Bragster
Encyclopedia
Bragster was a global social networking
and video sharing
website
on which users dare
each other to perform stunts and tasks. The website name stems from the 'Bragging Rights' which are earned on the site. The company is based in London
, England
. The majority of the content is user generated, although some branded videos from companies such as Tango
, Adidas
and Wizards of the Coast
have been broadcasted on the site. The site is designed to be a more niche alternative to other social networking websites. In February 2010 Bragster was acquired by Guinness World Records.
. The site was started as a way to bring gambling and social networking together, but over time the gambling and betting aspect was dropped in favour of bragging and dares. The logo was changed to a blue gorilla to reflect this new "edgier" direction.
Originally, the site was geared more towards social networking with features such as blogs, but these were removed as part of the re-branding, with the focus shifted purely to daring and bragging. The change was made in order for advertisers to integrate their content into the main body of the site, via sponsored dares and challenges. In February 2008, Bragster received a $3.5 million Series A investment from Intel Capital and private investor David Frankle.
In February 2010, Bragster was acquired by Guinness World Records
in an effort to expand GWR's digital presence. Initially the two brands will be kept separate, with plans to integrate Bragster into the GWR website in the second half of 2010.
On the 31st August 2010, Bragster was taken offline.
to promote their fizzy orange soft drink Tango
. The campaign was launched by Bragster daring Tango bosses to print 2.5 million Tango cans upside down, with the Bragster logo on the top. A mock-up image of the new can was released on the website on April Fools' Day, before 2.5 million the cans went into production a few weeks later. To further promote the launch of the upside down cans, Bragster and Tango orchestrated a publicity stunt wherein a number of models in orange bikinis stood on their heads in various places around London, including St Paul's, the Tate Modern and on the tube. After the initial launch the partnership continued with ten branded dares, such as dying your hair orange and covering yourself in Tango, being issued throughout the remainder of 2009. The dares can be viewed and entered on the Tango mini-site.
Also in March 2009, Bragster started a deal with Lionsgate UK to promote the film Crank 2. Two themed dares were put up on the Crank 2 Group. The first was to have a public freakout, and the second was to have your name legally changed to Chev Chelios, the anti-hero of the film. On the 24th of March, David Robert Smart officially changed his name by deed poll to claim a $1000 prize offered by the site.
To promote their new F50i
football boots, Adidas
and Bragster launched the Adidas F50i Challenge, featuring seven different football orientated dares. Footballers Jermain Defoe
and Ashley Young captained two opposing user teams. The challenge received 168 unique video entries.
Wizards of the Coast
used Bragster to launch a new Magic: The Gathering
Core Set, Magic 2010
. The grand prize for the best Brag uploaded was a trip to the Magic World Championship tournament in Rome for two, won by dragonangyle, with a host of smaller prizes for other entries. Wizards of the Coast also used Bragster to exclusively preview a reprinted card, Dragon Whelp.
Other brands who have worked with Bragster include Warner Bros for the UK theatrical release of action film Ninja Assassin
, Nissan's sports range, MTV
for the launch of rebranded channel Viva in Europe, online poker site PKR.com
and 20th Century Fox
for the UK DVD release of action film 12 Rounds
dressed as a blue gorilla, after being dared to by the rest of the Bragster team. The team agreed to donate £1,000 to the charity of Bodson's choice on successful completion of the dare. The money was donated to the Gorilla Organisation.
Acting on a dare by Bragster user 'whoareyou' to Bring the Bubbles, 'mr_bubble' filled the fountains at Trafalgar Square with washing up liquid, causing the fountains to fill up with foam. The stunt was covered by multiple national papers.
Before Christmas 2008, Bragster projected an image of a working credit card in central London, with £10,000 in credit. The 10 ft image was projected on the side of the Bank of England and a corner of Kensington High Street. Londoners who found the card were invited to spend the money on whatever they wanted.
FHM
's projection of a naked picture of Gail Porter
on the side of the Houses of Parliament in 1999 was subverted by Bragster ten years after the original stunt by projecting a nude man on the side of the Tate Britain
.
In June 2009, Bragster offered £200 for the first person to hit British National Party
(BNP) leader Nick Griffin
with ethnic food, as a reaction to the political leader getting pelted with eggs by political opponents. As of yet, no one has claimed the prize.
Most recently, in December 2009 Bragster repeated their "Christmas Cash Giveaway", throwing thousands of pounds worth of five-pound notes mixed with fake Bragster-branded notes out of a shop window on London's Carnaby St.
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
and video sharing
Video hosting service
A video hosting service allows individuals to upload video clips to an Internet website. The video host will then store the video on its server, and show the individual different types of code to allow others to view this video...
website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
on which users dare
Dare
-Arts and entertainment:* Dan Dare, a classic British science fiction comics hero* Dare , a 1965 novel by Philip José Farmer* Dare, a 2007 novel by BET host Abiola Abrams* Dare , a 2009 film- Music :...
each other to perform stunts and tasks. The website name stems from the 'Bragging Rights' which are earned on the site. The company is based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The majority of the content is user generated, although some branded videos from companies such as Tango
Tango (drink)
Tango is a carbonated soft drink sold primarily in the United Kingdom and Ireland and from 2010 in Sweden, Norway and Hungary as well, first launched by Corona in 1950. Corona were bought by the Beecham Group in 1958, and Beecham Soft Drinks were bought by Britvic in 1987...
, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
and Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
have been broadcasted on the site. The site is designed to be a more niche alternative to other social networking websites. In February 2010 Bragster was acquired by Guinness World Records.
Company history
Bragster was founded in 2006 as Gottabet.com by Wim Vernaeve, a former investment banker and Bertrand Bodson, who previously launched a DVD rental service for amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. The site was started as a way to bring gambling and social networking together, but over time the gambling and betting aspect was dropped in favour of bragging and dares. The logo was changed to a blue gorilla to reflect this new "edgier" direction.
