Heineken, in collaboration with tastemakers in street culture, Bodega have launched ‘The Boring Phone’.
The limited run of ‘dumb’ phones – specifically designed to have reduced tech capabilities – has been created to encourage people to enjoy better real-life connections on nights out by disconnecting from their smartphones. With smartphones becoming so advanced and interesting to the user, it’s easier than ever to connect to the online world but harder to stay in the moment.
Produced by mobile innovator, HMD, the Heineken x Bodega Boring Phone strips back the distractions of today’s smartphones. The phone’s primary function is to send and receive calls and text messages. With modern-day frills removed, the phone is unable to download social media or other apps that take away from being present. It also has a handy week of standby time and up to 20 hours of talk time.
The phone’s transparent casing and holographic stickers draw inspiration from Gen Z’s love of Newtro fashion and design and are reminiscent of mobile phones of the early 2000s.
As smartphones continue to dominate attention spans globally, new research commissioned by Heineken reveals 90% of Zillennials across the UK and US confess to doom scrolling while socialising with friends and family; checking their devices seven times each night out on average.
When it comes to the biggest distractions, two-thirds admit to checking social media (62%) when hanging out with others, while over a third (36%) confess to checking work emails. Three in ten (30%) also revealed they sneakily play games instead of engaging with their family and friends in the moment.
When it comes to live music, over a quarter of those surveyed (28%) by Heineken think that being always connected to your smartphone has had a negative effect on the experience. Two fifths (41%) said they find it frustrating to see a crowd of phones in the air when out at a gig or concert
But as over a third (37%) reveal that they check their phones more often than they should when socialising, the tide is beginning to turn with 32% admitting they would like to be able to switch off from their phones while on a night out.
British DJ and Producer TSHA, who is quickly becoming one of the most exciting young artists in the industry, has experienced first-hand how smart tech serves as a barrier to being in the moment on nights out at gigs.
Three in five (60%) of revellers surveyed even admitted that they had prioritised capturing a video of a performance rather than being present in a moment even though 18% also said they rarely watch back the videos they capture anyway. Two-thirds (64%) said that they thought they’d enjoy live music more if they disconnected from their phones.
Commenting on the research, TSHA says,
“The fact that smartphones are so prevalent on our nights out, and getting in the way of real, human connection resonated so much with me, and doesn’t come as a surprise at all. As an artist, you want to connect with the audience to know they’re having a good time, but it’s hard to do this when you look up from the decks and see a sea of smartphones flashing in your face. I would love to see a world where we enter the venue and just live in the moment; connect with the artist, your mates and just have a good time. The Heineken x Bodega Boring Phone is the perfect antidote to the barriers smart tech pose to nights out.”
To help show people that there is more to their social life when there is less on their phone, Heineken has teamed up with TSHA who will be offering her fans the chance to be some of the first to get their hands on The Boring Phone via a giveaway on her Instagram channel.
Nabil Nasser, the Global Head of Heineken comments, “We could all do with a break from the constant distractions of smart tech; something our research has shown is even more important to our Gen Z and Millennial consumers. When we spoke to them about their smartphone usage, we quickly realised that many feel they are habitually distracted when socialising by their device but also admit they didn’t want to go completely phone-free. At Heineken®, we want to foster moments of genuine connection and help people experience the joy of true togetherness. In creating The Boring Phone we have gone back to basics, we have dialled down the tech to help people truly connect over a beer, without any distraction from the constant buzzing and dings.”
Oliver Mak, co-founder of Bodega adds, “At Bodega, we see ourselves as a vehicle for connecting culture and young people, so when Heineken approached us to collaborate on a project designed to do exactly this, we were excited to get involved. Despite having grown up surrounded by technology, us Gen Z and Millennials are now recognising that our dependence on our phones is impacting our ability to make actual, real-life connections. This in turn impacts our ability to have fun, and on a macro level, the development of culture. Smartphones can be too interesting, so we wanted to design a boring one. We were really inspired by the rise of Newtro and wanted to reinterpret a past cultural icon that some younger Zillennials may not have experienced before. We can’t wait to see the response to The Boring Phone as we merge our visions in a shared pursuit of creativity and community. This is truly going to help answer the call for better nights out.”
Heineken and Bodega will unveil The Boring Phone at Milan Design Week on Thursday 18th April, with a party hosted by the collaborators. Following this, devices will be given away to revellers around the world, so they can disconnect, reclaim quality time with friends, family and loved ones, and dial up their nights out. .
An app that will turn smartphones boring will also be launched in June to give those who don’t manage to get their hands on a physical device the Boring Phone experience.
To discover more about The Boring Phone and why ditching smart tech enables better nights out, visit www.heineken.com/theboringphone.
