While most offices in Boston may be lucky enough to have a vending machine that spews out the occasional bag of Cheetos, or possibly some stale trail mix, one agency is slugging back beers dispensed from a machine during work hours.
At Arnold Worldwide, at their headquarters here in Boston, there is a machine known around the office as “Arnie,” a dispensary that spits out bottles of brew at the touch of a computer screen.
Arnie was the brainchild of some of the company’s technologists as part of their annual “Make Project,” where the business encourages employees to come up with a creative idea.
According to their website, Arnold Worldwide funds the “Make Project” by setting aside $100,000 for employees to “manage less and make more.”
The “Make Project” is an initiative that spawned the creation of Arnie.
Anthony Stellato and a team of creative thinkers conjured up the beer-dispensing device–and needless to say it has been a hit around the office.
“In one day we went from six test users to over 400,” said Stellato, creative technologist at the R and D Lab at Arnold Worldwide.
Not only does Arnie dish out brews in a bottle whenever an employee feels like sipping some suds, he is also interactive.
According to Arnold Worldwide, Arnie is “able to recognize individual employees, chat with them, tweet and of course, vend them a beer.”
Stellato said Arnie serves as a social hub for employees, and sends out Tweets when lots of people gather to have an afternoon break, or late-day beer.
“I think it definitely helps. We are such a large company with different departments, people don’t get together to socialize, so it increases communication and creativity as well,” said Stellato.
If employees can’t decide, Arnie comes equipped with an onboard “ale-pedia” with employee ratings and descriptions of each beer.
