FAQs

Q: What is Pongr?
A: Pongr is the ONLY game that gives you the opportunity to be the CEO of your favorite company and be involved in REAL marketing campaigns for the world's top brands. If you are in love with a brand (like BMW, Guess, Gucci, Nike, Hello Kitty, etc.), here's a fun chance to get "real world" executives to notice you! All you need is a cell phone, lots of enthusiasm and a passion for great deals. See the How to Play video.

Q: Is this game complicated?
A: Not at all... Just think "Snap, Send,Share and Socialize!" You snap pictures wherever you’re enjoying your favorite brand and send them to Pongr. You’ll earn valuable Pongr Bucks. Earn even more wages by sharing your favorite pics on Facebook and Twitter, recruiting friends to join the game and suggesting “proposed deals” to the real-life brand. You’ll get promoted for completing a combination of these tasks. It won’t take long to leap from entry level positions to middle management — but climbing into the upper management and executive tiers will require you to fire up those competitive (and creative) juices!

Q: What's the main objective?
A: The goal is to climb the career ladder from intern all the way up to CEO. Along the way, you'll build up virtual sweat equity, influence real life conversations and share exciting deals with your friends. Just like on Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice," you'll have marketing challenges that let your creativity and instincts shine!

Q: So is playing Pongr just for fun or is it meant to get me a job?
A: Depends on what you want. Casually playing Pongr will earn you discounts and free stuff you won't find anywhere else. If that’s enough for you, heck, who doesn’t want to score a special deal? But dedicating yourself to the game could get you noticed in the real corporate boardrooms.

Pongr has relationships with global corporate brands and will help connect top players with the companies themselves. Advance far enough in the game and top executives will be the ones who want to meet you.

Q: Okay, I'm interested. What do I need to do to start?
A: You can start climbing the Corporate Ladder right now. Just sign up!

Q: How quickly will I earn special deals?
A: It depends. Some brands are already on board with the game and are focused on rewarding their most enthusiastic fans. But other companies need to hear from you first. Your virtual company is an attractive testing market for free samples, exclusive discounts and high-profile promotional events. Invitations to Pongr players are not made available to the general public.

Q: How do I propose a deal?
A: On your virtual company’s homepage, there is a link for suggesting a deal to your favorite brand. If enough fellow players "like it," the real company may decide to honor it! Sharing existing offers that you see elsewhere on the Web will also help advance you in the game.

Q: What’s an example of a proposed deal?
A: You could ask for a free two-liter bottle of Pepsi for every 1,500 virtual shares you own in the game. Or maybe a Pongr-exclusive coupon for a free Bloomin’ Onion with every entrée at the Outback Steakhouse. The social media universe will determine if your proposal gains momentum.

Q: How is Pongr different from all the other games on my mobile phone or laptop?
A: Pongr is the only interactive picture-sharing game that offers players a chance to boost their real-life status and create potential career opportunities. Advancing far in the game will require you to develop marketing campaigns that may be embraced by global Fortune 1000 companies. Try that with "Pac Man" or "Call of Duty!"

Q: Are you SURE that my favorite company will notice me?
A: Yes. In the early stages of the game, there can be dozens of middle managers working for your brand. But at the advanced levels, there can be only one CEO. Achieving this rank will require mobilizing a grassroots community to rally around the brand. Essentially, you will be doing some marketing executive's job for him or her — and the smart execs will want to meet you!

Q: Really, I can be famous?
A: Absolutely. Think about Jared, the Subway guy with the giant pants. His fame began when a tiny college newspaper did a story on his weight loss. His "fat-guy" pants now hang at Subway's corporate headquarters. In today’s media environment, something can go viral in a few hours. You don't need to be the next Jared. All you need to do is connect with a group of devoted fans and your marketing expertise will be invaluable.

Q: Do I have to play the game forever to get noticed?
A: Not necessarily. In the early stages of this game, car enthusiast Miles Branman attracted the attention of the Ford marketing team just by making some insightful comments in a blog post.

Q: Can I call the marketing department of Brand X sneakers and brag how I am promoting them?
A: Of course. Part of this game is finding creative ways to share your favorite brands with your social networks. Ask companies if they have any discount coupons or freebies they can offer to fans on Pongr. But make sure your idea is unique and fun — something they are not likely to be already doing. You want the real world brand to be looking forward to your next email or phone call!

Q: How do I pick a virtual company to work for?
A: Legendary investor Warren Buffett advises that you only "buy what you know," that you choose only stocks of companies you know intimately. That's the idea here. Do your kids own every color in the rainbow for Crocs? What would you do for a cold Budweiser right now?

Q: Can I simultaneously work for two competing companies?
A: Absolutely! If you have a passion for both Coke and Pepsi, go for it. Corporate espionage in this case would only involve you spying on yourself.

Q: Can I work for 3 or 4 companies at once?
A: There is no limit to the amount of companies you can work for in the game. You can be an intern for Hello Kitty at the same time as being the COO of Diesel. Oh, the secret lives we lead!

Q: How can I recruit players in other brands to Pongr in my brand?
A: We encourage cross-collaboration between brand enthusiasts. Think of yourself as a Pongr headhunter. When you see another player you like promoting another brand, just click on their photo and look for the “recruit” button. You’ll be able to send him or her a direct message urging them to join your brand. If you help each other out, you’ll be able to accumulate Pongr Bucks more quickly. And if your recruit brings someone new to your brand, you’ll also earn even more bonus bucks!

