- Versus Systems, a leading provider of gamification and audience engagement technology, integrates Drinkfinger into its growing product marketing offerings.
- Drinkfinger uses QR-enabled beverage carriers to connect live-event attendees with mobile games, rewards and branded content.
- The company is targeting Latin American markets, where sports and entertainment events provide potential venues for interactive audience engagement.
- Versus’ Winfinite platform offers customizable web-based games that brands can use in promotional campaigns.
- Its Filter Fan Cam product brings augmented-reality effects into live venue experiences, creating additional sponsorship opportunities.
- Management also discussed the relationship between artificial intelligence and cybersecurity as Versus considers the future of its digital engagement ecosystem.
Versus Systems (NASDAQ: VS), a leading provider of gamification and audience engagement technology, is expanding its audience-engagement strategy through Drinkfinger, a QR-enabled beverage carrier initiative that links live-event attendees to interactive digital experiences. CEO Luis Goldner and members of the company’s leadership team outlined the initiative, its Latin American expansion plans and the company’s approach to artificial intelligence during a recent appearance on IBN’s Stock2Me Podcast.
The discussion focused on how Versus can turn a routine concession purchase into an entry point for digital interaction. Through Drinkfinger, fans scan a QR code on a beverage carrier to access games, promotional offers and event-related content on their phones. The approach is designed to reduce the steps between encountering a brand at a venue and participating in a digital campaign. According to the company, users can access these experiences through a web browser without downloading a dedicated application.
Drinkfinger is intended to extend Versus Systems’ existing software platform into physical event environments. The sustainable four-cup carrier provides a visible QR code that can connect consumers to a digital experience while they are attending a sporting event, concert or festival.
David Catzel, Versus’ chief transformation officer, described how a scan could launch a game tied to the event taking place around the attendee. Possible formats include trivia, prediction games, instant-win promotions and augmented-reality filters.
For brands and venues, the model offers a potential way to encourage participation beyond traditional signage or advertising displayed on screens. It also creates an opportunity to measure activity from the initial QR scan through subsequent interactions, subject to the company’s implementation and data-collection practices.
Versus is pursuing opportunities in Latin America, with management identifying the region’s live-event culture as a reason to introduce the initiative there. Flavio Maria, the company’s general manager for Latin America, joined Goldner and other executives in discussing the strategy. Brazil and Mexico were highlighted as markets where football matches, concerts and festivals could provide relevant settings for interactive promotions.
“LATAM is the perfect place to launch because it’s one of the most passionate live-event markets in the world,” Goldner said. “When people attend a football match, a concert or a festival in Brazil or Mexico, they’re not just spectators; they’re fully immersed in the experience. That’s exactly where Drinkfinger shines. It transforms something people already do, which is buying a drink, into an interactive digital experience. With one simple QR scan, fans unlock rewards, games, exclusive content and deeper engagement. Versus provides the technology to bring that whole experience to life.”
The region offers potential access to large live audiences, but converting that opportunity into a durable business will require partnerships with venues, event organizers and brands. Deployment will also depend on local commercial arrangements and the ability to deliver campaigns that appeal to attendees.
Marisol Casariego, head of partnerships for North America, and Hans Pasricha, head of products, also participated in the podcast. Their involvement reflects the cross-functional requirements of the initiative, which combines a physical product with software, promotional content and reward distribution.
Drinkfinger sits alongside Versus Systems’ existing products, including Winfinite and Filter Fan Cam.
Winfinite is the company’s gamified marketing platform, offering a library of customizable web-based games for promotional campaigns. Brands and content partners can use formats such as sports games, trivia and puzzles to encourage participation, with rewards that may include discounts, prizes or sweepstakes entries.
The platform is designed to reduce the development work required to launch campaigns. Its potential applications include digital promotions as well as activations tied to live events, where sponsors seek ways to make audience participation more interactive.
Filter Fan Cam takes a different approach. The product uses augmented-reality effects and visual overlays to enhance live camera feeds, allowing fans to appear on venue screens or in event coverage with branded effects. The company has previously described deployments at sports venues, including Globe Life Field during Texas Rangers home games. Such applications illustrate how interactive technology can be incorporated into existing event production and sponsorship activities.
Together, the products give Versus several ways to connect audiences with brands. Drinkfinger adds a physical point of entry, while Winfinite and Filter Fan Cam provide different types of digital interaction.
The podcast also addressed management’s view of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Goldner argued that as AI becomes more embedded in business systems and digital infrastructure, security needs to be considered alongside the adoption of new technology.
“As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded across business and critical digital infrastructure, cybersecurity can no longer be treated as a separate consideration,” Goldner said. “AI creates tremendous opportunities, but it also introduces new and increasingly sophisticated risks. We believe the future requires bringing AI innovation and cybersecurity together—helping organizations adopt advanced technologies while protecting the data, systems, and infrastructure they depend on.”
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.VersusSystems.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to VS are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/VSI
