Ghost-O-Meter: The Joke App That Turned an Agency Into an App Studio
Role: Concept, design & development
Company: Burns Marketing Communications
When: 2011–2012
Recognition: 2012 Art Directors Club of Denver (Social Media)
Introduction
When I arrived at Burns Marketing, the agency didn’t make apps. It made logos, websites, brochures, and campaigns — good ones — but “we build mobile apps” was not something it could say to a client. The fastest way to change that wasn’t a pitch deck. It was to ship something. So I designed and built a “ghost detector” called the Ghost-O-Meter — and it went further than anyone expected.
1. The Idea
A ghost detector that took itself just seriously enough
The Ghost-O-Meter is exactly what it sounds like: open the app and a vintage, steampunk gauge swings as it “detects” paranormal activity, complete with a P.K.E. needle and a ghost counter. I gave it brass fittings, scratched leather, and a warm, haunted glow, so the craft sells the illusion. The more believable it looked, the more engaging and more shareable it became.
2. It Went Viral
Users took it seriously
The app found an audience we never could have planned for. People made earnest “field test” videos — wandering cemeteries and old buildings, app in hand, narrating their hunts for the camera. And the App Store reviews became a genre of their own:
”It really works. I went in my room, turned off the lights, and the spike went up — I found 11 ghosts in 1 minute. It saved my life.”
”Me and my dad put two fingers on each side of our iPad. I told it, ‘if anyone is out there, move the pillow.’ We sat there for five minutes. Then it suddenly moved! SO FREAKY!!!!! GET IT!!!”
The app delivered genuine delight (and spookiness) that people couldn’t help but talk about. The app gave people a prop for a story they wanted to tell.
By the time the popularity of Ghost-O-Meter peaked it had reached the #1 spot in the entertainment category in 6 countries and the top 10 overall in 5 countries.
3. It Won an Award
Recognition for the agency
The Ghost-O-Meter wasn’t just a viral curiosity — it earned Burns a 2012 Art Directors Club of Denver award in the Social Media category. For a small agency, an awarded, in-the-wild hit was proof that creative risk-taking could pay off.
4. The Real Payoff
A new capability, proven in public
The lasting result wasn’t the downloads or even the award. It was that Burns could now credibly say it built apps — because one was live on the App Store and the Android Market, it worked, people loved it, and it had won recognition. The Ghost-O-Meter established mobile app development as a real competency at an agency that hadn’t sold a single app before it. The client app work that followed — tradeshow apps for the likes of Baxa and Cognizant — stood on the foundation that my ghost detector laid.
Conclusion
Ghost-O-Meter is a reminder that the best way to prove you can do something is to do it — visibly, and with enough craft and attention to detail that people want to share it. A simple well-executed concept turned into an award, a small viral moment, and a new line of business. Not bad for a ghost detector.