The Great Gatsby was always one of my favorite novels. Do you remember the theme – about the disillusionment of the American Dream? Gatsby had such a sensational, idealistic heart, but he loved the girl who was married to old money. He hosted party after party hoping that one day she’d happen upon his scene and be impressed with his self-made fortune. Maybe, just maybe, his fortune would buy her love.
If only Gatsby had an iPhone with the Party Crashers app. The rewrite would give F. Scott Fitzgerald goose bumps. Modern day Gatsby wants to meet the girl, but how? He downloads the Party Crashers app and connects with facebook friends. He knows the girl hangs out with some of his friends, so he indicates that he’s hosting a party at his West Egg mansion and – it’s crashable. Daisy sees that Tom, Jordan, and her other friends are going and bringing bathing suits, so she requests to “crash the party”. Gatsby accepts and asks for her drink and music preferences.
Besides creating amazing story lines, the Party Crashers app hopes to stand out among the 696,054 other active Apple apps available for download today. My Web Writers caught up with Keith Bansemer, who helped to manage Party Crashers’ development, and asked him to answer a few questions about the app’s purpose, development, and marketing:
1. What is the Party Crashers App?
Party Crashers gives party hosts the option of creating events that are either private or public. Those invited to attend are asked to hype the party in advance by sharing a rating about their excitement for the party to start. Party goers flip through party details to see which of their friends are attending, what their favorite drinks are, what to wear, what kind of music will be played, activities at the party, and more. Party hosts are able to manage their RSVPs and review the party profiles of their guests.
For those not invited to a party listed as crashable, a Party Crasher app user can send a personal message to the party host and request an invite to crash the party. If the crash request is accepted, directions and a map to the party will be made available. A positive response is an open invitation to join the fun as a party crasher and meet new friends.
By applying gold “Celebrity Spotting” stars in the app, attendees alert others when celebrities make appearances at parties.
Details of what is happening at a party can be shared on other social platforms including Facebook and Twitter.
Party Crashers displays five main menu options including My Parties, Plan Party, Find Party, Account, and fellow Party Crashers’ Alerts. When the party is over, attendees rate each party and provide feedback through the Morning After Report noting what happened at the party.
2. Who came up with Party Crashers and why do you think it’ll be successful?
Shep Moyle, who owns the party supplies store, Shindigz, is Party Crashers’ idea guy. He co-founded Party Crashers with his children – Madison, Chase, Max, (who are all under 21 years old) and his wife, Wendy Moyle. Shep’s driven to make life more fun for others. He loves the concept of friends moving beyond texting into actual, face-to-face interactions.
Party Crashers will be successful because it provides a way for people to discover, interact during, and rate parties in real time.
3. Tell us about the process involved in developing an app.
The app took almost a year to plan. The concept moved from an outline of app actions, wireframes, design mockups, navigation flowcharts, to FINALLY coding. After coding for Apple iOS, we move to Android, which uses different code. In the end, both platforms perform like twins.
4. How is Party Crashers using digital marketing?
Parties are social and the spreading the word about this app will be largely grassroots – just like Facebook started at one college and spread rapidly. We have college teams in place to spread the word about the app. Our enthusiastic twenty-something’s are planted on many US college campuses, right now.
Everyone in business holds a personal computer – their mobile device – with access to all the data in the world. Today, we live two lives, the one with the people we are physically with and the virtual life with people we are connected to anywhere on the planet. Party Crashers helps to take information about parties, including which ones are best, seeking Crashers, and have celebs, and invites people to gather. In the end, digital brings us back together to find good times, meet new people, celebrate, and create lasting memories.
We’ve done it with company meetings already. The employees have gathered at a “work party” like a training meeting and used the app to rate that gathering.
5. What makes content successful when marketing an app?
What’s nice about this app is that the users generate the content. They load the parties, spot the celebs, spread the news, and rate the parties. This content is valuable in real time for all looking for a party to crash.
6. Is Party Crashers marketing through other media?
We are using all social media channels. We’re also utilizing flyers, t-shirts, newspaper articles, interviews, and soon – some radio.
7. When will you know the app is successful?
When it becomes a “New & Noteworthy” app listed by Apple or a household name – the next Pinterest!
8. What advice would you give to those in charge of promoting an app?
Social media is key. Add links to your apps via all of the social media channels. Spread the word one-by-one. Seek the exponential tipping point where the number of app downloads hit the top of “trending” charts.
Party Crashers Lives the Dream
Somewhere there’s a rewrite of the American Dream or at least, the way the world parties, waiting to happen. The Moyle family is patiently waiting for Party Crashers to be discovered. Will the public love their app? Party Crashers could build a few, white picket fences.
Coincidentally, a new version of The Great Gatsby movie does come out May 2013, however if you have an iPhone, you can download the Party Crashers app today to create your own Gatsby/ Party Crashers moment this weekend.
~Jean
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