# Virtual Gifts Become Real Products Mars Celebrate Application on Facebook By Bianca | Published 2008-02-19 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mars-celebrate-facebook References: [siliconrepublic](http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single10284) [Facebook](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/facebook-debuts-at-stagecoach) users know that you can give your friends virtual gifts, but for the first time, there are gifts that can be redeemed in real life for real products. [Mars Snackfood UK](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-vending-machines) is the first marketer to use this product through an application called Celebrate. When users buy each other a virtual candy bar using [PayPal](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/molson-coors-santa), the recipient also receives a a voucher ID code on their cell phone which can be scanned in stores to redeem the real thing. "We are very excited to be involved with this new ground-breaking initiative with Facebook," said Sara Miles of Mars Snackfood UK. "It will drive traffic and incremental confectionery sales to our PayPoint retail partners in a way that is at the forefront of the digital revolution, whilst offering our consumers a different way of sending confectionery gifts to friends and family," she said. "As the boundaries between the virtual and real worlds are being increasingly blurred, our award-winning technology platform M BAR GO will allow users to buy each other sweets at the touch of a few buttons,” said Marc Lewis, founder and chairman of The Light Agency, the company who created the mobile voucher technology. I never understood the purpose of paying a dollar to buy your friends a computer graphic of a cupcake or even to send a free icon like a "naughty list" around Christmas, but this gift makes sense. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.5/10 - Popularity: 38% | Activity: 59% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Internet](https://www.trendhunter.com/internet) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Redeemable Virtual Gifts:** The trend of redeemable virtual gifts allows users to purchase virtual items that can be exchanged for real products, creating opportunities for businesses to drive sales and generate user engagement. - **Virtual-to-real Integration:** The integration of virtual and real worlds presents opportunities for disruptive innovation, as seen with the ability to send virtual candy bars that can be redeemed for physical products. - **Blurred Boundaries:** The blurring of boundaries between the virtual and real worlds opens up new possibilities for businesses to leverage technology and create unique experiences for consumers, such as buying sweets with a few button taps. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Social Media:** The social media industry can explore the trend of redeemable virtual gifts to enhance user engagement and monetize virtual interactions. - **E-commerce:** The e-commerce industry can capitalize on the virtual-to-real integration trend by offering virtual products that can be exchanged for real merchandise, driving sales and customer loyalty. - **Mobile Technology:** The mobile technology industry plays a crucial role in enabling the seamless redemption of virtual gifts for real products, creating opportunities for disruptive innovation in mobile payment and voucher technologies. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Virtual Chocolate Stores](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virtual-chocolate-store.md) - [Festive Personalized Candies](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/personalized-candies.md) - [Immersive Virtual Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/benemart-concept.md) - [Customization-Forward Valentine's Day Gifts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/customizable-gift.md) - [Digital Gift Creators](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gifts-qr.md) - [Spring Holiday Candy Gifts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mms-spring-gifts.md) - [AI-Powered Social Gifting Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-powered-social-gifting-app.md) - [Customizable Retail Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/personalized-offerings.md) - [Branded Collaboration Candy Gifts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/edible-arrangements-and-mms.md)