Will Macy’s Parade App Succeed Where NYC Marathon App Failed?

Adrianne Jeffries — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:39:58 -0400

It's the era of disposable apps! New York-based MyCityWay just announced the release of the first official app for Android and iPhone that will supposedly enhance the experience of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The app is built to track the location of parade participants throughout the event, a feature similar to the core offerings of the New York City marathon app that crashed miserably after its servers were overloaded on the day of the event.

You can probably imagine that apps built to be used once at a specific time during a high-profile event in the city of New York might experience high traffic. Will MyCityWay learn from the mistakes of Map My Run, which created the paid NYC Marathon app that resulted in the company playing customer service defense?

One thing MyCityWay did differently: the parade apps are free, always a strong defense against criticism.

The app also purports to allow users to follow and share messages with Santa, marching bands and cheerleaders in the procession, download the "much-anticipated Line of March" at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and help users find restrooms, coffee shops, subway stations and weather.

Download the app? Let us know how it works on Turkey Day.

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Will Macy’s Parade App Succeed Where NYC Marathon App Failed?