BU Students Vote: Groupon vs. LivingSocial

To me, Groupon vs. LivingSocial is the equivalent of the Pepsi vs. Coke wars and Apple vs. Microsoft saga.

What are Groupon and LivingSocial?

Groupon and LivingSocial are coupon-based companies that send users an email each morning featuring a local, business deal. Discounted vouchers range from 50-90% off restaurants, theaters, sporting events, spas, haircuts and more.

What are some differences between Groupon and LivingSocial?

1. Based in Chicago, Groupon pioneered the concept of using collective buying to get a daily deal on local goods and services. Headquartered in Washington DC, LivingSocial was founded as a social discovery and cataloging network company.
2. Groupon declined a $3 billion offer from Yahoo and $6 billion offer from Google, while LivingSocial received a $175 million investment from Amazon in December 2010.
3. As of December 2010, Groupon claimed more than 44 million subscribers while LivingSocial declared approximately 20 million members.

Groupon vs. LivingSocial: Super Bowl XLV Advertisements

Created by Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Groupon’s controversial pre and post-game spots:

Created by The Martin Agency, LivingSocial’s pre-game spot:  

Given all that information, which service do BU students prefer?

And the winner is…Groupon!