items for prize capsules), said "Having a family business within the entertainment vending space for nearly 25 years has given us the ability to leverage our industry knowledge and expertise and infuse it with my passion for technology.”
He continued, "We have the ability to revolutionize our entire industry; I see the entertainment vending space as that last piece of affordable ocean front property."
NEN says its investment to develop the loyalty program, and supporting efforts that will come to market over the next several months, are the first in a series of digital investments. The goal of all of them, according to the company, is "developing multichannel player experiences that are more relevant to today's players; improving the expected reward(s) of playing its machines; and, driving additional value to its clients."
"It truly is our goal to change the landscape of the amusement industry, integrating the physical game world with the digital world. It doesn't have to be one or the other," Garcia said. "There's a lot going on at NEN and Philip and GamerGreen have been crucial for getting this all of the ground."
"Introducing the rewards program coupled with the unlimited capability of digital technology to the current physical experience with our cranes adds a whole new dimension to amusement," said Ed Flaherty, National Entertainment Network's CEO. "It also allows us to develop insights into our players' preferences."
The success of this program so far may only be an initial novel response to a more interactive way of gaming with prize vending machines, but it also has a lot of potential to change the current landscape for some aspects of the out-of-home entertainment sector. The true success of this program is something that will be determined in the long term.
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