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Smile-activated kiosk dispenses a little warmth on Blue Monday

European HVAC giant Vaillant's U.K. arm earlier this year brightened up Blue Monday with a smile-activated coffee kiosk in London's Victoria Station.

April 1, 2015 by Christopher Hall — w, t

European HVAC giant Vaillant's U.K. arm earlier this year brightened up Blue Monday with a smile-activated coffee kiosk in London's Victoria Station.

Working with out-of-home experiential specialist Grand Visual and OOH media agency Rapport and marketing firm McCann Birmingham, Vaillant offered travelers a hot drink in return for a smile on Blue Monday, supposedly the saddest or most depressing day of the year in January.

According to Grand Visual's website, the company brought the idea to life using facial recognition software that recognized when someone was smiling and dispensed a hot chocolate or coffee in return. The machine picked up 5,735 faces throughout the day and successfully vended 1,584 hot drinks, all triggered by smiles.

"The use of technology has allowed us to create an activation that rewards commuters for their participation," said Craig Barber, head of innovation and emerging media at Rapport, on the site. "This fresh approach for the category will engage consumers and raise Vaillant's profile, helping associate the brand with joy and warmth."

The activation also had a social media component, as participants could tweet a thanks to Vaillant using the hashtag #keepsmiling:

Thanks for warming up my day at Victoria Station! @vaillantuk #KeepSmiling pic.twitter.com/65E32gDKyn

— jessbizzle (@wanderlustee) January 19, 2015

Watch a video about the activation below:

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