Toronto-based start-up Party Buzz is building a social media site that connects brands with party hosts to create in-home experiential marketing experiences. The site, launching mid-September, allows people to sign up for and opt in to be party hosts for a variety of themed parties, sponsored by various brands or companies.
The first series of parties, launching Oct. 3, has Van Houtte, Saputo and Hasbro stepping into the homes of 500 party hosts, all targeting the 30-to-45 demo. Van Houtte will be supplying K-cups of coffee, Hasbro will offer its newest edition of Trivial Pursuit, and Saputo will give coupons for its International Delight creamers. In addition, Party Buzz will also supply the hosts with recipes as well as magazines and party packs (sent in the mail) about a week before the party.
To be a host, visitors must sign up at the website and fill out a survey. If deemed suitable for the particular party for which they are applying, they’ll gain access to the Party Buzz Central area of the site, where they’ll gain info on the party theme, FAQs and a forum area to interact with guests. ‘We’ll be filtering based on the survey responses,’ Mark Orlan, VP of technology at Party Buzz, tells MiC. ‘We can assess how socially active they are. We want to make sure that these people will deliver, that they’re outgoing, that they’re leader types and that they’ll follow through on having the party.’
Guests are invited to the parties through the site via e-mail. To respond, guests must register on the site and fill out a survey that covers everything from basic demographic questions to spending habits. Collected information on all the guests and hosts is fed back to the sponsoring brand as a content-rich database, along with website analytics and data on how much buzz a brand’s party sponsorship has created.
