A new subversive Instagram vending machine recently hit Los Angeles and is posing as a way to buy followers, likes, interactions and even DMs. While the Instagram vending machine may seem like a clever marketing ploy for the app, the piece is actually a publicity stunt for a new documentary known as 'Social Animals.'
This unique marketing ploy was developed by LA-based marketing firm Conscious Minds who teamed up with e-commerce startup GIST. To develop the publicity stunt, the firm worked closely with the filmmakers. The “As Seen On IG” (ASOIG) vending machines were strategically places in popular LA tourist locations including Venice Beach, Melrose and the downtown Walt Disney Concert Area. Those who actually purchased items from the machine were rewarded with nothing or actual Instagram currency packaged in a humorous way.
All the profits garnered from the machine go to the non-profit Reboot and Recover, an organization aiming to prevent social media addictions and cyberbullying.
Image Credit: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weare.cm/"> Conscious Minds</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gistapp.co/">GIST</a>
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Subversive Marketing
- Using unconventional methods to promote products or services for a unique branding experience.
- Social Media Vending Machines
- Creating new interactive experiences with consumers through technology-driven social media vending machines.
- Documentary Promotions
- Promoting a new documentary through novel marketing ploys like vending machines and other interactive installations.
Where This Applies
- Marketing
- Innovating marketing strategies through technological advancements with social media vending machines.
- Entertainment
- Creating interactive experiences that promote documentaries like 'Social Animals' through unique marketing ploys.
- Non-profit
- Partnering with brands to use unconventional methods to draw attention to their causes, like Reboot and Recover's partnership with Conscious Minds and GIST.
