S.F.-based mobile ticketing company Gametime today is introducing a new socially oriented buying and selling feature called Connect. Using Facebook Connect data and prior purchase histories, users will be able to select “Join Friend” within Gametime’s listing and see where others in their social graph already have tickets to that particular event, either as an attendee or a seller. Some other ticketing companies have also experimented with similar social tools, but Connect’s seeks to leverage the concept against Gametime’s mobile-first and last-minute buying structures. Connect is being introduced initially to Gametime users in S.F. and L.A., and will soon be rolled out nationally. “We see this, really, as the next big frontier of where ticketing is going,” said Gametime CRO Colin Evans. “And even more powerfully, this is essentially a social network that is forward looking and gives a view into what friends will be doing. Most other social networks are looking back at what people have already done.” Gametime is supporting the debut of Connect with a socially driven ad campaign developed with the aid of Utah-based Chamber Media, led by execs that developed the highly popular “Kobe vs. Messi” YouTube ad for Turkish Airlines. The effort is Gametime’s first brand video campaign.
