CRM Vendor Sennari, T-Mobile In PrizePlay Game Deal

Sennari, a vendor of CRM-based applications for mobile phones, has announced today that T-Mobile is offering Sennari's PrizePlay gaming service on its t-zones service under a new dedicated Play for Prizes category.

And the best part? You get addicted! "PrizePlay games are a breakthrough in connected gaming," said Neil Holroyd, UK Content Manager (Games & Gambling). "The games are extremely addictive and provide great entertainment for the casual gamer. The unique opportunity to win merchandise just by playing fun games is a breakthrough in mobile entertainment."

The PrizePlay titles include Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, Triple Towers (Solitaire), Mahjong, Star Trek, Poker Battle and Goldenballs (Pachinko).

To encourage T-Mobile users to try PrizePlay, from August 14 to October 2, whenever someone plays a PrizePlay game (on T-Mobile) they are automatically entered into a daily drawing to win an Apple (News - Alert) iPod Nano. The more games a user plays, the more likely their chances of winning increases.

PrizePlay is a suite of games designed using a pay-per-play model with in-game prizes to encourage repeat play. Built on Sennari's proprietary mCRM platform, PrizePlay offers real-time game interaction, in-game transactions that involve storing points, currencies, tokens, or coupons; pay-per-play or tournament style gaming models and in-game prizing.

In May 2005 Sennari launched with about $2 million in seed funding. The round was led by Novak Biddle Venture Partners and Blacksmith Capital. Reports at the time said the funding will be used to "drive the development and expansion" of the company’s customer loyalty product, designed "to help carriers and content holders reduce churn, increase network traffic, and create new revenue streams."

Founder and CEO Bill Barhydt, described as a "serial entrepreneur," worked with Michael Cartabiano, president of Sennari Games, and Julian Hardy (former president of Mforma-Europe, among others) to develop the new company.

As part of the financing deal, the management and assets of Sennari Games were rolled into the new company.

PrizePlay is already pretty popular in the UK, said Barhydt, who noted that "the ability to win a prize every time you press 'Play Game'" makes PrizePlay fairly attractive.

So where does the CRM part come in? "At the same time the ability to provide ongoing statistics on repeat game play, prize redemptions and in-game promotions offers carriers vital information they can leverage in their marketing and retention efforts. We're the first entertainment company in mobile that truly knows their customers," Barhydt said.

It's actually a nifty business model: Customers pay for each game, which is billed directly via their phone bill, for the opportunity to earn Bling, which can be redeemed for prizes. Users pay GBP 3 to download the game, which has inclusive tokens. Additional tokens are only 50 pence a piece when they are bought in packs. A bundle of GBP 5 includes two extra tokens.

PrizePlay games give users the ability to win merchandise, such as digital downloads, electronic goods and high street retail gift certificates. Prizes are redeemed directly from the mobile game or via the web at www.prizeplay.com or t-zones' Play for Prizes page.

David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. For more articles please visit David Sims’ columnist page.

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