This campaign turns Instagram behaviors into vending machine products

A campaign running in California this week is highlighting Instagram culture by turning some of the behaviors associated with the platform into physical products -- then selling them via vending machines. The campaign, by content agency Conscious Minds, promotes the launch of the agency's social media documentary "Social Animals" on iTunes. Conscious Minds created a pair of “As Seen On IG”-branded vending machines, which allow consumers to swipe their credit card to buy silly, scathing, social media-themed physical products. They include a pack of “1,000 likes”, a “Sliding into DMs package”, a “Thumb Spa” for your scrolling finger, “Food Porn Star” cookies and a plastic “Hashtag 8-Ball." According to "Social Animals" director and Conscious Minds partner Jonathan Ignatius Green, the vending machines offer a satirical connection to the actual film, which takes a brutally honest look at three teenagers whose lives have been permanently affected by their Instagram account. “One of the things that struck us while making this film is how there is actually very little difference between how and why teenagers and adults use Instagram,” he explains. “This may be due to the human need to share and communicate, but also because this platform encourages our more adolescent impulses--evaluating our self-worth based on the amount of attention, adoration and even envy we receive from our peers." The machines, created by e-commerce startup GIST, have been placed across various "Insta-worthy" locations in Los Angeles and San Francisco, including the Downtown Ace Hotel and The World Famous Venice Barbershop. If you're not in California however, you can order the products online. All proceeds from the vending machines and the online store will go to non-profit Reboot & Recover, an organization dedicated to building awareness and treatments around issues of digital addictions and mental health.

This campaign turns Instagram behaviors into vending machine products

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