Q: How do I earn Pongr Bucks?
A: Every day that you are active in the game, you earn a daily wage that ranges from $40 (Intern) to $2,000 (CEO). On days that you don’t show up to “work,” you earn nothing. Sorry!
There are also other ways to earn bonus Pongr Bucks. These include:

• Taking a brand pic with a person in it — Get your friends & family involved!
• Taking a brand pic — This can be a sign, a product, an advertisement, or a place.
• Sharing pic or tip on Facebook/Twitter — Share stuff that will entertain others.
• Posting a "proposed deal" — Why keep a bargain idea to yourself?
• Recruiting friends to play — What favorite brands do you have in common?
• When a recruited friend recruits another player to Pongr in the same brand.
• If someone “likes” your pic.
• If someone “likes” your proposed deal.
• Adding your Brand Loyalty Number to your Pongr profile (kept private).
• Note: There are daily limits for how many bonus Pongr Bucks you can earn each day for certain tasks. You will receive a text message if you have hit your limit. For example, there is a 10 photo limit per day if you want to get “paid” for the pics, but an unlimited number of people can “like” your picture.

Q: What is a Brand Loyalty Number and why should I share it?
A: If you have a refillable gift card, for perhaps Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks for example, there is a unique ID number on the back that is also encoded in the magnetic strip. Pongr has future plans to make game achievements worth real credits on some of your brand loyalty cards – depending on various promotions between us and the brand. Plus, in the interim, sharing this number (which is kept private) immediately scores you 100 Pongr Bucks.

Q: How do I get promoted?
A: There are 19 levels on the Pongr corporate ladder for each brand. Climbing each rung requires completing a combination of tasks that include taking pictures and sending them to Pongr, “social sharing” pics on Facebook and Twitter, recruiting friends to the game and proposing deals. Your personal profile will show your current brand positions and what you need to do to advance to the next level.

Q: What are company shares?
A: Players with enough Pongr Bucks have the opportunity to buy shares of their brand’s stock at the bargain price of $10 per share. At first, snapping up large amounts of stock provides mere bragging rights. But based on future arrangements, some brand enthusiasts in the game will be able to trade in their shares for real-life rewards.

Q: Does my company need to be a big business?
A: The Pongr game is open to any business that you feel passionate about. Because the ultimate goal of the game is for players to achieve fame and recognition in the real-life marketing world, it makes sense to choose a Fortune 1000 company or a brand that is well known internationally.

Q: What are Awards?
A: Awards are "badges" you can proudly display on your profile for achieving various milestones in the game and demonstrating exceptional creativity.

Q: What are Perks?
A: Perks are special benefits extended to employees who achieve certain ranks.

Q: Who is the Founder of a company?
A: The first player to submit a photo of a brand becomes the Founder of that brand. A lot easier than the way Henry Ford or Bill Gates had to do it! Being the Founder carries special bragging rights & there can be only one.

Q: What is the Leader Board?
A: The Pongr Leader Board is where you can assess your competition. The rankings let you see who is creeping up behind you and moving up the corporate ladder ahead of you. There can be numerous middle managers within your brand, but there will be only one CEO. Imagine the fun of walking into a Best Buy anywhere in the world and letting the staff know that you are the current Pongr/Best Buy CEO!

Q: I don’t have a mobile phone camera. Can I still play with my Nikon DSLR?
A: Sure you can! Playing Pongr is about "Snapping, Sending and Sharing." You can play on your laptop or desktop computer and email pictures taken with any camera you want. Although using film, a scanner, and a slow Internet connection might put you at a slight disadvantage, we do not discriminate.

Q: After a while, won’t I run out of pictures to take?
A: Nope. If your brand is part of your life, you’ll be surprised at how often fun photo-ops come up! For ideas on how to be creative with your photos, click here.

Q: To advance in the game faster, should I Facebook every pic I take?
A: No! Be choosy. Share only the pictures, info and deals you think will make your friends smile. Spamming will only backfire. For tips on how to engage your social network in the game without “being a pest,” click here.

Q: I have email on my phone and I'd like to send pics that way. How do I sync with my desktop Pongr account?
A: Pongr identifies you by your email address and/or Facebook Connect. Regardless of whether you're typing on your smartphone or desktop/laptop, as long as you are logged in via Facebook or your email account, we'll be able to attribute the gorgeous pics to you. The more places you send photos from, the better.

Q: I don't have email on my phone, but I can send picture-texts. How do you know who I am to credit me properly in the game?
A: The first time Pongr receives a picture from you, we send out a game message and a link to connect with Facebook or register with an email address. Copy the link sent back to you into your desktop browser and sign in or sign up. This will link your mobile phone to your account and track your progress in the game. If you never register, you can still play the game but won't be able to track your progress from your computer.

Q: I have two Pongr accounts. I originally set up my game profile with Facebook Connect, but sent in my first picture with an email address not linked to my Facebook. Can I merge my two accounts?
A: Not a problem. First, make sure you are logged out of Pongr and then sign into the account NOT associated with your Facebook. Once you are logged in, click the Facebook Connect button. Another option: When you send in a picture from your non-Facebook email, you will receive a game message and a link. Click on that and then sign in with Facebook!