Launch AuditCommerceConnect Final Readout · Ready for reviewWhere2 Marketing & Launch Audit
Connecting product readiness, market focus, audience development, and launch execution.
The working hub for the audit: the approach, where things stand, what we’re reviewing, findings as they emerge, and final recommendations.
Prepared by CommerceConnect for Cort, Trey & HarrisonAudit approach
Four stages, from understanding where Where2 is today to a prioritized plan for the next 90 days.
Current-State Review
What is in place today across marketing, product, audience, providers, and team.
Market + Competitive Assessment
How Where2 compares, and what the launch market really requires.
Findings + Opportunity Analysis
Gaps, strengths, and where effort and budget can do the most.
Recommendations + 30/60/90-Day Priorities
A practical, prioritized path forward.
The review covers:
Audit status
Current stage: Final Readout
- 01
Intake / Access
Complete - 02
Current-State Review
Complete - 03
Competitive Review
Complete - 04
Findings
Complete - 05
Recommendations
Complete - 06
Final Readout
Ready for review
Open dependency
DAMCO no longer owns Where2’s marketing execution. Current content is being handled internally by the Where2 team with support from a content creator. Historical DAMCO strategy and research materials have been provided for review. Website analytics and clarification of any remaining DAMCO responsibilities, fees and current provider scope are still pending. These items may refine current-state and execution recommendations, but they do not change the core launch strategy or primary findings.
What I’m evaluating
The core audit questions. These are open questions, not conclusions.
Is the current $4,500/month spend aligned to measurable launch goals?
Is the current marketing mix appropriate for this stage?
Is Where2 differentiated clearly enough from competitors?
Is the launch-market approach right?
Is enough audience demand being built before launch?
Are venue and creator relationships being used effectively?
Are roles, responsibilities, and outside-provider ownership clear?
Where should Where2 focus time and budget over the next 90 days?
Detailed findings, recommendations, proposed launch approaches, investment considerations, and the prioritized 30/60/90-day action plan.
Information requested
An overview of the intake, grouped by area. The team provides the information itself in the private Audit Intake.
Please do not create anything new specifically for the audit. If an item does not currently exist, simply note that. Understanding what is and is not currently in place is part of the assessment.
Current Marketing / Agency Support5 items
- Current agreement, SOW, proposal, or documentation showing what the approximately $4,500/month engagement covers
- Other active marketing, development, PR, social, advertising, or consulting agreements
- Current monthly spend by provider/channel, if available
- Recent deliverables, reports, recommendations, or status updates
- Work currently underway or already approved but not yet delivered
Marketing Strategy & Materials6 items
- Existing marketing, launch, or go-to-market plans
- Brand strategy, positioning, messaging, and audience/persona work
- Content and social media plans/calendars
- Paid advertising plans or campaigns
- PR, influencer/creator, event, grassroots, or partnership plans
- Previous research, recommendations, presentations, or strategy work
Competition & Market6 items
- Competitors Where2 currently considers most relevant
- Existing competitive research or analysis
- Apps/platforms viewed as direct competitors, indirect competitors, or useful models
- Current thinking on what differentiates Where2
- Competitor features, positioning, pricing, partnerships, or marketing approaches that have influenced Where2
- Market research, surveys, interviews, user research, or other validation completed to date
Website, Waitlist & Audience6 items
- Website/CMS access, if appropriate
- GA4 or other website analytics access
- Current waitlist/email list size and acquisition sources, where available
- Email/CRM platform access or exports
- Existing automated emails or communications
- Available engagement and conversion data
Social & Digital5 items
- Links to all Where2 social accounts
- Access to platform analytics/insights
- Paid-media accounts and historical campaign results
- Current audience/follower numbers
- Existing content performance reporting
Product & Launch6 items
- Current product/app status and expected launch timing
- Major remaining milestones or dependencies
- Current thinking around NYC versus NYC + Dallas
- Beta/testing plans and available feedback/results
- App demos, screenshots, prototypes, feature documentation, or access to the current build
- App Store/Google Play plans, if established
Venues, Creators & Partnerships5 items
- Existing and prospective venue relationships
- Creator/influencer relationships
- Community, event, media, PR, university, nightlife, or other strategic relationships
- Existing partnership/outreach materials
- Agreements, commitments, or discussions already underway
Budget & Commitments4 items
- Expected launch marketing budget
- Expected ongoing monthly marketing budget, if established
- Existing contracts and financial commitments
- Prepaid media, sponsorships, events, creator commitments, or other planned spending
Team & Responsibilities4 items
- Current internal team and responsibilities
- Who owns marketing, social, content, partnerships, PR, paid media, product/app development, analytics, and related activities
- Responsibilities of the current outside provider versus the internal team
- Additional resources expected to be added before launch
Anything Else1 item
- Additional context, files, links, background information, or materials the team thinks John should see
Initial observations to validate
Preliminary items noted from the public-facing experience. These are not audit findings. Each will be validated or revised based on the information received during the audit.
