Russia and Coke Say: Squat And Pedal To Travel #Free
Sheldon Ferrao
Nov 13, 2013
They say the best things in life are free…Russia seems to think so.
Hosting the Sochi Winter 2014 Olympics in February 2014, the nation is actively engaging Moscow’s residents and visitors through a new initiative; 30 squats in 2 minutes = free ride on the metro.
With a single-ride ticket costing 30 rubles, each squat translates to 1 ruble. But don’t worry you don’t have to squat in front of an Olympian…okay well some did. To launch the machine, Yelena Zamolodchikova (Russian gymnast champion) inaugurated the campaign by performing 30 perfect squats in front of a crowd of press and bystanders. But for those expecting to pretend to do 30 squats, keep dreaming. The machine’s technology can distinguish between good and poor quality squats.
Russia plans to extend this marketing effort by having bikes that can charge cell phones (based on pedaling) and also converting handles in buses into fitness bands.
Last month in a similar campaign to promote an active daily lifestyle, Coca Cola Chile placed a bike pedaling system in a taxi that gave passengers a discount proportional to the amount pedaled.
Here some pictures of the Russian experience:
