Andes Friend Recovery

Andes Beer has provided men in Mendoza, Argentina, with a way to spend time with both their girlfriends and their male friends with the Andes Friend Recovery campaign. The project followed on from the success of the 2009 Andes “Teletransporter” project, using a cutting-edge robot with human features, installed in the main bars of Mendoza. The campaign, online atandesfriendrecovery.com, won a Silver Outdoor Lion at Cannes International Festival of Creativity.

The AFR was installed in the most important bars of the Mendoza, during October and November 2010. During that time, the Andes Friend Recovery website received over 2 million visits, 5000 of which were “recovered” friends. The campaign was launched on traditional media; TV, out of home and radio advertising. How does it work? Your friends go to a bar and sit at the Andes Friend Recovery table. They ask for a password which is sent to you via an SMS, while you fulfil your boyfriend duties. Wherever you are you have to log in to the AFR page and use the webcam to map your face. Then you appear at the bar, via the Andes Friend Recovery robot.

Andes Friend Recovery is an installation based on TelePresence via video conference. Using interactive facial recognition software, the webcam cuts the face of the person in front of the computer, and applies it exactly inside the robot’s face. The robot sits at the bar, and also uses an audio system to enable hearing and speaking. Users can turn the AFR’s head using a computer keyboard, to get a panoramic view of the situation. Visitors to the AFR website were able to join in at the bar witness the conversations among different friends.

Credits

The Ande Friend Recover campaign was developed at Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Buenos Aires, by executive creative directors Maxi Itzkoff, Mariano Serkin, creative director Fernando Militerno, creatives Charlie Lanus, Pedro Porcaro, agency producers Adrian Aspani, Camilo Rojas and Patricio Martinez, account team Jaime Vidal and Patricia Abelenda, working with Inbev marketing team Ricardo Fernandez,
Eduardo Palacios and Benjamin Mountford.

The AFRecovery Installation was produced at Sake Integrated Company by producers Sonia Caputo and Pedro Saleh.

Filming was shot by directors Luisa Kracht, Nico & Martin via Primo Buenos Aires, with executive producer Caro Cordini, director of photography Leandro Filloy.

Post production was done at Pickle. Sound was designed at Supercharango.