This Very Smart Beer Packaging Wards Off Mosquitoes When Burned
Each case is treated with eucalyptus, a natural insect repellent. When the cardboard is burned, insects flee the scene.
Beer companies are always trying to figure out new ways to appeal to their target demographic, but this collaboration between SP Lager and Australian/New Zealand agency GPY&R takes the cake with its clever packaging design.
SP Lager (a subsidiary of Heineken) is one of the most popular beers in Papua New Guinea, where locals tend to enjoy their frosty suds outdoors, oftentimes gathered around the warm, communal glow of a campfire. The problem with that is the country is riddled with mosquitoes. The malaria-carrying kind, to be specific.
The solution? Kill two birds, er, mosquitoes, with one stone. GPY&R came up with the brilliant idea to create packaging that also doubles as an insect repellent. The SP Lager Mozzie Box is a carton treated with eucalyptus, a natural deterrent that rebuffs insects when it's burned. Now people can drink beer in peace, knowing mosquitoes will be held at bay by the fumes.
The concept is so good, it won the agency a Silver Lion in Promo & Activation at the 2014 Cannes Festival. Selfishly, we'd like to see an American brewery jump on this bandwagon, too. Burning beer cases to repel insects would not only be a great means of recycling, but camping trips would become 100 times more enjoyable without hoards of annoying mosquitoes impinging on the beer-drinking experience. Here's a video that explains: