Farnham Ale & Lager, a Quebec-based microbrewery known for its bitter IPAs and lagers, launched a memorable experiential marketing campaign in 2015 called the “Scream Machine.” This stunt perfectly tied into the brand’s theme of “bitterness,” turning frustration into a fun, interactive way to score free beer. Here’s the breakdown:
What It Was
- The Setup: At the Festibière de Québec beer festival, the brewery installed a custom vending machine stocked with cans of their beers.
- How It Worked: No coins or cards needed—instead, users screamed into a sensor-equipped hole on the machine to “pay.” A sign on the front read something like: “Vent your frustrations… and your bitterness will be replaced with good.” The louder and more intense the scream (measured by acoustic sensors for loudness and “roughness”), the more bitter the beer dispensed as a reward.
- Quiet scream? You might get a milder lager.
- Primal yell? Score a hoppy, extra-bitter IPA.
- The Tech: Engineered with sound sensors to detect decibel levels and frequency variations (screams spike at 30–150 Hz, way above normal speech), it projected the screams outward to draw crowds and amplify the chaos.
- Agency Behind It: Created by the Canadian agency Lg2, with production from Nova Movie and sound design by Studio Expression. It was an ambient/outdoor campaign that went viral through festival buzz and social shares.
Why It Rocked
Impact: The campaign earned accolades in creative circles (e.g., featured on Ads of the World) and inspired similar scream-based activations worldwide, like a 2025 San Miguel stunt in the Philippines. It’s a prime example of how experiential marketing turns a simple vending machine into an emotional, shareable moment.
Engagement: Festival-goers from young adults to grandparents unleashed epic screams, creating a spectacle that pulled in bystanders. Videos show people howling like banshees, laughing hysterically, and high-fiving over their “bitter” prizes.
Brand Tie-In: It cleverly played on the double meaning of “bitter”—emotional frustration swapped for the brewery’s signature bitter brews. As one description put it: “I scream, you scream, we all scream for beer.”
Put on some headphones before you watch It!