Yakult cultivates language with Japanese-teaching vending machine
Health drink brand Yakult is on a mission to teach common Japanese phrases to the public with a vending machine that rewards quick learners with a free bottle of 'good bacteria'.
Yakult's vending machine
In the UK, the company is looking to hit home its Japanese heritage by teaching members of the public Nippon, baited with the allure of a free Yakult. The machine responds to audio prompts from users and comes packaged with a touchscreen.
Emma Dita, PR manager at Yakult UK and Ireland, said: “We want to offer our Yakult drinkers a fun experience whenever we have the chance to interact with them. We are constantly looking for new ways to deliver our brand messages in an authentic and entertaining way."
Jason Vicente, co-founder and managing director of Aeguana, expressed the company's excitment to help build the machine for the project. He said: “We were faced with a number of new challenges and we had to be creative to overcome them, but I’m proud of the result and of the team involved. More so since we can all say a few words in Japanese now.”
The machine is scheduled to travel through the UK and Ireland hitting events like the Festival of Curiosity taking place in Dublin in July, and Hull's British Science Festival happening in September.