Texas A&M Launches Social Media Scavenger Hunt

Texas A&M University is teaming up with The Collegiate Licensing Company to launch a first-of-its-kind campus-wide social media scavenger hunt using smart phones. The scavenger hunt, scheduled for Jan. 25-26, is designed to encourage the university’s nearly 50,000 students to explore their 5,200-acre campus as never before—and reward those checking into campus destinations using their smart phones.

Using an integrated social media approach, Texas A&M is leveraging its strong presence on Facebook, Twitter, and the location-based service Foursquare to promote the hunt, distribute clues and reward winners, explained Diane C. McDonald, the university’s director of social media and marketing programs. She said students will be given clues up to four times per day via the university’s Twitter page, @TAMUtalk.

To win, the students must check in to the predetermined campus venues on Foursquare during the given time slot, McDonald said.

“The social media scavenger hunt is one way to leverage our social media sites to encourage students to explore our campus and make connections—while enjoying our great Aggie traditions,” she noted.

Prizes will include merchandise from the Texas A&M MSC Bookstore, licensed collegiate apparel from Adidas and gift cards from the Texas A&M Department of University Dining. Starting Jan. 25, the MSC Bookstore will also offer 15 percent off any regular priced logo merchandise in store to any student who shows that they have “checked in” to the MSC Bookstore on Foursquare.

Texas A&M will also host “Foursquare Friday” on Jan. 28 to award prize packages to students who earn the coveted Foursquare collegiate badges. Texas A&M is one of only 20 universities to be awarded with the coveted Foursquare Collegiate Badge program that can only be unlocked on those campuses. Special Foursquare collegiate badges include: “Campus Explorer” for checking in at 10 different campus locations; “Munchies” for checking in at five different campus dining halls; “Smells Like Team Spirit” for checking into five different sports venues; “Bookworm Bender” for visiting a library after midnight; and “Quad Squatter” for 10 check-ins at the quad or commons area.

In order to play and win, students must follow Texas A&M on Twitter and Foursquare and present a valid student ID at the destinations. The university will promote the hunt on its Facebook page.

Renowned for its rich heritage of campus traditions, Texas A&M has emerged as a progressive leader in social media with one of the largest Facebook fan pages of any university in the world with over 250,000 fan likes. Within weeks of announcing its Foursquare Collegiate Badge program, Texas A&M has reached almost 6,000 friends on Foursquare. Foursquare users can follow Texas A&M’s profile (http://foursquare.com/tamutalk). The university also has an official news and talk channel on Twitter with over 8,000 followers.

The licensing program at Texas A&M is managed by The Collegiate Licensing Company, an IMG Company.