China’s Top Check-In App Adds Branded Photo Filters

China’s top check-in app has long been doing social marketing, connecting big-name brands like Louis Vuitton with its youthful and urban user-base via things like virtual badges. But Jiepang is now trying something a bit different in the way of social marketing by adding branded photo filters to its check-in smartphone app.

Jiepang’s first sponsored photo filter (pictured below) is made in conjunction with skincare company Neutrogena. Rather than just slapping on a logo, the clever “sunshine” filter will pull in information for the user’s vicinity to show up the location, current temperature, and the angle of the sun. All that ties into the skincare brand’s line of sunscreen products. In addition, users of that special filter will unlock a redeemable virtual badge for special discounts on Neutrogena products at one store chain (Watsons) and on the online shop Tmall.

After running this promo for three weeks, Jiepang tells us today that it has seen 70,000 pictures uploaded with that filter, and those have been shared over 250,000 times on various social networks like Sina Weibo.

(See also: 25 of Asia’s Top Photo Apps to Take On Instagram)

Last summer we looked at how Tuding, an Instagram-like photo app and social network in China, was also rolling out branded photo filters for some of its partner brands like Adidas.

We also saw an amusing smart filter on the Chinese photo app Vida that tells you how bad the air quality is in the place where you took the photo. So if you’re shrouded in smog, you might want to try out Vida, but if you can actually see the sun (a rarity in Beijing), give the Foursquare-like Jiepang a try.