Pongr

A friend of mine interned over the summer for a business called Pongr.  As the sites home page briefly explains,  users "Snap photos of the brands you love, send your best shots to the brand's page via Pongr, and collect points and rewards."  This form of advertising allows people to promote and share the products they love with their friends through different media outlets, and the customer-based business tactic makes for a much more honest and unedited view of the products we use everyday.  Without the company having the opportunity to alter the images we see only real people supporting their favorite brands in a realistic manner, no crazy Photoshop that could render the real product almost unrecognizable. 

Taylor (on right) and a coworker participating in One Run
for Boston, a Pongr associated fundraiser

My friend that worked for the company, Taylor Mecham, explains, "Pongr focuses on a 'call to action' which brings the consumer to the product.  i.e: 'Take a picture with this Pepsi cup and send it to pepsi@pongr.com for a chance to win' and therefore the consumer is more like to buy the product because he/she is already holding it. It is a consumer-run business that provides a platform for the seller to interact with the consumer." The company has also launched an image recognition program, a revolutionary advertising tool that will pinpoint brand logos within pictures when they are uploaded to online sites. My friend has stated that with this company "what you see is what you get", it is honest advertising, and I think this is something the media could use a lot more of.  

see for yourself and get involved! http://blog.pongr.com