If someone told you that you could control a vending machine with your mind, would you believe them? Honestly?
Would you be tempted by an opportunity to test it for yourself?
A recent stunt took to the streets of New York, stopping passers-by in their tracks by providing a fantastic technology-led experience.
To promote the launch of its new instant messaging app Allo, tech giant Google created a vending machine that worked through brain power. Yes, really!
The theme of the machine was based on the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things. The activation placed an emphasis on Allo’s unique emoticons, which includes a very special collection based on the hugely popular TV show.
Intrigued participants donned a helmet with built-in electrode signals, and were told to concentrate and focus on something. Their concentration level determined how many lights lit up, and therefore which prize was won.
The interactive vending machine was part of the one-day ‘scavenger hunt’ that encouraged fans of the show to use Google Assistant to reveal the location on the vending machine. It proved to be very popular and consumers were even willing to wait in a very long queue for their chance to be involved in this highly memorable experience.
This certainly isn’t the first experiential vending machine that we have been particularly impressed with. Far from it. The combination of latest technology and a healthy dose of imagination allows vending machines to be transformed into attention-grabbing brand activations. Nike and Coca-Cola are just two big names that have used this tactic to great effect recently.
Expect many, many more famous brands to follow this trends in 2017…