Budweiser Buddy Cup: Making Bar Buddies Facebook Friends

Picture this: You had a late night with your friends, had one drink too many and don’t really remember how you got home. When you check into Facebook the next day, you find your home page flooded with statuses, pictures, posts etc., made by people you don’t really know and are quite sure you didn’t befriend. Relax, you’re not losing your mind and you’re not an amnesiac either: chances are you bumped a few beer glasses with those folks the other night.

If you find this confusing, well, it most probably is. Budweiser Brazil has created a special cup integrated with Facebook, called the Buddy Cup, which instantly makes you friends with the people you toast with, at least on the social network.

So how does it work? The beer glass has a built-in chip connected to Facebook. If you scan the QR code on the bottom of the glass with your smartphone, you can link your social media profile to the chip.

And whenever you bump Buddy Cups with someone, a message will appear on your Facebook wall and notify your contacts of the event and that you’re now friends with whomever you were drinking with. And a red LED light on the glass will alert you that you have just made a new friend.

Apparently Budweiser is planning to use this technology to increase interaction between Bud drinkers and also to enhance brand activation at sponsored events such as concerts or festivals.

Which is all very fine given that it comes from a company whose tagline is “The more Buds, the more friends.” With the Buddy Cup, this slogan is truer than ever. But this invention may lead to all sorts of problems and privacy concerns. Think about it, all you have to do is bump glasses with someone else, even accidentally, and that person will be able to see your entire Facebook profile. And especially when drinking is involved, would you really like people that you maybe have just met for the first time in your life to get access to your personal information?

[Images via digital trends]