At South Africa airport, yawns trigger free coffee for passengers

The Bye Bye Red Eye advertising campaign featured a machine delivering free coffees triggered by a yawn.

We’ve already seen Israel’s CupsTelAviv scheme enable coffee lovers to get unlimited cups through a paid subscription. But for jetlagged airplane passengers who need an instant hit, the Bye Bye Red Eye advertising campaign featured a machine delivering free coffees triggered by a yawn.

Developed by creative agency Joe Public for coffee brand Douwe Egberts, the scheme involved a typical coffee-dispensing machine with a twist – there was no way to pay for a drink. Instead, the device was fitted with facial recognition technology that could detect when passersby started to yawn. The machine then instantly began to pour a free cup of coffee. The initiative targeted tired airport customers at the moment they most needed the product, offering exposure for the brand at a point when consumers may be most receptive. The video below offers more information about the campaign:

Although a temporary marketing campaign, could a similar machine offer the basis for a business – offering consumers discounts or free products when they need them most?

Spotted by: Murray Orange