So, Uh, I Got a Condom in the Invitation Parcel from ‘Buy Me A Drink’ App

People are getting creative with their marketing tactics, because essentially you need to be different to stand out from the crowd. Some adopt interesting methods, and it especially impresses me when companies adopt snail mail or parcels to send invitations when they can easily use email instead. But it also took me by surprise when I – uh – got a condom in the parcel sent to me. Well, sex sells. That’s why, perhaps, I’m writing this post. I received an invitation parcel from the team behind the Buy Me a Drink app, which included a packet of mint sweets, painkillers for the next day’s hangover, a mirror to practice looking cool, and yes, a condom to practice safe sex.

I first met Silvana Carpanelli-Hayes, founder and “chief party officer” of Buy Me a Drink (let’s just say BMD for short) a couple of months back but only reconnected after receiving news of her startup launch in Singapore. It’s a location-based social networking tool for you party chicks who want to hook up with that hot dude sitting across from you.

BMD is made specially for girls (which explains why our Willis didn’t get the parcel and I got it), to get guys to buy the drinks that the girls want. It helps you to find the people whom you might find cute, provided they have the BMD app as well, in the dimly-lit clubs and pubs (who might possibly look different under real sunlight) and know a little more information about them before approaching face-to-face.

Upon signing up, you can list out certain public information about yourself, such as your status, gender interested in, and your favourite drinks. After that, you can check-in to that particular location by hitting the “I’m Thirsty” button, to allow other people to easily search for you within the club, pub, or any cafe. You can also send real-time messages to the other BMD users, which facilitates communication even before meeting each other.

I haven’t got the chance to put this app into use yet, and was told to try it out during their launch which will be held later today at 8pm in Singapore. Based on the videos on YouTube about the BMD app, it sounds like it can really help with hooking up… But hey, they’re asking users to hook up responsibly too.

And oh, so in case you’re heading to party this Easter weekend in the hope of hooking up with someone using the app, it’s available on iOS, Android, and Blackberry via the download links on the Buy Me a Drink homepage.