What to do When an Experimental App Becomes Huge?

Inside Facebook’s Justin Smith asks an important question about the success of Booze Mail, a Facebook application that allows users to send one another virtual drinks. What do you do when you experimental, brand extending Facebook application is a runaway hit?

Renkoo, the company behind Booze Mail is an online event management company. They never intended for Booze Mail to become a huge deal, but it now has over 3 million users.

Booze Mail has driven increased traffic to their original service. This in and of itself is good evidence that a brand extending application doesn’t need to hard connect with your core value proposition to be a solid marketing vehicle. But with 3 million users and counting, it’s hard not to think of Booze Mail as a revenue generator in and of itself.

My favorite idea was suggested by one of Smith’s commenters:

Talk to alcohol vendors about doing a specially branded drink for them for a fee. “The Absolut” martini, Captain Morgan, etc.

This is a great revenue generator that can also be tied back to the core service. If Absolut decided to sponsor a drink on Booze Mail, it would also make a great suggestion on Renkoo. Have a contest for the most creative photo taken of the custom drink in action at your Renkoo party and win a case of Absolut. The cross-promotional opportunities are endless.

Another good cross-promotion is to have a vendor sponsor a drink inventing contest via Booze Mail. The winning drink is a featured both on Booze Mail and at Renkoo and the winning mixologist gets some first rate tools for perfecting his or her craft.

All of this could simultaneously generate revenue, expand the Renkoo brand and keep Booze Mail interesting to Facebookers long past its predicted expiration.

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