How do you turn the arguably dry topic of “contactless payment technology” into a trending news topic that inspires such headlines as, “We Want It. We Want It Now!”

You create something that never existed before.

We discovered the average wait-time for drinks in a pub is 35 minutes per-person, with 25% of bar-goers admitting they actually considered abandoning a purchase because of long queues. (Bad news for pub owners.) So we invented “Pay @ Pump,” the world’s first contactless beer tap using Barclaycard’s innovative contactless technology. The invention allowed customers to “order, pay and pour” a pint in just 60 seconds.

Barclaycard was responsible for launching the UK's first contactless card. So the Pay @ Pump concepts allowed us to re-ignite conversation around the brand’s contactless cards innovations and how they offer better and easier ways to pay.

Adopting a collaborative approach to campaign execution we used a third party creative tech agency as a strategic partner. Working alongside Barclaycard’s acquiring team, they created a sleek, futuristic prototype with inbuilt contactless payment technology.

Working with a wet-trade partner of Barclaycard, we showcased the innovation in a London-based bar. Coinciding with the busiest week before Christmas we held a sneak preview of the category-disruptive innovation to media days before the official launch inviting national wires, tech and consumer affairs press to order, pay and pour their own pint. The Barclaycard spokesperson explained the insights which led to the building of the pump and how it could offer a potential customer service solution. The event was supported with a full media launch targeting national, lifestyle, tech and regional media.

Working with Barclaycard we also created highly visual and engaging multi-purpose social media photography and video for multiple channel use.

T1: 192 pieces of UK coverage reaching of 1.4 billion people

90% of coverage featured Barclaycard’s payment technology and how it makes paying in pubs/bars easier, quicker and more convenient for customers.

Social conversations about the pump on Barclaycard’s corporate Twitter and LinkedIn news pages was 70% higher than the industry benchmark for “excellence”.

T2: Month-on month contactless sales at Henry’s Café and Bar—the first bar to feature the Pay @ Pump devise—increased 16%.

Customers spent 93% more on contactless cards in pubs/bars in the week following the activity (YOY).

T3: Triple the average number of customer acquisition inbound calls in the week after launch.

Days after our premier launch at Henry’s Café and Bar, eight additional pubs/restaurants requested the innovative pump at their venues.

Conversations are now under way with UK football stadiums/sports clubs to install Pay @ Pump at their locations.

The high level of interest in Pay @ Pump has initiated a scramble to secure patents for a device that began as a news hook but is turning into a viable industry sales tool.