Do you care enough about Groundhog Day to get a special badge from Foursquare?
The Pennsylvania Tourism Office today announced an exclusive deal with Foursquare that will allow users to obtain the official “PA Groundhog Day 2012” badge on February 2. The badge features the likeness of Punxsutawney Phil, the world-famous co-star to Bill Murray in the 1993 classic, Groundhog Day.
“We invite Foursquare users worldwide to earn this special badge from visitPA, which has been updated for 2012,” Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary C. Alan Walker said. “This is a one-day opportunity to earn a unique virtual badge as we all learn whether we may see an early spring.”
For those who don’t know, or haven’t seen the classic Bill Murray film, Groundhog Day is celebrated every February 2 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to folklore dating back to the 1800s, if Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, there will be an early spring.
To earn the exclusive “PA Groundhog Day 2012” badge, users should follow visitPA on the Foursquare site. From there, check in to shout on February 2 to receive the badge.
“We’re thrilled that visitPA has been able to enhance the experiences of so many visitors through the use of our platform,” Eric Friedman, Director of Business Development at Foursquare said. “Pennsylvania’s continued enthusiasm and openness to new partnership opportunities and Foursquare’s ability to attract and reward people combine to make a powerful partnership.”
In 2010, Pennsylvania became the first state to partner with Foursquare by populating the network with more than 200 state attractions and creating custom badges. Since its launch, visitPA has amassed nearly 93,000 followers and more than 67,800 users have unlocked a PA badge.