Amstel

The latest trend in product publicity stunts involves the use of high-tech vending machines. Pepsi created a soda machine that gives out sugary beverages in exchange for social-media love. Coffee company Douwe Egberts built a machine that pours a hot cup when people yawn. Now, beer company Amstel has created the Amstel Pause, a beer vending machine that requires a lot of standing around.

Amstel Bulgaria used marketing agency Next-DC to build the machine. Anybody who wanted a beer had to stand in a designated spot in front of the Pause, push a button to start a timer, and wait for three minutes before it would cough up a can from its precious inventory.

The machine was placed in a busy location in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, for 16 days. Beer-hungry patrons totaled up to 67 hours of doing nothing but waiting for a brewski. The total output was 1,344 free beers.

Perhaps the next evolution in vending machine marketing stunts should be a combined machine that offers coffee when you yawn, beer when you wait, or soda when you share on Facebook.

(Via PSFK)