Social Entertainment Startup GetGlue Corrals Fans for Advertisers

Last summer, Home Box Office worked with a New York startup called GetGlue on an online campaign to promote the cable network’s vampire series, "True Blood." From late May through June, fans who visited a page that GetGlue created could unlock digital stickers and win real bottles of Tru Blood, a carbonated blood-orange drink that looks not unlike what the characters drink in the show. Fans on the page could also chat with one another about the forthcoming premiere and learn about related programming.

HBO didn’t pay GetGlue for the promotion, but both companies benefited from the more than 1.5 million visits. The GetGlue page for "True Blood" sparked excitement using “swag that’s special to a ‘super fan,’” says Sabrina Caluori, vice president of social media & performance marketing for HBO. And HBO promoted GetGlue to the nearly 10 million fans on the show's Facebook page, driving traffic and boosting credibility for the nascent venture. "The nature of the relationship is to share with fans what you're watching," says 39-year-old founder and Chief Executive Officer Alex Iskold. "Networks love that it's essentially free and effective marketing for them."