Interview with Ranee Chung of the Open Bar App
Finding a place to drink in a city like Hong Kong seems like a no-brainer. But when we’re given too many options to choose from, we tend to crumble under the pressure and end up at the usual haunts. Mercury Media Limited has fixed the bar-hopping-local’s problem by creating the Open Bar HK app for iPhones. Using your location to let you know about the closet bars and happy hours, the free app with over 700 bars listed also gives you a rundown of events at bars and clubs. Charmaine Mirandilla chats with the founder and CEO of Mercury Media, Ranee Chung about apps and social media.
HK Magazine: Can you please tell us more about Mercury Media? Is the Open Bar app the company’s first project?
Ranee Chung: Mercury Media Limited is a new media company. The company focuses on producing the latest trends in mobile apps and website platforms, plus bringing the best of the west and collaborating with the best of the east in new media. We are based in Hong Kong, with local and New York partners. Open Bar HK is currently the company’s focus. We previously developed a food photo sharing app called Eatformation, which is in beta version, for the Asia market.
HK: How did you come up with the idea and name for Open Bar?
RC: After Eatformation, we thought about an app that involved drinks. [We researched the market and found] there was nothing useful that was related to drinks, bars and nightlife in Hong Kong. There it was, an opportunity to create an awesome app for Hong Kong locals and tourists visiting from all over the world.
When I started, “Drinkformation” seemed to be a natural name idea, but it was a bit too serious. Hence, Open Bar seemed to be a great name since it means free drinks and the app is free. At first I was struggling [because] I didn’t—and did—want people to relate to Open Rice (a popular directory of Hong Kong restaurants). [We conducted a survey with] some people from Hong Kong if they understood the term “open bar;” half of them didn’t. We still decided to use it because I intended to build this brand that can grow internationally.
HK: How did you guys come up with the features like the happy hour finder and countdown?
RC: I wanted the app to be more than just a directory - it should be a useful tool with cool features. After brainstorming with my wonderful frequent bar-going marketing team, Julien Hauss (a brilliant party-lover, expat), and Ray Tang (a creative local insider); we added these cool features like the unique “Happy Hour Locator” with [a] real-time countdown function. Using the built-in camera feature from Eatformation, we [have] added the “Live Photo” feature so users could check out where the action was happening right at that very moment. On top of these unique features, we wanted to provide exclusive coupon discounts and freebies for Open Bar HK users only. They can check-in and share these great offers with their friends. Additionally, users can locate their friends and find out where they are having a blast.
HK: Open Bar uses a lot of social media. How would you say social media has influenced your creation and promotion of the app?
RC: Social media is the most important tool used in our marketing strategy. It is how we first got attention from the public when releasing the app. Connecting with Twitter influencers in Hong Kong, such as Casey Lau (@hypercasey), [meant we were able to get] the message out about Open Bar since the idea was seen as new and innovative.
[The app] can be described as a social media platform itself. We aim to connect the community of bar goers. Users can exchange, like, favorite, rate, and comment about the bars they like while even helping each other spot in real-time where the action is happening through the “Live Photo” feature. Bar owners can also connect and interact with their customers through the platform, getting valuable feedback from them.