Twitter-Activated Vending Machine Trades Tea for Tweets

A South African drink company has launched what they claim is the world's first Twitter- activated beverage dispenser

 

BEV or the Twitter-activated beverage dispenser launched by BOS Ice Tea, could possibly be one of the most effective marketing campaigns around.    

The machine, which was conceptualised by marketing agency Cow Africa, aims to promote the South African drink brand by getting users to tweet about the product in exchange for a free sample of ice tea. 

How it works is simple: Just send a tweet to the machine’s account (@bos), tweet the hashtag #Bostweet4T and the vending machine will give you a free sample of BOS Ice Tea. However, you’ll need to be sure your Twitter app is able to access your location, because BEV will check it to ensure you’re actually nearby before handing over the goods.

BEV’s potential extends just beyond handing out samples and doing some clever social media marketing. It made its debut at the Design Indaba Expo in Cape Town earlier this year, where she showed off some of her other features, including her cameras, microphone, trigger switches and sound-activated LEDs that add a dash of personality to this tweet-reading machine.