By Jeffrey Buck

Chevy took Super Bowl commercials to the next level this year by offering fans a chance to win prizes by using an app, Chevy Game Time, for their smartphone. The app, developed by Detroit based Detroit Labs, was available on both the Android Market and Apple’s App Store.

Detroit Labs, an eight-month-old startup, creates web, iOS and Android applications for businesses ranging from local startups to Fortune 500 companies. The first-of-its-kind app was used to five away thousands of prizes, including new cars, to viewers of the NFL’s big game. The app engaged consumers through trivia, polls and drawings for 20 cars from Chevy and thousands of other prizes from other game sponsors.

The choice to select Detroit Labs was easy because of their experience and connection with the city Chevrolet calls home, Detroit.

“It’s been great to work with another Detroit-based company to bring this first of its kind initiative to people across the country,” said Joel Ewanick, vice president, Global Marketing, General Motors. “Detroit Labs has an experienced team that helped Chevy bring a great idea to life with the Chevy Game Time app.”

The task of creating the app wasn’t necessarily a walk in the park and took several meetings for weeks to get it right. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Chevrolet’s advertising agency, and Chevy representatives made frequent visits to Detroit Labs’ downtown offices to collaborate on the project. While GSP was responsible for the look and feel of the  app, it was Detroit Laps behind the development.

“It was exciting to partner with the talented teams at Goodby and Chevy. Their commitment to this project’s success, and to keeping work in Detroit, made the end result possible,” said Paul Glomski, CEO and co-founder of Detroit Labs.

Detroit Laps wasn’t the only Michigan company tapped to help, ePrize, the largest interactive promotion agency in the world, was also brought on to handle the instant win prize drawings. Detroit Labs calls the newly renovated M@dison Building home. It is one of many startups to receive an investment from Detroit Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that also calls the M@dison home.

“Company co-founders Paul Glomski, Dan Ward, Henry Balanon and Nathan Hughes could have taken their startup to Silicon Valley, Chicago, or one of many other entrepreneurial hot-spots in the country,” said Josh Linkner, CEO and Managing Partner of Detroit Venture Partners. “Instead the four were eager to stay in Detroit so they could do their part to help develop an innovative, tech-focused urban core where people want to live, work and play.”

“In any other city we would have been one of thousands of startups just hoping to get noticed,” said Ward. “Here, we’re helping rebuild downtown and getting noticed by big companies that are also committed to Detroit.”