Bio Suisse Cows Deliver Milk in Return for Massages

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We all know massages can ease aching shoulders and stiff necks, but when it comes to dairy cows, organic food brand Bio Suisse claims the benefits go even further: the animals actually produce better quality milk. 

Based on research showing that 'manual animal care' plays an important role in the cows' well-being, by helping to keep them clean and relaxed, the brand came up with a novel stunt to prove its tagline: make the cow happy, and it'll make you happy in return.

Working with German creative agency thjnk, the brand developed a live experience which allowed shoppers at a Swiss mall to massage dairy cows remotely, simply by pressing a button. This activated a mechanical cattle brush on an organic farm 50 kilometres away, which massaged the cows (imagine a bovine car-wash), while the shoppers watched on screen. Consumers were then rewarded with a carton of fresh organic milk dispensed by the machine, with 'thanks' from the cows.

To pull off the promotion in real-time, thjnk custom created a program to establish a WebSocket connection between the two sites, meaning that a video signal and the command to start the cattle brush could be transmitted within milliseconds. All the action was captured via film cameras, and compiled in a short documentary released to mark the traditional return of the cattle from the Alpine pastures down into the valleys. 

Whether the earth moo-ved (sorry) for the cows is a moot point... but it's nonetheless a clever way to promote the link between consumer actions and organic farming.