Beer bottles unlock free online movies with a tap

Dutch beer brand Grolsch's Movie Unlocker service gives customers free access to on-demand video with just a clink of their bottle.

Combining product purchases with free promotional gifts can sometimes be more hassle than it’s worth — often requiring consumers to collect and send off coupons or enter a code online and hope someone else hasn’t already got there first. Now Dutch beer brand Grolsch wants to make enjoying a lager with a film easier, with it’s Movie Unlocker service that gives customers free access to on-demand video with a clink of their bottle.

Developed by Russian creative agency Heads and Hands, the campaign does away with manual codes and coupons and uses the physical beer bottle to unlock digital content. On each of the special bottles created for the marketing stunt is a Bluetooth beacon, located on the underside of the cap. When the bottle is cracked open, a code stored on the device is verified, giving users access to view one of a range of videos available on the Movie Unlocker site. After they’ve chosen a film, they simply tap the bottle to their device — whether it’s a laptop, tablet or smartphone — and the content is wirelessly unlocked for a one-time viewing.

The campaign adds a seamless but tangible element to gifting digital content, requiring consumers to enjoy a beer alongside their chosen film. If they want to watch another movie, all they have to do is crack open another beer.

Watch the video below for more information about the technology:

Although the service is a campaign to promote Grolsch beer, the technology used for the initiative could be adopted by other companies who want to seamlessly link their online and offline products and give their customers something extra. Are there use cases for this kind of user interaction in your industry?