In Thailand, app alerts sleepy drivers and directs them to coffee outlets

The Drive Awake initiative is targeting drivers who show signs of sleepiness, directing them to the nearest Café Amazon-branded outlet to refresh.

Getting products to consumers at the exact moment they need it is an art in the marketing world, and we recently saw Douwe Egberts’ Bye Bye Red Eye campaign succeed at doing just that – automatically offering free coffee to passersby who yawned. Now Thailand’s Drive Awake initiative is targeting drivers who show signs of sleepiness, directing them to the nearest Café Amazon-branded outlet to refresh.

Working with BBDO Proximity Thailand, the coffee franchise developed a free app for iOS devices that could be used as an alert for those who often feel tired when they drive. Placed on the car’s dashboard or in a GPS device holder, the app uses eye-tracking technology to determine if the driver is falling asleep. If they are, an alarm is sounded to wake them up and the app then offers directions to the nearest Café Amazon branch based on their GPS location. There, they can take a break and get a coffee before heading back out onto the road. The video below explains more about the campaign:

As well as having the potential to reduce the number of accidents that occur on the road due to tired drivers, the app directly targets those consumers that most need a coffee and encourages them to choose Café Amazon. Are there other ways to combine marketing strategies with a social cause?

Spotted by: Murray Orange