How Red Stripe Beer-Fi gives Bar Patrons Free Wi-Fi Internet

“In today's world, one of the first things people want to know when they walk into a new place is whether there's Wi-Fi. So we're responding to what we know our consumers want”

Red Stripe's innovation and digital marketing manager, Rory Burchenson

Folks, this was bound to happen eventually. Dear Reader, queue the Music video by Rihanna - Cheers (Drink to That)!

Realizing that patrons at Bars like their Beer with side of free Wireless Internet, Red Stripe has launched Beer-Fi as reported in the article “Indulge In The Red Stripe Beer-Fi Experience”, published Wednesday August 10, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Launched during the busy emancipation Daye Weekend on Saturday August 6th 2016 Clock Tower Tavern in Half-Way Tree, the initiative is aimed at bars under their Certified Bar Program as explained in the article “Red Stripe keeps community bar patrons connected with Beer-Fi”, published August 14, 2016, LoopJamaica.

Beer-Fi is currently in eight (8) parishes and spreading rapidly across the island of Jamaica:

1.      Kingston

2.      St Andrew

3.      St Catherine

4.      Clarendon

5.      St Elizabeth

6.      Manchester

7.      Trelawny

If you're the beer-swillin' type, then you'll be happy to know that Beer-Fi is at the following popular pubs:

1.      Clock Tower Tavern in Half-Way-Tree, Kingston

2.      S&R Place in Kingston

3.      Sharkie’s Bar and Grill

4.      Flavors Beach and Bar in St Ann

5.      Fambly Bar in Trelawny

6.      Happy Hut in St Elizabeth

7.      Sollys Pub in St Catherine

After all if you can make beer from urine as the University of Ghent demonstrated as explained in my blog article entitled “University of Ghent Solar Powered Urine to Beer Converter can end African Water Crisis”, then anything is possible!

So who is the Telecom partner for this initiative?

Red Stripe Beer-Fi – Just in time for Rio Olympics 2016

Clearly Red Stripe knows that beer-drinking patrons like a side of free Wi-Fi with their cold lager, especially during the Rio Olympics 2016.

To quote Red Stripe's innovation and digital marketing manager, Rory Burchenson: “We launched Beer-Fi in time for the Olympic Games of Summer 2016, but it's an initiative that patrons will be able to enjoy for the rest of the year and beyond, whether they're here in the heart of the capital or at their favourite bar in Runaway Bay, May Pen or Mandeville”.

After all, free Wi-Fi is one more reason for beer drinkers to go to a bar as you can keep up with your friends on Social Media as pointed out by Greg Savage, a regular patron of the Clock Tower Tavern, quote:  “I enjoy coming to this bar and ordering a Red Stripe beer. Now with the free Wi-Fi, when I come to the Tavern, Patrons at other popular Corporate Area bars like Betty's Lounge on Ken Hill Drive and Self Made Bar on Waltham Park Road are also revelling in the Beer-Fi experience”.

Red Stripe's Beer-Fi will be in all 14 parishes by the end of 2016, coincidentally around the same time Wi-Fi will be on JUTC buses in Clarendon as predicted in my blog article entitled “How JUTC Buses for Manchester and Clarendon children will have Digicel LTE and Mobile Money”.

And how does it benefit Red Stripe to give patrons Free Wi-Fi?

Red Stripe Beer –Fi and SocialFiJa – Free Wi-Fi in exchange for Marketing Analytics Data

Not sure who the telecom partner is for Beer-Fi. But I’m willing to bet Red Stripe, not wanting to play favourties, has partnered with both Digicel and FLOW Jamaica.

I personally suspect FLOW Jamaica may be behind this 100%, being as their FLOW Rio 2016 Extra App that was launched on Monday August 1^st 2016 as explained in my Geezam blog article entitled “FLOW Rio 2016 Extra App means Jamaican Developers Apps Coming Soon”.

Also, they may be paying for the access via adverting, possibly in partnership with Intelligent Multimedia Limited SocialFi to collect information about their Social Media subscriptions as explained in the article “Pairman Selling Customer Tracking Service To Companies”, Wednesday November 18, 2015 by Neville Graham, The Jamaica Gleaner.

SocialFiJa is a program where companies like Red Stripe pay Intelligent Multimedia Limited some US$255 per month to collect Marketing Data on their behalf. Red Stripe then offers to install Free Wi-Fi aka Beer-Fi at the Bar with the SocialFiJa built in.

When a patron detects the Beer-Fi on his smartphone at a Bar, they are greeted by a notification that requests that they do a survey to capture their demographic information as well as social media subscriptions.

To put it in the words of Intelligent Multimedia Limited CEO Andrew Pairman, quote:  “Before you go and enjoy free Wi-Fi at any establishment you have to like their Facebook page; and you log into social media like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at the click of a button, and when you do that your information from social media is pulled into a database”.

By registering on the registration form that follows, customers are agreeing that the company can collect data on them from their social media page. This mainly includes:

1.      Email addresses

2.      Age

3.      Gender

4.      Profession

5.      Social Media Preferences

6.      Other Marketing questions

This data is captured by Intelligent Multimedia Limited, who manage the SocialFiJa Platform and tabulated on an Excel Spreadsheet. Red Stripe then gets this marketing Data which is then analyzed and use to create more effecter Social Media Marketing.

Clearly, via collecting demographic information such as age, Beer-Fi keeps intruder out as the patrons drink responsibly. And yes, I drink to that!