Twitter-Activated @Walkers_BusStop Vending Machines

Gail Chiasson, North American Editor

Walkers, a British snack food company, has transformed three London bus stops into tweet-activated vending machines as part of its ongoing ‘Do us a Flavour’ campaign.

gary-20140829104336163Bus shelters in Clapham Junction and two in Oxford Street have been set up with tweet-activated vending machines in a campaign created by OMD UK, AMV BBDO, Talon Outdoor and Clear Channel.

The installations will be in place until Sept. 11/14.

A series of short clips on the digital screen show Gary Lineker, an English former footballer and current well-known sports broadcaster, appearing to sit inside the bus stop vending machines.

Passers-by are then encouraged to tweet @Walkers_busstop, triggering the vending machine to dole out free packets of crisps.

“Walkers loves bringing fun to the nation and we are extremely excited to launch the first ever Twitter vending machine on the streets of London,” says Lee-Teng Chung, Walkers marketing manager. “The ‘Do us a Flavour’ campaign has taken the nation by storm, so we are delighted to offer them the chance to try the new flavours through the first ever interactive Twitter vending machine. We can’t wait to hear more about what the public think of each of the unique flavours.”

The 2014 ‘Do us a Flavour’ campaign launched in January. The six ‘finalist’ flavours include: Sizzling Steak Fajita, Chip Shop Chicken Curry, Pulled Pork in a Sticky BBQ Sauce, Ranch Raccoon, Cheesy Beans on Toast and Hot Dog with Tomato Ketchup.

The vending machines will be stocked with one of the six finalist flavours and will dispense 260 packets of crisps daily. The public will be encouraged to vote for their favourite flavour online and a YouTube video featuring the making off the footage will be released on Sept.8/14.

Walkers is also ramping up its radio activity through a two-week collaboration with Capital FM, brokered by OMD UK and shortly, the station’s DJs will promote their own favourite flavours from the shortlisted finalists.


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