It seems that BBDO New York has come up with another way for bars to become a different kind of “social”. As I opened Mashable today and saw one of my favorite things, a pint of Guinness, intertwined with a symbol of the digital age, the QR code.
We all know that people flock to the local watering hole to relieve stress from work or meet up with friends to talk about what’s new in their lives. The type of social scene at a bar can often determine its patrons and vice versa but either way, people go to certain bars because they either want to socialize with their friends or meet new people.
The capabilities of the QR code printed on the pint glass lets you Tweet, Post to Facebook, check in and download promotion codes all by scanning the code with your iPhone. The code lets you get back to drinking faster, the main objective of the evening, without wasting too much time updating your friends with where you are and what you’re doing.
As pointed out in Tim Nudd’s article in Adweek , the QR code is only effective with the signature dark Guinness liquid in the glass. Since this glass leaves out opportunities for other beverage brands to hop on board, will these other brands start to develop their own glasses with QR codes specific to their brands? This doesn’t seem like too big of a problem since some brands already have signature glasses to go along with their beverages; Stella Artois, Palm, etc. Bars could even try to jump on the band wagon and develop branded glasses with QR codes giving promotions specific to the bar itself.
So next time you’re in the pub asking for a pint of Guinness and shooting the breeze with the locals, see if they have the new QR code pint glass. See how social your life is after scanning this frosty pint.
I’d love to get one of these glasses myself, but the campaign was from over a year ago and the glasses were very very limited for a specific promotion. No chance of getting one now – except maybe on eBay!