The obvious way to remain engaged in any World Cup match is to, well, watch the match. This strategy seems obvious, but when you factor in what people are saying over social media, the whole affair gets rather complicated.
An avid World Cup viewer could have the match going on TV while checking their phone and laptop for consistent updates and commentary from virtual sportscasters. While these ardent fans may argue that using multiple sources keeps them engaged, Swedish brewer Norrlands Guld disagrees.
The 2014 World Cup was the most tweeted-about event of all time, with a monstrous 672 million tweets being sent about the event throughout its duration. That number is expected to be exceeded this year. Norrlands Guld wants viewers to take a step back and enjoy each match in the company of other soccer (or football, depending on where you’re from) zealots.
Brewed by Spendrups, Norrlands Guld is a lager sold primarily in Sweden and in some IKEA stores outside of Sweden. The brand partnered with ad agency Åkestam Holst to develop a specialty printer that prints tweets in malt-based “ink” on all their beers.
The tweets can be printed almost instantaneously by a Wi-Fi-enabled device after being posted online. Norrlands Guld has coined Twitter beer as “The Social Beer,” which, the more you think about it, could pose a double meaning -- does the beer make you more social because it gets you off of your phone, or does it simply imply the combination of social media and beer?
This beer will only be available in a few bars in Sweden during the World Cup. So if you find yourself there, be sure to drink up!