Brands are looking for new ways to interact with consumers. One trend that has been on the rise is the vending machines. Easy to install, interactive, and unexpected, we’ve seen these machines everywhere from South Africa to Bulgaria. Now Billboard is joining in on the act. Partnering with creative agency Ogilvy & Mather Brazil, Billboard Magazine has produced the Fan Check Machine, a magazine vending machine that distributes free issues of Billboard magazines to 'true' fans of the artist featured on the cover. Fan Check Machine aims to prove that Billboard is more than just a magazine about the music industry, but rather it is a music magazine for the most devoted of music fans.  

What does it take to be deemed a 'true' fan? To start, a person must have over 20 songs by the featured artist on their iPhone. To prove this, passersby were able to plug in their iPhone to the device and have their music collection scanned. There is no app that is paired with the machine, rather it uses software to analyse the music in their iTunes library to determine if they have what it takes. It also includes witty little quips responding to the number (or lack thereof) of tracks by the featured artist within a person’s library. Fan Check Machine is yet another example of brands bringing their products directly to a youthful fan base, in fresh, innovative ways.