I used to hate beer with a vengeance, because of a subconscious fear that I will end up looking like Homer Simpson ...
... with a big beer belly.
But after I started work, I really learnt to appreciate a good beer. Whether it’s sneaking off during work for a cold beer with a colleague, or retiring to an old-fashioned pub for a round of beers with the entire department, a good beer is a great relief. Especially for those nights that we worked through the night, my favorite colleagues and I will march down to the pub right opposite our office to chug down some beer before heading back to work—we always joke that our job efficiency is the highest after a beer.
Being a huge fan of Heineken beer ever since, I’ve been keeping tabs on some of the activity on the Heineken Facebook fanpage recently:
What if you could say "Cheers" in every language of the world?
What if you could write Korean characters, hieroglyphs or even cuneiform?
What if you could bungee jump at Blaukrans Bridge in South Africa, have a camel ride around the pyramids in Egypt and dine atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris?
What if your wardrobe has a Japanese kimono, Korean hanbok, Mexican poncho and Scottish kilt?
Such wall posts make me all dreamy, and transports me to another world... A world which is opened up to me, where anything is possible.
Which is entirely what Heineken is about. Heineken, true to its promises of Innovation, Quality and Internationalism, has developed ‘The Opener’, a new mobile application that incorporates the latest ‘augmented reality’ technology. This relatively new technology combines computer-generated input with real-world environment—i.e. it enhances your perception of the real world!
How it works is that you can actually collect floating virtual Heineken bottles by scanning your surroundings with your phone’s camera:
When you spot a Heineken bottle floating in the air, use the virtual bottle opener to open the bottle-- just like opening a real bottle of beer.
Of course, that’s not all. You actually get rewarded for each bottle that you opened as each bottle has a certain amount of points to it:
Accumulate those points over four weeks, and you get to win weekly prizes. iPad2s will be up for grabs, and... *drum roll*... a Grand Prize of a vacation trip for two to Amsterdam!
When is a good time for a beer? My answer is... ALWAYS wtf. Hence, if you’re in the mood for a drink, the app also provides suggestions of drinking outlets nearby to you. Besides that, it also provides interesting drinking tips. Maybe I should submit an amusing drinking idea to Heineken—the most interesting beer-drinking idea I’ve heard is to guzzle down tonnes of beer and then head to the National Zoo immediately after that. -__-
The app is one of Heineken’s many initiatives under its new brand campaign ‘Man of the World’, with the tagline ‘Open Your World’. Thus you will also stand to win experiential vouchers where you will be able to try new and unique experiences which are out of this world, such as gourmet spreads, lesson to be a pilot for a day, tips on how to be a rock star etc.—you will never know know what you will find in a Heineken bottle, literally! ;)
The app is now currently avilable at the Apple App Store (free download), and I strongly suggest you go open your world right now!
As for my initial concern about beer bellies... Nah, it’s a myth.
