Beer Widgets

Since ad agencies discovered widgets they’ve been creating all sorts of digital bric-a-brac for the brands they manage.

The most useless of them all, in the current climate anyway, is the widget that keeps track on your investments at the bank. Designed in headier days, it was supposed to show you how your money was mounting up rather than draining way.

Those that have worked best have been the genuinely useful widgets. For instance, the Guinness ‘Cantonese Translator’ designed for visitors to the Hong Kong Rugby 7’s tournament. Lost? Need to find your way to a certain bar or hotel? The application lets you find the phrases you need on your mobile phone then translates them into Cantonese. Simply hold your phone to the ear of a native and await a flurry of hand movements to help you on your way. Clever, eh?

But here’s a completely useless widget from another beer brand, Carling. It’s very silly and very ‘sticky’.

It’s generated a lot of chat precisely because it is so pointless.
So, if you want to make friends with your consumers, here are two ways to do it. You can be thoughtful and helpful. Or just give them a laugh.