Vickie Gibbs, general manager at Albright Digital, and intern Andy Roth work in their office space in the American Underground
You already shop locally whenever possible; it's the Durham thing to do. And now, Durham businesses can reward you for your patronage with Bull City Buck$. All you need is your cell phone.
Next time you're in a local shop or restaurant, like Old Havana Sandwich Shop, Tobacco Road or Beauty and The Bull, be on the lookout for a QR code (those squares that look like jumbled bar codes). These may be at the hostess stand, on a menu, receipt or elsewhere at the business. Other downtown locations, like the American Tobacco Parking Deck, are also places you can find QR codes. Scan the code with your Android, iPhone or other smartphone, and instantly you have earned Bull City Buck$.
You can then spend your Buck$ on fun prizes! Keep track of and redeem Buck$ at the Bull City Buck$ application, an app you can download onto your phone, or by visiting the Bull City Buck$ website here.
The prizes range from small items, like a Durham Bulls hat or free fries at Bull City Burger, to large prizes, like an iPad or tickets to a DPAC show. Spend your Buck$ instantly or save up for a larger prize.
"Downtown Durham has changed a lot over the years, and it's really exciting what's going on down here," says Vickie Gibbs, general manager at Albright Digital, a division of Capitol Broadcasting's New Media Group, and the product and launch team behind Bull City Buck$. "There's a lot of people who come down here to do one or two things, but they are really unaware of all the things that Durham has to offer. So this is a really great opportunity to introduce people who are already coming to Durham to other things that are here and also to get people who don't yet know about the great things that are happening in downtown Durham to come down and try."
Bull City Buck$ sprung out of a partnership between Capitol Broadcasting and University Ford / Kia. "One of the reasons that University Ford / Kia are excited about doing this is that they actually just celebrated their 26 year anniversary on Saturday, so they've seen Durham change," says Vickie "I mean, in 1986 when they opened, the tobacco warehouses were still functioning tobacco warehouses and then, for a while, all there was down here was Brightleaf Square and the Durham Bulls, and it's changed so much. So they, as well as Capitol, are really excited to be bringing in this program."
Tobacco Road, Old Havana Sandwich Shop, YMCA, Bull City Burger, Cuban Revolution, Beauty and the Bull, Art Institute and Mellow Mushroom are the starting sample of businesses participating. You'll also be able to get QR codes by visiting the ATC Parking Deck, Duke Forest Trail, American Tobacco Trail, Lucky Strike Water Tower or by becoming a friend on Facebook. And stay tuned in to their Facebook and Twitter sites for updates on new deals, prizes and participating businesses.
Start earning Buck$ today by attending the launch party from 11am-2pm at American Tobacco in the area between Tyler's Taproom and Saladelia. There will be a DJ, free cookies and opportunities to get Buck$. "We're going to have people running around with T-shirts with QR codes on them that say 'Scan Me' and we're going to have a prize wheel with QR codes on the prize wheel, so people can scan and earn. [We want] to get people to come out and to get people comfortable with QR codes, practice scanning them and get themselves some points."
The bottom line on Bull City Buck$?
"It's fun, it's easy and it's all about having fun while enjoying things in Durham and discovering new things," Vickie says. "Our tag line is 'Explore. Earn. Enjoy.' And that's what it's all about."
