I spotted this article over at Mashable.com today and thought I’d share it. What a great example of how Coca-Cola can tap into crowdsourcing in real time to understand how fans and customers think drinks. And for customers who live in a larger town, there is a good chance they can take their ideas and quickly turn them around into a reality via a vending machine that dispenses their own unique concoction. I wonder how an application like this can help Facebook fans of other companies create their favorite restaurant meal, custom footwear or even the latest automobile design?
Coca-Cola on Wednesday rolled out a Facebook app that lets you mix your own Coke drink. The app is no online-only experiment, though: Real Coke vending machines that do the same thing are rolling out across the country.
The Coca-Cola Freestyle app, created by digital marketing agency 360i, lets you mix a drink using 125 Coke beverages, including Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta and Powerade. After choosing each, you hold down a “push” button to fill a cup of your choosing. When you fill your cup, you can name it. There’s also a game designed for the iPhone and Android formats.
The Facebook Page also directs you to Freestyle vending machines in your area and lets you ask for one in your town. There are now about 1,500 such machines in restaurants like Wendy’s, Burger King and Five Guys, but Coke plans to make more noise about Freestyle next year. The company is working with ad agency Ogilvy & Mather on a 2012 ad campaign for Freestyle, according to Advertising Age. Coke would like the apps to eventually generate a 2-D barcode, which could be scanned at one of the machines to create a blend, according to Ad Age.
Hint: it’s not about the perks Fast Company‘s recently published 50 Best Workplaces for Innovators list is an eye-opener worth reading. The magazine’s research team, in partnership with Accenture, sought companies that “empower all employees…to create new products, improve operations, and take risks.” Ones where “innovation isn’t just a buzzword but a part of the…
Remember a few years ago when the utility companies sent meter readers from home to home to read and jot down energy usage? Not too long ago technology changed and a new process, the automatic meter reading, allowed meters to send a signal to a utility truck that drove through neighborhoods collecting the data. Sounds…
I’ve reported before that mobile applications are increasingly becoming the go-to platforms for our information, the way we connect and how we navigate. Mobile usage will continue to increase as more and more of us use smartphone technology. Here’s a great chart that shows us how we are now spending more time using mobile apps…
For years, we’ve talked about artificial intelligence pitting humans and machines against each other, whether in the workplace or in sci-fi novels. While there’s still plenty to be wary of, that story is changing. Over the past six months, leaders at companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have been building systems that have the potential…
Imagine not having to deal with the ckeck out line–and just shop right in the aisle where you are. Walmart is considering letting shoppers buy products in the aisles in an effort to improve the customer experience. Those shoppers with an iPhone 4 or 4S can buy some products simply by scanning the bar code…
Would you live in a home made completely out of paper? It’s not flimsy by any means, when you consider the technology of 3-D printing that can make the architecture sturdy and even beautiful. Machine Design reports that several companies are building livable homes like these from the inside out using 3-D printing: The idea…