Social / venue disconnect
Under reviewObservation
The current social presence does not appear meaningfully connected to bars, venues, creators, or nightlife organizations in the cities being discussed for launch.
Why it matters
For a nightlife discovery product, those relationships are more than social activity. They can become distribution channels, content sources, credibility signals, data sources, partnerships, and part of the launch engine.
Audit focus
Determine how venue relationships, creators, local communities, and social participation should be developed before and during launch.
App-store conversion issue
Under reviewObservation
Current App Store and Google Play calls to action lead to non-functioning or unavailable download paths.
Why it matters
Someone interested enough to try the product should not hit a dead end. It creates unnecessary friction and can weaken confidence in the overall experience.
Audit focus
Review the complete customer journey. Until downloads are available, calls to action should accurately communicate current availability.
Social / website / email → interest → waitlist or download → onboarding → first useful experience
Waitlist / email continuity
Under reviewObservation
Communication after joining the waitlist does not yet create a strong reason to stay engaged over time.
Messaging that mainly says the product is still coming, or that updates will be limited, risks making the brand itself feel paused.
Why it matters
Someone interested today may forget about Where2 long before launch. The waitlist should become an active pre-launch audience, not just a collection of email addresses.
Audit focus
Evaluate a focused pre-launch nurture strategy that could include:
Messaging continuity
Under reviewObservation
Website, product messaging, email, social, waitlist, and launch communications need to function as one connected customer journey.
Why it matters
A consumer should be able to answer:
- What is Where2?
- Why should I care now?
- What can I do today?
- What happens next?
Audit focus
Review the consumer-facing message architecture and identify where messaging, expectations, calls to action, and timing need better alignment.
Strategic areas being evaluated
Areas discussed so far. None are conclusions yet — each will be marked confirmed once supported by findings.
Launch readiness
Being evaluatedNYC vs. NYC + Dallas
Being evaluatedAudience growth
Being evaluatedVenue strategy
Being evaluatedCreator / influencer strategy
Being evaluatedPaid media
Being evaluatedOrganic / social
Being evaluatedBudget efficiency
Being evaluatedCurrent provider evaluation
Being evaluated30 / 60 / 90-day planning
Being evaluatedA strong product vision needs a clear launch-day promise.
The current Where2 story describes a broad future-state experience:
The audit is organizing that story into:
Available at Launch
What users can reliably experience on day one.
Needs Validation
Capabilities that depend on user activity, venue participation, reliable data, or operational processes.
Roadmap
Valuable future capabilities that do not need to carry the initial launch story.
Features are not assigned yet — that will follow the product and launch review.
Where2 becomes more valuable as the network becomes more active.
“The launch challenge is not simply driving downloads. Enough activity has to exist within the market for the product to feel useful when those users arrive.”
The customer journey
Social, website, waitlist, email, app availability, and product experience can’t be treated as unrelated tactics.
Discover
- Social
- Creator
- Venue
- Word of mouth
- Community
Understand
- Website
- Messaging
- Content
Stay connected
- Waitlist
- Early access
Activate
- Download
- Onboarding
- First useful experience
Return
- Utility
- Friends
- Venues
- Nightlife activity
Final deliverable
Where2 Marketing & Launch Audit
CommerceConnect will deliver a concise written audit suitable for internal alignment and execution planning.
A final readout call of up to 60 minutes will walk through the findings, answer questions, and discuss next steps.
- Summarize where Where2 is today
- Document key observations
- Connect existing product, brand, website, social, email, and GTM work
- Identify immediate priorities, gaps, and dependencies
- Recommend a practical market and launch approach
- Evaluate relevant investment considerations
- Provide a prioritized 30 / 60 / 90-day action plan
30 / 60 / 90-day priorities
30 Days
Immediate priorities
60 Days
Build + validate
90 Days
Launch / learn / optimize
Specific actions, sequencing, ownership, and priorities will be defined by the audit findings.
This engagement is focused on assessment, recommendations, and launch planning. Execution, implementation, campaign management, paid media, creative production, or technology development would be scoped separately based on the audit findings.
Where we go from here
We’re gathering information and access now. Findings will be added here as the review progresses.
Share intake items and access
Current-state + competitive review
Findings + recommendations
Final readout + 30/60/90 plan
From content about nightlife → content from nightlife
Social can promote Where2 today. The larger opportunity may be for social to increasingly reflect what is actually happening through the Where2 ecosystem.
The question is whether participation around the product can be created before and during launch, not just a stronger posting calendar.
A hypothesis under evaluation, not a predetermined strategy.