Originally, the site was geared more towards social networking with features such as blogs, but these were removed as part of the re-branding, with the focus shifted purely to daring and bragging. The change was made in order for advertisers to integrate their content into the main body of the site, via sponsored dares and challenges. In February 2008, Bragster received a $3.5 million Series A investment from Intel Capital and private investor David Frankle.
In February 2010, Bragster was acquired by Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
in an effort to expand GWR's digital presence. Initially the two brands will be kept separate, with plans to integrate Bragster into the GWR website in the second half of 2010.
On the 31st August 2010, Bragster was taken offline.
Branded campaigns
In March 2009, Bragster formed a long term partnership with BritvicBritvic
Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks. It is the number two soft drinks producer in the UK. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
to promote their fizzy orange soft drink Tango
Tango (drink)
Tango is a carbonated soft drink sold primarily in the United Kingdom and Ireland and from 2010 in Sweden, Norway and Hungary as well, first launched by Corona in 1950. Corona were bought by the Beecham Group in 1958, and Beecham Soft Drinks were bought by Britvic in 1987...
. The campaign was launched by Bragster daring Tango bosses to print 2.5 million Tango cans upside down, with the Bragster logo on the top. A mock-up image of the new can was released on the website on April Fools' Day, before 2.5 million the cans went into production a few weeks later. To further promote the launch of the upside down cans, Bragster and Tango orchestrated a publicity stunt wherein a number of models in orange bikinis stood on their heads in various places around London, including St Paul's, the Tate Modern and on the tube. After the initial launch the partnership continued with ten branded dares, such as dying your hair orange and covering yourself in Tango, being issued throughout the remainder of 2009. The dares can be viewed and entered on the Tango mini-site.
Also in March 2009, Bragster started a deal with Lionsgate UK to promote the film Crank 2. Two themed dares were put up on the Crank 2 Group. The first was to have a public freakout, and the second was to have your name legally changed to Chev Chelios, the anti-hero of the film. On the 24th of March, David Robert Smart officially changed his name by deed poll to claim a $1000 prize offered by the site.
To promote their new F50i
Adidas F50
The Adidas F50 range of football boots is Adidas's signature line of customisable, lightweight boots. First released in 2004, in the build-up to UEFA Euro 2004, the range was released as a successor of the X-Line range and as a direct competitor to Nike's Mercurial Vapor range, which had been...
football boots, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
and Bragster launched the Adidas F50i Challenge, featuring seven different football orientated dares. Footballers Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Colin Defoe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national football team....
and Ashley Young captained two opposing user teams. The challenge received 168 unique video entries.
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
used Bragster to launch a new Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
Core Set, Magic 2010
Magic 2010
Magic 2010 is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set, that was released on July 17, 2009. It is the eleventh core set for Magic: the Gathering...
. The grand prize for the best Brag uploaded was a trip to the Magic World Championship tournament in Rome for two, won by dragonangyle, with a host of smaller prizes for other entries. Wizards of the Coast also used Bragster to exclusively preview a reprinted card, Dragon Whelp.
Other brands who have worked with Bragster include Warner Bros for the UK theatrical release of action film Ninja Assassin
Ninja Assassin
Ninja Assassin is a 2009 American martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay penned by J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin looking for retribution against his...
, Nissan's sports range, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
for the launch of rebranded channel Viva in Europe, online poker site PKR.com
PKR.com
PKR.com is an Alderney, UK-based website that allows users to play poker in a virtual reality setting. The site uses 3D graphics and player character animation during poker play. Each user's character can be customized...
and 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
for the UK DVD release of action film 12 Rounds
12 Rounds
12 Rounds is a British rock band formed by Atticus Ross and singer Claudia Sarne, who are married. After the release of their first album, Jitter Juice, they toured with the Sneaker Pimps. 12 Rounds played the Reading Festival in 1996...
Publicity stunts
In August 2009, Bragster co-founder Bertrand Bodson appeared on TV show The X-FactorThe X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
dressed as a blue gorilla, after being dared to by the rest of the Bragster team. The team agreed to donate £1,000 to the charity of Bodson's choice on successful completion of the dare. The money was donated to the Gorilla Organisation.
Acting on a dare by Bragster user 'whoareyou' to Bring the Bubbles, 'mr_bubble' filled the fountains at Trafalgar Square with washing up liquid, causing the fountains to fill up with foam. The stunt was covered by multiple national papers.
Before Christmas 2008, Bragster projected an image of a working credit card in central London, with £10,000 in credit. The 10 ft image was projected on the side of the Bank of England and a corner of Kensington High Street. Londoners who found the card were invited to spend the money on whatever they wanted.
FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
's projection of a naked picture of Gail Porter
Gail Porter
Gail Porter is a Scottish television presenter.- Life and career :Porter attended Portobello High School. She studied a BTEC HND in Media Production at West Herts College...
on the side of the Houses of Parliament in 1999 was subverted by Bragster ten years after the original stunt by projecting a nude man on the side of the Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
.
In June 2009, Bragster offered £200 for the first person to hit British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP) leader Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
with ethnic food, as a reaction to the political leader getting pelted with eggs by political opponents. As of yet, no one has claimed the prize.
Most recently, in December 2009 Bragster repeated their "Christmas Cash Giveaway", throwing thousands of pounds worth of five-pound notes mixed with fake Bragster-branded notes out of a shop window on London's Carnaby St.
Competitors
Several similar sites have been announced or launched. These include:- ibeatyou
- MakeaDare
- DareMeTo
- darebusters
- JustDareIt
- Bragandare
- imissionyou