Billboard is bridging the digital and analog worlds with its latest marketing stunt.
With the help of Ogilvy & Mather Brazil, the music magazine publisher created a special magazine vending machine. The catch is that the machine only dispenses copies to actual fans of the cover artist. The machine, which is called “The Fan Check Machine,” checks users’ iPhones to see if they have more than 20 songs by the musician on the cover of the the current Billboard issue on their device to qualify as a real fan. If they meet the “real fan” criteria, the machine will dispense a copy of the magazine.
Downloading a branded app for a one-time experience is kind of annoying, but the best part of this campaign is that you don’t need an app. All you have to do is connect your smartphone directly to the vending machine.
See the machine in action:
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