A Bulgarian advertising firm has recently launched the Amstel Pause campaign, a vending machine that gives away beer when people stand idle in front of it for a specific length of time. Surrounded by premiere-worthy velvet ropes to invite consumers in and using motion detectors to sense the idleness of these consumers, it is the world’s first vending machine that will give away beer in exchange for doing literally nothing.
The campaign designers of Amstel Pause, Next Digital Creative Agency, created the vending machine to remind people of the benefits of taking a break now and then, a public exhibit that actually personifies the adage “good things come to those who wait.” In the video below, Amstel marketers explain that sometimes, “you need a little inspiration to take that 3-minute break from the office.”
Here’s how the installation works: Upon coming up to the vending machine, you are instructed to stand in one spot and push a big, red button. This big red button rings a bell, and starts the timer. Participants must remain still for three minutes—any gesture at all triggers the vending machine’s motion sensors and resets the timer. But after participants are successfully idle and still for three minutes, they are rewarded with a lovely can of Amstel beer.
Amstel Pause’s vending machine isn’t the first campaign or installation to make use of motion sensors, but it is one of the funnier ways of advertising with them that we’ve seen in recent years. Not only will participants be delighted with their free can of beer, they also get to slow down and pause for a solid three minutes, an incredible rarity in today’s busy, busy world of lightning-fast technology and information.
Source: Discovery.com
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