How do you get people talking about “just another app” with zero awareness in a saturated industry in the most crowded media environment in the world, New York?

Easy. Just piss them off.

Instead of assaulting NYC with a (nonexistent) $50 million budget, BARTRENDr — the new app that lets you share and compare vibes at various bars — launched a series of outlandish bar concepts that got people talking in real life.

With physical locations in high-traffic areas, Gestations (NYC’s only pregnant women's bar) and Black Box (bar for on-duty pilots) promoted themselves the way any bar would — invite people to join the conversation on BARTRENDr.

“People are talking on BARTRENDr” stickers on the installations got NYC to not only download BARTRENDr, but experience other conversations that were taking place in the app around real bars.

Some people were mad. Most people laughed. A lot of people downloaded. Everybody talked.

We created Gestations — New York’s first bar for pregnant women.

We rented a space in the East Village, painted the windows with our signage and applied for a liquor license.

Gestations promoted itself the way any bar would — invite people to join the conversation on BARTRENDr with “People are talking on BARTRENDr” messaging.

A digital Times Square billboard stopped tourists and locals in their tracks (and drove them to download BARTRENDr).

Once BARTRENDr was downloaded they were able to experience other conversations that were taking place in the app around real bars.

Millions of media impressions, over 100,000 app downloads, and one request to do a reality TV show in the first few months.

Major media outlets from New York to Los Angeles and as far away as the UK, Spain and Italy picked up the story. “The Octomom of marketing” was even featured in New York Magazine next to Kim and Kanye’s co-cleavage, forever cementing BARTRENDr’s status in pop culture.

The campaign also created immediate interest in the app from multiple venture capitalist firms.