Pepsi’s Social Vending Machine aims for your sweet tooth

Pepsi intends to increase its brand awareness through the use of what it calls the Social Vending Machine, taking advantage of the latest tech buzzowrds around while combining it in a manner for the passes to part with their hard-earned money in a more modern method for what is basically sugar-laden water. The Pepsi Social Vending Machine will let you give your mates a beverage gift simply by entering the recipient’s name, cell phone number and a personalized text message or video. The gift will then be delivered thanks to a system code, followed by instructions to redeem it at any similar machine.

This is a classic method of encouraging consumer loyalty as it will cause one to return consistently to a particular point of sales while making sure it keeps up with the times by tying into existing social structures. There is the small issue of guilt, however, as you indirectly encourage an unhealthy lifestyle, consuming way more sugar than they need.

The system is also “compassionate” enough to let you perform “random acts of refreshment,” or the ability to buy a drink for a stranger. Diabetics would do well to steer clear of this.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: vending machine