Zwinky Launches Prepaid Network

Zwinky, home to more than 13 million avatars, today announced the availability of Zwinky Gift Cards in retail stores nationwide through a partnership with GMG Entertainment. Zwinky Gift Cards are a fun and easy way to add ZBucks, Zwinky's virtual currency, to a user's account without using a credit card. Zwinky Gift Cards are available in $10, $15, and $25 increments and are easily redeemed at Zwinky.com for virtual items sold in Zwinky, including brand-name shoes, a virtual dorm room, and a huge selection of fun furniture -- from comfy beds to aquariums -- to decorate that room in style. The $15 and $25 Zwinky Gift Cards also include a bonus -- access to an exclusive "super power" for purchasers' Zwinky avatar. Super powers provide the ability for an avatar to travel within the Zwinky virtual world using a jetpack, magic carpet, carnival balloons or super propeller. For each additional gift card purchased, another super power is unlocked. "With the introduction of our virtual ecommerce program last year, we've seen significant interest from our users wanting to purchase premium items inside Zwinky," said John Park, President of IAC Consumer Applications and Portals, the parent company of Zwinky. "Partnering with GMG to sell Zwinky Gift Cards in retail stores was the next logical step to feeding our users' appetites for the latest in virtual entertainment, fashion and music." The Zwinky gift card program is now available at Target stores nationwide, with additional retail outlets planned for the near future.
GMG Entertainment CEO Rob Goldberg echoes the excitement of the Zwinky/GMG partnership, saying, "We are delighted to have the opportunity to join forces with Zwinky and introduce their exploding virtual world to many more consumers across the country through gift cards. We're excited to help Zwinky capture some of the billions of dollars of gift-card giving that has up until now been unavailable to their virtual world. Zwinky has generated a great amount of buzz with their virtual world site and it's an ideal fit for us to utilize our relationships and marketing prowess to showcase and monetize their brand in an entirely new way."