Nick Cifuentes

Thirsty?

In an economy that seems to be walking the plank at times, we can’t forget one recreation that will most likely NEVER be in trouble - alcohol (…aka drinking).

One website has grown to become a staple in the midst of chaos (little dramatic - I know), myopenbar.com, a Web site that lists where free drinks can be had across New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Honolulu, and Miami.

The site has been around since 2005, but is now attracting more listings, promotions, and readers then ever, despite a slumping economy, dying advertisement dollars and dwindling liquor sales at bars. The site’s founders, Seva Granik and Jason Fried, said that more bars and restaurants are eager to get their events listed, and drive customers through the doors. And the call for free drinks is always at a high cry - who doesn’t want to know where those will be!?

The website, myopenbar.com has more than 30,000 subscribers in the NY area, and many of those users are in the 20’s to 30’s demographic - the exact demographic liquor companies are chasing! The website grew from one city, to an additional five, which includes Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and Honolulu; they have attracted about 19,000 subscribers. Myopenbar.com has 30 employees, and capitalize on revenue through advertising (Scion and American Apparel are among them) and the consulting fees they collect for holding, marketing, and promoting events. Those events are noted on the website; otherwise, bars and liquor companies do not have to pay to be listed.

The website has been growing rapidly, and their mailing lists is only getting bigger. They also use Twitter to help drive traffic and push some of their listings as well.

In thinking of way to build a business - these guys are all about capitalizing where many others are falling short. Liquor sales are considered recession-proof, though a recent study by the Nielsen Company is suggesting that while sales at liquor stores have increased, people are going out to nightclubs and bars far less frequently. That is where a site like this can slide into that exact issue and help push attention toward the places to catch ‘free’ drinks! I can’t tell you how many times we avoid going out so we don’t rack up $300 bar tabs - (I am not cheap in any sense - but I tend to be smart with my money — sometimes :-))

The point is, these guys are on the brink to start making noise, and not just in NYC. Myopenbar.com needs to start experimenting with marketing on the social networks - be more aggressive with their Twitter account, build out a Facebook and MySpace page, consider some of the second level social networks as well - the demographic they chase live in these social networks on a daily basis. They should consider doing some ‘viral’ contests to help push influence onto the community users and draw up interest in that manner - utilizing YouTube, and then tie direct blogging & outreach into that - and start generating interest in that field as well.

I see so much opportunity here, it’s hard to not get excited about some of the things they could be doing. I look forward to seeing where these guys end up - hopefully Boston soon!

Fin.