Chalk this up to one of the more creative approaches to marketing the Olympics. A new vending machine has been set up in Moscow intended to get people excited for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The machine was installed outside of one of the busiest subway stations and gives people the chance to earn a free ride. Do 30 squats in front of the machine and boom – free ticket.
This is just the first installment from Russia’s Olympic Committee. They aim to “add elements of sport into daily life.” The committee has future plans to expand on the campaign. They will turn hanging handles on buses into exercise bands and install exercise bikes that produce electricity to charge cellphones.
It’s a unique way to promote the 2014 Winter Olympics and include a fitness aspect to it. It’s great to see this type of creative marketing being used and encourage people to be active. It’ll be interesting to see how many people are willing to participate. The 30 squat task has to be completed within two minutes. While most of you could knock out 30 squats in a blink of an eye, it remains to be seen what the general public will think.
This video shows how intrigued people are by the concept.
A subway ticket is typically 30 rubles (93 cents) for a single ride. There’s more information on olympicchange.ru however I don’t read Russian so if anyone does and would like to share more on what the site says, please let us know.
Lead image via Youtube.
Info for story from AFP.
